French Defense Minister Arrives in Beirut on April 20 to Oversee Arms Delivery
French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian is expected to kick off a two-day visit to Lebanon later this month to oversee the delivery of French arms to Lebanese military under a Saudi financed deal.
According to An Nahar newspaper, Le Drian will arrive in Beirut on April 20 to attend a ceremony on the delivery of the first shipment of $3 billion worth of weapons to the army.
He will hold talks with prominent Lebanese leaders, including Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Tammam Salam and Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji.
The daily said that French authorities formally informed its Lebanese counterpart of Le Drian's visit.
Saudi Arabia and France inked the deal in Riyadh in November.
The deal also includes training programs for the Lebanese army run by the French military.
It aims to boost Lebanon's military as it struggles to contain the rising tide of violence linked to the civil war in neighboring Syria.
Saudi Arabia last year announced it would give the Lebanese army $3 billion to purchase weapons and equipment from France, but that deal has yet to be fully implemented.
In August, the kingdom offered another $1 billion in funds to allow the army to purchase supplies immediately.
H.K.
M.T.
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://cdn.naharnet.com/stories/en/174897 |