Cairo: Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French President's Personal Envoy to Lebanon, reaffirmed their countries' support for restoring institutional stability in Lebanon. Meeting on the sidelines of the preparatory meeting for the International Conference to Support the Lebanese Army and Internal Security Forces hosted by Cairo on Tuesday, the two sides discussed political coordination frameworks. They agreed on the importance of continued consultation within the "Quintet Committee" on Lebanon, which includes Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, France, and the United States.
According to Qatar News Agency, during the meeting, the Egyptian Foreign Minister emphasized his country's firm position supporting Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity. He stressed the priority of enabling Lebanese national state institutions, foremost among them the Lebanese Army, to fully undertake their responsibilities to ensure the country's stability.
Abdelatty praised France's active role in this regard, welcoming the upcoming conference to support the Lebanese Army and security forces scheduled for March 5 in Paris. He also welcomed efforts to convene a subsequent conference to support the Lebanese economy and reconstruction, affirming Egypt's readiness to provide all forms of support to ensure the success of these milestones and stressing the need for the international community to adopt a comprehensive approach toward them.
Furthermore, he maintained that stability can only be restored by compelling the Israeli entity to immediately cease its aggression, withdraw completely from occupied Lebanese territories, and implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701 without selectivity. He warned of the risks posed by continued escalatory policies to regional security.