France Pledges Commitment to Lebanon Government, No Matter Election Results
France purportedly will not halt dialogue with the next Lebanon government whatever the results of the parliamentary polls were and said it favors President Michel Suleiman to remain in the middle after the formation of the new administration.
Pan-Arab daily Al Hayat on Wednesday quoted a well-informed French source as saying that the important elements from France”s point of view were that the Lebanon government should not be a party against the other – meaning that the Shiites will not rule the Sunnis and that there won”t be an axis composed of Hizbullah and Gen. Michel Aoun that would possess an absolute majority.
The other desire was that Suleiman stays in the middle and remains the legitimate president and guarantor of Lebanon”s independence and stability "before and after elections."
The source said that the main thing for France is to ensure that "calm" prevails over Lebanon during elections, particularly since it is the first time that polls take place in a single day across the country.
He said a single-day election requires "excellent organization" – with Lebanese security forces working to ensure the security of the voting process and efforts by local and international observers to ensure transparency of the ballot.
The source warned that the "possible perils of elections is that there is objection to the results either politically or in the street."
France will maintain dialogue with the next Lebanon government no matter what the elections results were, the source added.
He stressed, however, that the new government should remain committed to economic reforms and Paris-3 as well as ensure respect for international legitimacy.
The source warned that the "possible perils of elections is that there is objection to the results either politically or in the street."
He said if Hizbullah and Aoun win, it is in the interest of the victor to exhibit a modest victory, and not to shake stability that could scare home and foreign countries.
France believed it was important to be in harmony with U.S. President Barack Obama who will visit Paris June 6, regarding his reaction in the event Hizbullah came first in the elections.
On the imminent Israeli military exercises along the border with Lebanon, France expressed hope that the maneuvers would not lead to "negative developments that would harm the region”s security and stability."