France to give $11 mn emergency aid to Lebanon as FM visits Beirut
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot met with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Monday, stressing that the election of a president is a priority and emphasizing the importance of stopping the war between Israel and Hezbollah, a Bkirki spokesman said.
Barrot arrived in Lebanon on Sunday night, the first high-level foreign diplomat to visit since the Israeli air strikes intensified.
Barrot told caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati that Paris sought "an immediate halt" to Israeli strikes. He later met Army chief Joseph Aoun and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.
At a press conference in Beirut, Barrot urged Israel to "avoid any ground incursion" in Lebanon and to "cease fire", and for Hezbollah to do the same, calling on the sides to agree to a truce put forward at the United Nations. "It is still on the table. There is still hope, but there is little time," Barrot said.
- France delivers 12 tons of medical aid to Lebanon -
France has delivered 12 tons of medical aid to Lebanon, including two mobile clinics that will be able to treat 1,000 seriously injured people currently in hospitals’ emergency wards across the country, according to a statement from the French Foreign Ministry on Monday.
French military aircraft also delivered critical supplies of medicine to Lebanese emergency, pediatric and general hospitals and clinics, which have been overwhelmed with thousands of injured people since Israel’s bombardment of the country began over a week ago.
During his visit to Beirut on Monday, Barrot said that Paris is also releasing 10 million euros ($11.1 million) in emergency humanitarian aid to support the work of local humanitarian organizations, particularly the Lebanese Red Cross.
"In the face of the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, France stands by Lebanon and remains committed to protecting civilians," the statement said.
Source: Naharnet, Agence France Presse
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