A well-informed Lebanese source said French President Emmanuel Macron will visit Beirut on December 24, to meet with a number of Lebanese officials, including Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and interim Prime Minister Najib Mikati.
The source said in statements to “Sputnik” that “the French embassy in Beirut has informed the Lebanese government that Macron has decided to visit Beirut on December 24, on the condition that he meet a number of Lebanese officials, including the Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri and Interim Prime Minister Minister Najib Mikati.
The source added: “After meeting with Lebanese officials, Macron will travel to the headquarters of the French battalion operating under the International Forces South Lebanon (UNIFIL) in the town of Deir Kifa in the Tire district of south Lebanon. to spend the coming Christmas night with the officers and men of that French unit.
The source explained that “Macron’s visit is symbolic and has no political dimension, especially in Lebanese presidential affairs”.
On the other hand, the source said that the French president, on the sidelines of the “2nd Baghdad Summit” to be held for Iraqi neighboring countries in the Jordanian capital on December 20, “will raise the Lebanese dossier from the point of view of accelerating the election of a new president for the republic and the formation of a new government committed to implementing the necessary reforms and providing humanitarian aid to the Lebanese people.
The Lebanese source also indicated that “Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will visit Beirut for the same purpose (greeting Spanish officers and soldiers working in UNIFIL forces) on Christmas and New Year’s Eve, and he plans to meet his Lebanese counterpart, Najib Mikati.
