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Foreign Minister Youssef Reggei and President Joseph Aoun each received members of France's National Assembly committee on Middle Eastern Christians on October 28, reaffirming Lebanon's commitment to state sovereignty and national unity. Reggei positioned arms consolidation under state control as a central government decision running parallel to diplomatic efforts for Israeli withdrawal. Aoun told the French lawmakers that Lebanon cannot survive without its Christian and Muslim "wings," warning that loss of the Christian presence would create a vacuum filled by extremism that would spread to Europe.
Details:
According to Al-Addiyar, Reggei met with a French parliamentary delegation led by Deputy Sandrine Fouchier-Chazey, briefing the visitors on Lebanon's diplomatic efforts to secure Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory. He framed the monopolization of arms by the state as integral to building a functioning state with full territorial authority—positioning it as a Lebanese strategic choice rather than external pressure. The Foreign Ministry statement did not specify timelines or enforcement mechanisms for this consolidation.
Aoun's parallel meeting with the same French delegation stressed a different emphasis. According to both Al-Addiyar and An-Nahar, Aoun told the lawmakers that Christian-Muslim unity serves as "a safety valve against sectarian strife" and forms the backbone of Lebanese stability and the region's future. He explicitly stated there is no threat to Christian existence in Lebanon and rejected the notion that wars provide sustainable security. Instead, he advocated for diplomatic negotiation as the sole path to national and regional safety. Aoun framed Lebanon as "a message of freedom and pluralism" whose survival depends on maintaining both religious communities as equal pillars.
The two officials' messaging—Reggei's focus on institutional state power and Aoun's emphasis on confessional coexistence—did not contradict but addressed different audiences and concerns. Neither statement addressed the practical challenges of disarming non-state armed groups or the timeline for implementation.
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