Salam to French delegation: No lasting peace without total Israeli withdrawal

As the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) expires at the end of August, a joint delegation from the French ministries of Foreign Affairs and the Armed Forces visited Beirut on Tuesday, focused on the future of the U.N. mission deployed in southern Lebanon.

Accompanied by French Ambassador Hervé Magro, the delegation was met by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam at the Grand Serail, as well as by Foreign Minister Joe Rajji. According to the statement released after the meeting with Salam, the French representatives stated “the importance of the political message sent by the Lebanese government” ahead of the Security Council vote on the renewal of UNIFIL's mandate, in a context of increasing pressure exerted by Israel to limit its prerogatives.

“Lebanon remains fully committed to the implementation of Resolution 1701 and to creating an environment conducive to UNIFIL's action,” Salam told his guests, reiterating his commitment to the role of the international force. He said that “any lasting peace in southern Lebanon cannot be achieved as long as Israel has not completely withdrawn from Lebanese territory and has not ended its daily violations of Lebanese sovereignty.”

Since the 2023-2024 war between Israel and Hezbollah, a fragile cease-fire remains in place, but the Israeli army continues to occupy five military positions in southern Lebanon that it considers strategic. On the ground, tensions remain high, and UNIFIL patrols regularly encounter incidents with civilians. These were among the factors that Security Council members will need to evaluate when renewing the U.N. mission's mandate.

At Rajji’s

The French representatives were also welcomed by Joe Rajji at the Foreign Ministry. According to a statement released after the meeting, discussions also covered the long-awaited economic and institutional reforms from the international community.

The French delegation addressed the subject of reforms and “the importance of accelerating their implementation so that Lebanon can obtain support for reconstruction.” The discussion also focused on “the delimitation of the Lebanese-Syrian borders and France's role in this context.” The French delegation expressed France's intention “to provide Lebanon with additional maps and documents related to the Shebaa Farms.”

Both Syria and Lebanon claim ownership of the Shebaa Farms, a border area occupied by Israel since 1967. The border between Syria and Lebanon has never been officially demarcated.