FRANCE: LEBANESE DRUZE LEADER WALID JUMBLAT HOLDS TALKS WITH FRENCH PRESIDENT JACQUES CHIRAC

Record ID: 566301

  • Title: FRANCE: LEBANESE DRUZE LEADER WALID JUMBLAT HOLDS TALKS WITH FRENCH PRESIDENT JACQUES CHIRAC
  • Date: 3rd December 2004
  • Summary: (W4) PARIS, FRANCE (DECEMBER 3, 2004) (REUTERS) 1. SLV EXTERIOR ELYSEE PALACE 0.06 2. CU FRENCH FLAG OUTSIDE ELYSEE 0.13 3. SLV/SV FRENCH PRESIDENT JACQUES CHIRAC AND LEBANESE DRUZE LEADER WALID JUMBLAT COMING OUT OF THE ELYSEE PALACE AND SHAKING HANDS (2 SHOTS) 0.29 4. SV JUMBLAT WALKING TOWARS MEDIA 0.31 5. MCU (French) LEBANESE DRUZE LEADER WALID JUMBLAT, SAYING: "President Jacques Chirac and France support the independence and sovereignty of Lebanon, and natural, healthy relationships between Lebanon and Syria. That's the core of the exclusion. Now, how to arrive at that? A dialogue process with all concerned parties must be undertaken and also the Syrians must be made to understand that an independent, democratic and sovereign Lebanon would be an advantage. That's a challenge that is worth the effort and I believe that with France's support we can get there." 1.04 6. MCU MEDIA/ (Arabic) JUMBLAT, SAYING: "President Chirac's and France's concern is the independence of Lebanon and the existence of healthy relations with Syria. That which we discussed and verified with president Jacques Chirac is that France has no intention of interfering in the affairs of Lebanon, or Syria or the Middle East. What we look forward to is normal relations with Syria, provided the independence and sovereignty of Lebanon are respected." (2 SHOTS) 1.29 7. SV/SLV WALID JUMBLAT LEAVING ELYSEE PALACE (3 SHOTS) 1.53 8. SLV ELYSEE PALACE 1.57 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 18th December 2004 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: PARIS, FRANCE
  • Country: France
  • Reuters ID: LVAD9Z623XUDZ78FZWSEIVQGWW4Y
  • Story Text: Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblat holds talks with
    French President Jacques Chirac.



    Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblat met French
    president Jacques Chirac to rally support for international
    pressure to be exerted on Lebanon's Syria-backed government
    and push for a withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon.

    Jumblat, who is the president of the Lebanon Progressive
    Socialist Party, said after the meeting that he had
    obtained Chirac's reassurance that France has no intention
    to interfere in Lebanese politics and encourages good
    relations between Lebanon and Syria.

    "President Jacques Chirac and France support the
    independence and sovereignty of Lebanon, and natural,
    healthy relationships between Lebanon and Syria", he told
    journalists at the Elysee palace after shaking hands with
    the French president.

    Some of Lebanon's anti-Syrian groups were buoyed by
    Security Council Resolution 1559 last September calling on
    foreign troops to pull out of Lebanon, and hold elections
    under rules existing at the time.

    The United States, with France's help, narrowly pushed
    the resolution through the Security Council in an attempt
    to stop Emile Lahoud, the Syrian-backed Lebanese president,
    from serving another three years. But the next day, the
    Lebanese parliament voted 96-29 to amend the constitution,
    cancelling a November election and allowing Lahoud to serve
    an extra term.

    The lawmakers' move was widely seen as a
    Damascus-directed attempt to keep Syrian hands on the
    reigns of Lebanese power. Syria has controlled Lebanese
    politics since the late 1970's and keeps about 20,000
    troops in Lebanon.

    Following the resolution and amid mounting
    international pressure to change its foreign policy, Syria withdrew a
    brigade-size force from Lebanon. The pull-out
    came less than three weeks following the resolution. The
    exact number of Syrian troops that left Lebanon could not
    be independently verified.

    The evacuation of 3,000 soldiers as reported by
    Lebanese military officials would leave about 17,000
    deployed in many parts of Lebanon, especially in the Bekaa
    Valley east of the country.

    Jumblat, a former civil war leader turned minister, was
    a key Syrian ally since the 1980's, until he fell out with
    Damascus in recent months. He is expected to give a press
    conference in Paris later in the day.


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