Lebanon force plan leads Paris security talks

French, Lebanese and Jordanian leaders met in Paris on Thursday to discuss international support for Lebanon's cash-strapped army and plans for a new force to succeed the UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon.

French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Jordan's King Abdullah II. Senior military officials from their countries and partner nations, including Britain and the United States, were expected to join later for further talks.

The discussions come as the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, ends this year after almost half a century of operations dating back to Israel's 1978 invasion. France and Italy have said they want to set up a multinational coalition to succeed the mission.

Aoun told AFP this week that Lebanon wanted a new force, European or otherwise, to prevent a security vacuum after UN peacekeepers leave southern Lebanon.

The French presidency said the aim of the Paris talks was to review a Lebanese armed forces deployment plan based on a “clear, credible and realistic” framework. Paris said the operational details of the deployment needed to be clarified before it could seek strong international support through financial assistance, equipment or training.

The Lebanese army has struggled to carry out its mission of disarming Hezbollah in the south. Under a US-sponsored framework agreement signed by Israel and Lebanon in June, Hezbollah is to be disarmed, Israeli forces are to withdraw gradually from southern Lebanon and the Lebanese army is to deploy in the region.

Aoun has said he is determined to disarm Hezbollah, but “without a confrontation”. He has also called on European, American and Arab nations to support the Lebanese army.

UNIFIL has just under 7,500 peacekeepers from 46 countries and must close by the end of the year.