A French top diplomat said the United Arab Emirates will join a Saudi-French common fund that aimed to provide support to Lebanon, Reuters reports.
According to the report, France’s Foreign Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, said that the United Arab Emirates would join a Saudi-French fund that aimed to provide support to the Lebanese people.
Last December, Macron announced a Saudi-French initiative to solve a diplomatic crisis with Lebanon during his visit to Riyadh.
“The visit by President (Emmanuel) Macron enabled the Gulf (Arab countries) to renew ties, which saw (the creation of) a joint Franco-Saudi fund to support the Lebanese, which will be helped tomorrow, or the day after, with a contribution from the United Arab Emirates,” Jean-Yves Le Drian told a parliamentary hearing.
In 2018, the UAE donated Lebanon’s armed forces with $200m in aid to help “stabilise” the country.
By building this fund, France and Saudi Arabia aim to destroy powerful Iran-backed Hezbollah’s influence in the country.
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