Long Way to Go for Lebanon to Regain “Calm” Ties with Neighbors
French Chargé d”Affairs, Didier Chabert, said Sunday that Lebanon still had a "long way" to go before it can regain its "calm" relations with all its neighbors and other countries.
Speaking after a mass in Beirut, Chabert said: "Lebanon has made progress in normalizing Lebanese-Syrian ties, under the auspices of President Michel Suleiman." He also pointed to France”s "active support in this regard."
Chabert was speaking on the eve of a Security Council meeting to discuss the renewal of UNIFIL”s mission.
He renewed his country”s "commitment to stability in southern Lebanon, to ensure the full implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701 and to condemn all violations of the resolution, including Israeli over-flights and occupation of the northern part of al-Ghajar in addition to recent events in the south, which are cause for concern despite having been contained." He was referring an explosion last month of a weapons cache in an abandoned house in the southern town of Khirbet Selm and subsequent clashes between residents and UNIFIL peacekeepers trying to investigate the incident.
He stressed on France”s "full support of the Lebanese army, which must someday have exclusive control over the use of force across Lebanon." He voiced hope for the speedy formation of a government "in the best conditions."