Report: Delivery of French Weapons under Saudi Grant Not Before March
French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has officially informed Saudi officials that Lebanon will receive the first batch of French weapons after March, As Safir daily reported Saturday.
The newspaper said that Le Drian gave the information to the Saudi officials during a recent visit to Riyadh.
It quoted French diplomatic sources as saying that the defense minister said the weapons won't reach Lebanon before March.
France and Saudi Arabia signed an agreement in November for Paris to provide the Lebanese army with $3 billion worth of weapons paid for by Riyadh.
The deal, first announced by former President Michel Suleiman in December last year, aims to boost Lebanon's military as it struggles to contain a rising tide of violence linked to the civil war in Syria.
The Lebanese army is generally seen as a unifying force in Lebanon, and draws its ranks from all of the country's sects. But it has struggled to contain the escalating violence since the outbreak of the Syrian conflict.
Reports in November said that Paris will begin delivering weapons to the Lebanese military in the first quarter of 2015.
over 9 years
Didn't certain people here on Naharnet, say that the weapons would arrive in January?
Another open proof, that the Saudi family and the West, wants a weakened LAF forever. Only one other option then, let Iran start arming the LAF.
over 9 years
@Mystic,
Have hope for your country and try to be positive for once... More than 70% of LAF weapons are supplied by the West and Saudi. When was the last time Assad or Hezbollah supplied weapons to the LAF?? This is how brainless and cowards your sect is... you are receiving a gift, be patient and positive. y'all have mad negative energy!!
over 9 years
Still brain washed? Pity you.
over 9 years
Coming out from France in January arriving by chips reaching Lebanon starting March ;)
over 9 years
ships*
over 9 years
Mystic, Fatma Gul, doesn't that ring a bell? Well if it does, would you kindly oblige us with just how many times it got delayed? Ah, again, who was then the minister responsible for energy? If you don't mind, some people do know the workings of such sensitive issues, it goes well beyond the financial considerations, it also covers the security aspect of it. maybe you wouldn't like to hear this, but one of the worries remains Hezbollah and all the infiltrations that are incumbent on it. FYI, every single piece of weapon is cataloged, part of a highly monitored inventory, so when the weapons start coming, trust me, Hezbollah will not see one of them.
over 9 years
Wow nice, I hit a soft spot right there. All the phalangists and takfiris creeps out from their carcass now. The weapons was a lie gentlemen, you keep clinging to this deal, like a broke baby crying for his mothers milk. There is other solutions, don't be ignorants.
over 9 years
You hit at nothing my dear Mystic but a wall that refuses to move now. There is no carcass except in your mind dear friend. The Kataeb or Phalangists trust me together with your much dreaded Lebanese Forces, wlak focus on the word Lebanese, both are here to defeat Hezbollah's every move to enslave Lebanon into a Shiite Iranian Syrian republic. Haven't you asked Yaser Arafat and his dreams of his substitute Palestine in Lebanon, what did he get but run? Your turn will come if you continue working against your Lebanese brothers, the day will come when the only place for you people to find safety will be in those countries that you are fighting to defend, it will be for you people instead of Wilayet Al Faquih to Wilayet Al Hojrah. Then tone down your hatred and dirty language, it's only gnawing at your already badly dented image.
over 9 years
Mystic; why is nassrallah always inciting and talking about Bahrain in every one of his speeches... Is that resistance? is that Lebanese? Why are we involved in Bahrain? Is it because there are shias over there.... Your nassrallah does not care what the Lebanese government's stance on Bahrain is... He does not even recognize Lebanon as an independent state. You people are not Lebanese, you are agents of Iran and Assad.
over 9 years
If those were the plans of the Resistance, then why didn't they just take over Baabda, and destroy all their political enemies during May 2008? Your facts doesn't add up Phoenix, there are other christians that disagree deeply with you. Gen. Aoun for instance realized in time what was right, you people still live under the shadow of the civil war. We live in a different time now, not the 80's Phoenix.
When you realize the plan of Israel and USA is for the takfiris to swallow up all of Lebanon. Then we can discuss further on this issue.
over 9 years
Marcus everybody should be speaking about Bahrein, it doesnt mean youre not lebanese if you do, it means you're a human with the ability to have empathy for victims of abuse and injustice. He also frequently speaks of palestinians and spoke of christians in maaloula or yazidis in iraq, like many other people who are all more lebanese than you ever will be.
over 9 years
the sectarian mouthpiece always finds a justification for his terrorist leader. Why isn't your terrorist leader talking about Myanmar then?
over 9 years
1 billion dollars yea right. Where is that 1 billion dollars or the 3 billion dollars promised over a year ago. Stop embarrassing yourself dude.
over 9 years
loooooooooooooool 7elwe mennak @merkin
over 9 years
No insults nor bad words are acceptable.
over 9 years
You have other means to express yourself. Please stay decent.
over 9 years
weapons to Irbil during isis offensive reached the kurds within days and it was for free
why Lebanon has to take months and its atready paid for
btw Beirut is closer than Irbil
vive la liberte je suis Charlie
over 9 years
this is not how people communicate !
over 9 years
As Christians, we should not hate. I hated two people because they killed many of my friends : Arafat and Assad.
I am now having a problem with the Caporal because I can witness how he is destroying the Christians and the future of Christians. I can also see that his followers have their hands, heart and reason totally tied. It makes great sorrow and sadness in me. But I try not to hate. Hate destroys our innerself before harming anything else.
over 9 years
Humble, hatred is good sometimes, me too I hate the same people you hate, Assad, Arafat and Aoun. Now if Sayed hassan continues to deceive us and make up cover ups, then he will be just the same.
over 9 years
Nobody hates you phoenix, but I do pity you phalangists. Years and centuries, the parties you support has been utilized by Israel to do their most dirtiest work. Yet we still see you, nod at everything the zionists say. Pitiful indeed.
over 9 years
Mystic, we used Israel when you people were shouting on us, Allahul akbarr, al mawt ilal in3izeliyine, al mawt ilal kouffar. Mystic, habibi enta, I was very very young then when I was fighting with the Kataeb then. We had no guns, no uniforms, nothing but a brave heart and faith in our country. You people were there in front of us shrieking at the top of your voices and our backs against the wall. Sure, we trained in Israel, bought our weapons and bullets and fought you like Lions, till that SOB Aoun came in to destroy all we so hardly worked for. You people were given free-for-all support from many Arab countries remember? Please, don't derail your senses with so much hatred of us, no one utilized us, except if you're talking of your side. We used them to survive, you're not, you're just part of a broader plan, then. remember Bachir Gemayel in 1982, more than that I need not say. Compare that with your Sayed Hassan and Soughya.
over 9 years
Not true phoenix, when the phalangists were armed to the teeth, Hezbollah was not even created back then. In my faith it is 7aram to kill anyone because of their beliefs.
We all live with the scars from the civil war no doubt, you come from a high class of people, but me I came from the lowest class. We were simple farmers, and harvested the vegetables for all the Lebanese people, you high class people also.
When Israeli tanks drove over our crops in 1982, and destroyed everything in their path for the desperate search of Palestinian guerillas, that made us go to grab arms on a large scale.
Now see what the Resistance are? From poor farmers to one, if not the best fighting force in the region. When people say, Israel is the reason for Hezbollahs existence, yes they are very true.
over 9 years
never argue with stupid people... they bring down to their level of stupidity and win based on they long experience
over 9 years
fought "you" like lions. Who's "you", the Kataeb were fighting the Palestinians, then when they refused to share weapons with the army, Aoun & Geagea fought each other.
I agree @-phoenix1 on many things, but the Kataeb was to protect all Lebanese.
over 9 years
Lebanon is an exclusive christian country...others are welcome as dhimmis
over 9 years
@charles Majnoun!
Lebanon may be Maronite/Druze in nature; however, it's a coexistence with Muslims, and is certainly not Exclusive to any Religion or Sect.
Most Lebanese don't take their religion 'seriously' in a social context, the truth is... Rich Christians & Rich Muslim are inter-friends. It's not based on Sect honestly, it's based on Education & Social Class, like every other country.
over 9 years
FT is right -
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/4351672/French-cartoonist-Sine-on-trial-on-charges-of-anti-Semitism-over-Sarkozy-jibe.html
Nobody cared about freedom of expression back then.
over 9 years
So the caricatuers are not bad now;) But he and your khommeini issued a fatwa to assassinate Salman Rushdi. Why go back to 2012? LOL....
Yeah Right ;)