Paris Conference for Lebanon: Some generosity, but no ceasefire

Despite pledges described as generous, and gratitude expressed at the official level, the International Conference in Support of Lebanon’s People and Sovereignty, held in Paris on 24 October 2024 amid Israel's ongoing offensive against the small Mediterranean country, produced mixed results and no obvious progress on securing a ceasefire.

Officially, the conference aimed to stress the need for a political solution to end the war in Lebanon, to mobilise the international community around humanitarian needs in the context of the war in Lebanon, and to strengthen the Lebanese army.

“The aid has been generous, and we hope the war ends so that we can rebuild the state and elect a president”, Lebanese Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati stated. Indeed, $800 million was “mobilized” for humanitarian aid, needed to “shelter families, feed children, care for the injured and continue to provide schooling for students”, French President Emmanuel Macron said.  

Contributions from the international community reached more than a billion dollars, meaning the tally of the French initiative, which brought together 50 representatives of countries and 20 international organisations, exceeded the $426 million requested by the United Nations and the Lebanese government in early October.  

An additional $200 million was pledged to strengthen the Lebanese armed forces, with the aim of supporting the recruitment of “at least 6,000 additional soldiers” and the deployment of “at least 8,000 additional soldiers in the South”, President Macron stated.  

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Friday issued a statement thanking French President Emmanuel Macron, the French government, and the French people for organizing the international conference in support of Lebanon’s financial, political, and humanitarian sovereignty.

"Thank you to Lebanon’s friend, President Emmanuel Macron, the French government, and the French people," Berri said. "Gratitude also goes to the European Union, the Lebanese government, and all participating countries—brotherly Arab nations and friendly states—at the conference dedicated to supporting Lebanon, its people, and its army in facing the consequences of Israel’s aggressive war that threatens Lebanon, its people, heritage, civilization, and regional and global role."

He continued, “The conference’s outcomes—financial support for refugee relief and strengthening the Lebanese army to maintain security and uphold national sovereignty, especially south of the Litani River alongside UNIFIL to implement UN Resolution 1701—reinforce our belief that Lebanon is not alone in confronting the existential threat it faces.

But French expert Agnes Levallois, vice-president of the Institute of research and studies Mediterranean Middle-East (Iremmo) says while this aid is vital for the Lebanese, it solves nothing”. She told The New Arab, “If the international community does not obtain a halt to the Israeli bombardments, it will need to mobilise again very quickly”.

She also doubted that $200 million “is enough to strengthen an army in dire need of military equipment”. 

This conference is in the vein of those organised by France after the Beirut Port blast in 2020, which raised 280 million euros in 2020 and 312 million euros in 2021 ($330 million and $368 million, respectively).

France announced it will contribute € 100 million ($108 million) to Lebanon. Germany will donate €96 million ($103.57 million) and Britain £15 million ($20 million), while the US has pledged $300 million - a third of what is needed to operate one Thaad anti-missile system battery that the country recently deployed to Israel.  

At the time of publication, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar had not made their contributions public.

Asked by the press how international aid could be protected from endemic corruption in Lebanon, the French foreign minister explained at length that it would be channelled “through the UN organisations and NGOs” attending the conference. “They have their own connections and operating methods in Lebanon and are working to achieve a high level of transparency and traceability,” the minister stressed.

This French-led initiative is “extremely important for Lebanon”, Prime Minister Najib Mikati told the press, saying it demonstrated “human solidarity but also political solidarity”. President Macron framed this initiative as part of the “age-old ties” between France and Lebanon, saying that it was organised “in the name of this unwavering loyalty”.

Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot also emphasised the historical dimension of this relationship, quoting the late French President Charles de Gaulle (who, in the 1940s, had initially rejected Lebanon’s demands for independence): ‘In every French heart, the very name of Lebanon awakens something very special’.  

The mythology of a ‘warm friendship’ between the two countries dates back to the Crusades period in the 13th century "and reached its peak with the friendship between Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri and French President Jacques Chirac”, Christian Taoutel, Head of the History-International Relations Department at Saint-Joseph University in Beirut, explains.

During the Conference, Prime Minister Najib Mikati reiterated his call for an “immediate cease-fire” and a “diplomatic solution that ensures [to Lebanon] a permanent stability” based on international law and resolution 1701, a statement aligning with that of President Macron.  

“The lever that France does have is diplomacy,” Jean-Noel Barrot stressed, saying that the US-French proposal for a 21-day ceasefire in Lebanon - the basis for a ceasefire - “is the fruit of many weeks of discussions with the parties to this regional conflict”. 

“France does not have the means to its diplomatic ambitions,” according to Agnes Levallois. “Once again, France wants to show that it is doing something. But only the United States can bring about a ceasefire by stopping arms exports to Israel.” Levallois highlighted Anthony Blinken's absence from the conference, while the US Secretary of State met Najib Mikati in London earlier on Friday.

Looking back at the past year of diplomatic attempts by France to avoid a full-scale war on Lebanon and to push for the election of a president, Christian Taoutel stresses how France, “much like in the 80s, does not dare to accuse the actors who are detrimental to the stability of the Middle East and does not name enemies”.

 The expert also qualified the ‘warm relationship’ between the two countries, citing a series of misunderstandings. “The Lebanese did not understand why François Mitterrand (1981-1995) chose not to confront Syria after the assassination of his ambassador Louis Delamare in 1981 or the attack that killed 58 soldiers in Beirut in 1983. Jacques Chirac also chose to trust Bashar Al-Assad when he became President in 2000, and Nicolas Sarkozy invited him to Bastille Day in 2007. The Lebanese were shocked to see a dictator receive such a warm welcome.” 

A similar misunderstanding occurred in 2020 when Emmanuel Macron came to Lebanon after the explosion. “He affirmed the need for an international investigation but then endorsed Hezbollah's Sleiman Frangieh as its presidential candidate.” 

“France is one of the few countries still interested in Lebanon,” said Taoutel. "The French empathy towards Lebanon is very appreciated [but] while the emotional side of the relationship is impeccable, its political side is not achieved”.  

Laure Delacloche is a French freelance journalist based in Beirut, Lebanon, She focuses on social issues, especially how crises impact women. Her work has appeared in French and international outlets and is a member of Solvo, a solutions-oriented collective of journalists.

Follow her on X: @LaureDelacloche