Army support conference postponed over French-Western 'disputes'

A conference for supporting the Lebanese Army that France was preparing to host on February 27 has been postponed indefinitely.

Al-Akhbar newspaper reported Thursday that the conference was postponed due to “disputes between Paris and European capitals in addition to Washington, amid the continuation of the war and the ambiguity of the political solution.”

“The French tried to take credit for the file, so they decided to hold the conference without consulting with anyone,” diplomatic sources told the daily.

“Paris was hasty in unveiling the conference and sending invitations, which confused the rest of the European and Western parties, especially that it is premature to specify the role that the army will play and what it might need,” the sources added.

“That’s why the French were told to postpone the conference until the situation becomes clearer over the next two weeks in connection with the developments in Gaza,” the sources explained.