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PARIS: The symbolism couldn’t have been stronger. On September 1, 1920, French General Henri Gouraud, representing the authority of the French mandate, proclaimed the State of Greater Lebanon from the Pine Residence in Beirut. That day, Lebanon embarked on its path to independence, which it won, for better or for worse, 23 years later, on November 22, 1943.
One hundred years later, as French President Emmanuel Macron surveyed the devastation caused by the massive explosion on August 4, 2020 in the port of Beirut, the Lebanese people, expressing their anger at the incompetence of the Lebanese authorities, called for the position of the country under the “French mandate for the next 10 years”.
The French leader promised to return on September 1 for the celebrations of the centenary of the creation of Lebanon.
Meanwhile, Paris stepped up its efforts to support those affected by the blast and to urge Lebanese leaders to begin much-needed reforms to deal with the severe economic and financial crisis facing the country.
The cri de coeur of July 8 by French Chancellor Jean-Yves Le Drian addressed to the Lebanese authorities: “Help us to help you, damn it!” – reflected the growing concern in Paris for the very future of Lebanon.
Relations between the two countries date back far beyond the historical date of 1920, which only enshrined ties that were several hundred years old. The beginning of France’s ties to Lebanon can be traced back to Saint Louis, the 13th century monarch who recognized the Maronite nation on Mount Lebanon and vowed to ensure its protection.
However, it was the capitulation agreements between the Ottoman Empire under Suleiman the Magnificent and the European powers, including France, ruled by Francois I, that paved the way for France in the 14th century to forge deeper relations with the Lebanese, with the objective of defending the minorities of the empire, especially the Christians.
In 1860, after the massacres of Christians on Mount Lebanon, the French, under Napoleon III, intervened militarily to restore order. This allowed the creation, at the political level, of the Mutasarrifate, an administrative authority that ushered in a period of stability until the First World War.
With the end of the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century, Lebanon came under French rule. Since then, Paris has always played a privileged role in the land of cedars. Beirut was at the center of relations between these two entities, especially its port, which was largely destroyed by the August 4 explosion.
When the Earl of Pertuis obtained the concession for the modernization of the port, he opened Beirut to the world. The city began to develop, mainly thanks to the silk trade between Lyon and the Lebanese mountains. It was the installation of primarily French-speaking religious missions in the 19th century, and the creation of schools and Saint Joseph’s University that made Beirut and Mount Lebanon what they are today.
Lebanon thus became the center of a strategic vision for France, which saw it as the flagship of the Beirut-Damascus-Baghdad axis versus the British-controlled Haifa-Amman-Baghdad axis.
The establishment by the French of the railway linking Beirut with Mount Lebanon, on the one hand, and Damascus with Baghdad, on the other, ended up giving Beirut a new dimension by shaping it economically, politically, and culturally.
France was thus actively present, long before the mandate instituted by the League of Nations in April 1920. The proclamation of Greater Lebanon was the culminating achievement of a relationship that has been simultaneously established on the religious, cultural, economic and political levels.
France’s political support for Lebanon has been immeasurable, especially during the 1975-1990 war. Paris has repeatedly sent envoys to negotiate ceasefires and unblock political crises. The July 2007 meeting at the Chateau de La Celle-Saint-Cloud to initiate a dialogue between different Lebanese political forces is a good example.
The roadmap recently presented by President Macron is the latest example of this approach.
France’s presence at the UN and multinational forces formed several times to intervene in Lebanon can hardly be overlooked. French soldiers paid dearly for their country’s support for Lebanon, as during the 1983 attack on the Drakkar building, attributed to Hezbollah and Iran, which killed 58 French paratroopers. The assassination by the Syrians of Ambassador Louis Delamare in 1981 is another example.
Furthermore, France has been present in UNIFIL forces since 1978 and remains one of its main contributors.
On the financial front, as the lynchpin of the Lebanon support group, France has always been a mobilizing force for donors. In recent years, several conferences have been organized to help Lebanon, notably Paris I, II and III under the leadership of former President Jacques Chirac, as well as the CEDRE conference in 2018.
It is a friendship that has been marked by Chirac’s unwavering support for Lebanon, especially after the assassination of Rafik Hariri in 2005. France has always been there at the most difficult times to lend a hand. It is also the country that has the most influence in its attempt to dialogue with all parties, while other countries, especially regional ones, take more radical positions.
Paris is practically the only power that has always worked for the unity, stability and sovereignty of Lebanon. A special friendship connects the two countries, beyond strategic and economic interests, a friendship personified by President Macron’s words in Beirut on August 6: “Because it is you, because it is us.”
