By: Ali Hussein
France is reportedly planning to propose adding Iran to the five-nation group on Lebanon, which already includes the U.S., France, KSA, Qatar and Egypt, the pro Hezbollah al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Tuesday.
The daily claimed that Paris has evaluated the outcome of its Le Drian ‘s visit to Lebanon and has launched an action plan .
According to the daily , Jean-Yves Le Drian , the French President’s personal envoy who visited Lebanon last month found out that it is best to hold a dialogue sponsored by France and the five-nation group, after he heard from Lebanese officials that national dialogue attempts have failed.
The paper revealed that Le Drian will visit Riyadh soon to be followed by a trip to Qatar, Egypt, and the U.S.
It also revealed that Le Drian will also hold talks with Tehran.
According to Lebanese media reports Lebanon has not yet been informed on Le Drian’s exact plans for his next visit to Lebanon , if any because of the recent turmoil in France following the fatal police shooting of a 17-year-old outside Paris. According to the reports ” Lebanon can no longer be a priority to France.”
During a visit to Beirut in August 2020 , following the Beirut port blast , the French president delivered a stark message to Lebanon’s leaders: “deliver on reforms by the end of October or face sanctions”, a deadline he then extended when it was deliberately missed, only to cave in to the demands of Hezbollah and the political mafia class it coerced and coopted.
Washington and Saudi Arabia have been urged to take over the reins in Lebanon after Macron failed to deliver on his promises to the Lebanese people.
Many fear that his efforts will reward the Iran-backed Hezbollah more than benefit beleaguered Lebanon.
Iran and Saudi Arabia have been historic enemies, but Macron still supports Hezbollah as a political organization.
In the port explosion more than 220 died, more than 7000 were injured, much of the port was destroyed, homes were destroyed, and it is estimated to have caused $5 to $8 billion in damages, not a trivial thing for a small country. Hezbollah refused to allow an international investigation and continues to block the Lebanese investigation. It forced the resignation of the first investigator and succeeded in getting the second investigator fired , all because it does not want to explode its role in importing the chemicals that caused the explosion .
France also has been stubbornly promoting the election of Suleiman Franjieh , the presidential candidate of Hezbollah and its ally the Amal Movement which is headed by Speaker Nabih Berri . Franjieh is a close friend of Hezbollah’s ally Syria ‘s president Bashar al Assad. Berri reportedly obstructed the last presidential election session , just like he did to the previous eleven sessions .
The Iran-backed Hezbollah is listed as a global terrorist group responsible for bombings, assassinations, and murders
At the end of Lebanon civil war , Syria which occupied Lebanon at that time ordered the dissolution of all militias, except Hezbollah. The European Union declared Hezbollah a terrorist organization in 2013. The United States was the first to designate Hezbollah as a terrorists group in 1983 , followed by ,Canada, Britain, Australia, New Zealand and some Arab Gulf countries , including Saudi Arabia.
The French president regards Hezbollah as a political party, not a terrorist group. Many disagree, especially those that lost their loved ones , starting with the relatives former president Bashir Gemayel , who was assassinated before he took office on September 14, 1982 , via a bomb explosion by an ally of Hezbollah , followed by the assassination of Rene Moawaad who was assassinated on Lebanon independence day on November 22, 1989 after serving 18 days , followed by the assassination of former PM Rafik Hariri in 2005. Three Hezbollah operatives , who were indicted in Hariri’s murder were sentenced in absentia for as many as 30 years in prison. Hezbollah refused to hand them over to the International court .
According to Sam Haddad a Lebanese observer: ” All Macron cares about is getting Lebanon’s oil and gas and wants Hezbollah to protect the oil and fields with its arms . The French company Total will be the first to drill in bloc 9, starting this fall
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