French Presidential Envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian meets with Lebanese officials to discuss reform

BEIRUT — As part of his visit to Lebanon, French Presidential Envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian met with Lebanese Forces Party leader Samir Geagea, in Maarab.   

The French delegation included French Ambassador to Lebanon Hervé Magro, political and media attaché Romain Calvary, and political attaché Marie Favral.   

The meeting was attended by MPs Pierre Bou Assi, Ziad Hawat, party’s executive committee member MP Eddy Abi Lamaa, as well as the head of the party’s Foreign Relations Bureau and former Minister Richard Kouyoumjian and bureau member Tony Darwish.  

The meeting, which lasted an hour, addressed the latest developments on the domestic and regional fronts.  

Le Drian had previously met with several Lebanese officials, urging them to expedite and complete essential reforms, which are crucial for securing the necessary funding to rebuild what was destroyed in the war.  

During his visit to Beirut, Le Drian met with President Michel Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and leaders of Lebanon’s political factions. 

According to Asharq Al-Awsat, a Lebanese government source stated that Le Drian pressed for the passage of the banking restructuring law, already approved by the government and sent to Parliament for review.   

He also discussed France’s initiative to organize a donor conference in Paris this September to fund reconstruction efforts following the recent Israeli war.  

The source noted that Le Drian did not directly link reconstruction aid to disarming Hezbollah. Instead, he emphasized the implementation of reforms as the key condition for receiving assistance, urging Lebanon to complete the necessary steps to ensure state monopoly on arms.