Macron seeks revival of Saudi financing for Lebanon army - for own interests
3 Min Read
The French ventures in the Gulf and the Middle East could simply be to serve French interests rather than those of Lebanon, as President Macron aims for deals among crises.
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Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and French President Emmanuel Macron
Following his Gulf tour, French President Emmanuel Macron said Saudis would re-engage in Lebanese affairs when he justified his visit to the country by saying the kingdom would "help Lebanon and preserve peace and stability in the Middle East" after he was under fire in light of the Saudi regime's murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
"Who can think for one second that we can help Lebanon and preserve peace and stability in the Middle East if we say: 'We're not going to speak to Saudi Arabia, the most populated and most powerful country in the Gulf'?" the French president explained himself.
Macron also asserted that the Saudi re-engagement would be "to help the people of Lebanon and do everything so that an economic and commercial opening can happen."
The French president did not specify whether Riyadh had agreed to finance Lebanon's army procurement of French weapons and equipment, which could have long been Macron's priority instead of helping the people of Lebanon out of their crisis.
As part of his Gulf tour, Macron visited Qatar and the UAE, where Macron signed a $19 billion contract to sell French Rafale fighter jets.
France and the United States have seen the revival of this grant, as well as an additional $1 billion for Lebanon's security forces. Washington and Paris had in July sent their ambassadors to Lebanon on a visit to the KSA, where they tried to convince the Saudis to fund the Lebanese army and security forces.
France did not let the Lebanese crisis stop it from seeking money from Beirut, as Paris extended the Lebanese government a $450 million line of credit to purchase French patrol vessels.
France has several investments in Lebanon, with plans to expand its projects. Paris has a contract to rehabilitate and operate the August 2020 Beirut port, which was turned to ruins via the Beirut blast, after which Macron went to the Beirut and walked amongst the rubble in a bid to perpetuate his political ambitions in Lebanon.
The French framed the president's visit to the KSA as a favor for the Saudis. A French official had asserted that Saudi's re-engagement with Lebanon was in return for Macron's visit, as western leaders have been avoiding any meetings with Saudi's Crown prince over Khashoggi.
Although Macron has claimed there had been a settlement, the Saudis do not seem to have agreed to return to financing the Lebanese army.
However, Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) is forming a joint venture with France's Figeac Aero, as per which the latter would build a factory in the KSA to make aerostructure components.
The deal did not meet Macron's $3 billion deal ambitions; however, statements from US officials suggest that the French president can rely on continued US calls for the Saudis to finance French interests in Lebanon.
