[ad_1]
By Tom Perry and Laila Bassam
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Lebanese sources said Thursday that French intelligence director Bernard Emmier has joined forces to pressure Lebanon to form a new government and implement reforms, backing French President Emmanuel Macron’s efforts to save the country. from a devastating economic crisis.
Macron is at the forefront of international efforts to pressure rival Lebanese politicians to address a crisis seen as the greatest threat to Lebanon’s stability since the civil war that erupted between 1975 and 1990.
The crisis, triggered by decades of corruption and mismanagement, was exacerbated when the port of Beirut was bombed on August 4, killing more than 190 people and destroying parts of the city.
During his visit to Lebanon on Tuesday, Macron gave Lebanese politicians until the end of October to begin implementing reforms, warning that they could face sanctions if corruption prevents it.
Emié is the Director General of the Foreign Intelligence Service in France, which is known as the General Administration of Foreign Security. Three Lebanese officials said Emié was in contact with Lebanese officials on the issues discussed during Macron’s visit.
In response to a question as to whether Emié is playing a role, the French presidency said: “The president is in charge of monitoring and everyone in the country does their job. The (foreign) minister will make contacts.”
Emier, who was French ambassador to Lebanon from 2004 to 2007, was appointed intelligence director shortly after Macron took power in 2017.
A senior Lebanese official said: “Yes, the French intelligence director is keeping track of all the files that Macron raised during his last visit. To this end, he is communicating with many Lebanese officials of all affiliations, following them step by step. and urging them to accelerate the implementation of the reforms. “
Aimee was appointed ambassador to Lebanon after being an advisor to the late French President Jacques Chirac. He was in office at the time of the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, a close friend of Chirac.
Diplomats say he played an important role in efforts to pull Syrian forces out of Lebanon, after they entered during the civil war and did not exit after that.
Emié is one of several French officials who follow the Lebanese factions. Al-Masar said among those officials, Emmanuel Bonn, Macron’s top diplomatic adviser and a former French ambassador to Beirut.
Pressure from Macron led Lebanese leaders to agree on a new prime minister, Mustafa Adib, who initiated talks to form a government of specialists.
Although France, the former colonial power, is at the forefront of diplomatic efforts in Lebanon, other countries like Iran also have influence through their support for the heavily armed Shiite group Hezbollah.
The United States is a major donor to the parties, including the Lebanese military, and classifies Hezbollah as a terrorist group.
During a visit to Beirut, David Schenker, a senior US official, told the An-Nahar newspaper that the United States appreciated the French efforts, but that there were “slight differences” with Paris.
Schenker said Washington does not view Hezbollah as a legitimate political organization and believes it “is not willing to reform.” Macron described the group as an elected party and part of the political system.
(Press coverage of Michelle Rose and John Irish from Paris – Prepared by Yasmine Hussein for the Arab Bulletin – Edited by Muhammad al-Yamani)
