French President Emmanuel Macron warned, on Wednesday, of “any external interference” in Lebanon, during a call with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani, eight days after the explosion that rocked the Lebanese capital, Beirut, and led to demonstrations against the political class.
Macron reminded, “The necessity of avoiding, all concerned forces, any escalation of tension as well as any external interference, and supporting the formation of a government whose task is to manage the emergency (crisis),” according to a statement by the French presidency.
The French President also referred to “the urgent need to move within the framework set by the United Nations during the international conference to support and assist Beirut and the Lebanese people.”
Iran maintains close ties with Hezbollah, its main ally in Lebanon.
During the call, the two men agreed to “strengthen the cooperation” in facing the Covid-19 epidemic, in the coming weeks.
With regard to the Iranian nuclear agreement, which was signed in July 2015, from which the United States withdrew three years ago, Macron reminded his “desire to preserve” the framework of the agreement and “work in favor of calm in the region,” calling on Iran to “take the necessary initiatives to avoid Escalation of tensions. ”
Macron also raised the Lebanese file in contact with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, where he referred to “the importance of the permanent members of the UN Security Council working together to calm in the interest of stability in Lebanon and the entire region and to support a government” to manage the emergency crisis.
Macron also requested “Russia’s participation in the mechanism set up during the International Conference in Support of Beirut and the Lebanese People,” which was held via video link under the auspices of the United Nations and France.
Moscow did not participate in this international conference, during which an emergency aid amounting to 252.7 million euros was pledged to Lebanon.
