PARIS (AP) — France on Thursday hosts an international conference for Lebanon to rally military and humanitarian aid for the country where war between Hezbollah militants and Israel has displaced a million people, killed over 2,500 and deepened an economic crisis.
Paris also seeks to help restore Lebanon's sovereignty and strengthen its institutions. The country, where Hezbollah effectively operates as a state within a state, has been without a president for two years while political factions fail to agree on a new one.
But the international conference comes as critics say French President Emmanuel Macron’s diplomatic approach in the Middle East has been blurred by his apparent evolving approach and sometimes chaotic communication.
Still, France's historic links with Lebanon, a former colony, and its influential diplomacy give Paris momentum to coordinate “a proper response to the massive challenge that the war in Lebanon now poses,” said Middle East expert Rym Montaz, editor in chief of Carnegie Europe’s blog Strategic Europe.
The French "are trying to make sure that international donors get to hear firsthand from the actors on the ground in Lebanon who can best describe the most immediate needs caused by the Israeli aggression that has forcibly displaced 20% of the Lebanese population over the course of two weeks,” she said.
Israel in the past month has launched a major aerial bombardment and ground invasion of Lebanon as it targets Hezbollah, with strikes hitting the capital, Beirut, and elsewhere.
The International Organization for Migration has said about 800,000 people are displaced, with many now in overcrowded shelters, while others have fled across the border into Syria.
The cash-strapped Lebanese government is ill-prepared to deal with the crisis or the increased demands on its health system. A number of hospitals have been evacuated because of nearby airstrikes and fears that they might be targeted.
In recent weeks, Macron appeared to toughen his stance against Israel while repeatedly calling for a cease-fire in both Lebanon and Gaza, condemning the “unbearable human toll.” He reiterated his call on Monday while speaking by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his office said.
There have been recent tensions between the French and Israeli leaders, especially after Macron called for a halt to arms exports for use in Gaza.
Macron has also strongly condemned the “deliberate” targeting by Israel of U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, which Israel has denied.
Thursday's conference will include ministers and officials from over 70 countries and international organizations, including the European Union and regional partners, Macron’s office said. Acting Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who met with Macron on Wednesday, will attend.
French organizers said they hope the expected financial pledges of humanitarian aid will meet the United Nations’ call for the $426 million it says is urgently needed in Lebanon. Italy this week announced new aid of 10 million euros ($10.8 million) and Germany on Wednesday pledged an additional 60 million euros ($64.7 million) for people in Lebanon.
France also aims at coordinating international support to strengthen Lebanon’s armed forces so they can “deploy more broadly and efficiently” in the country's south as part of a potential deal to end the war. Such a deal could see Hezbollah withdraw its forces from the border.
International support may include equipment, training and financial aid to hire troops and ensure the army's daily needs, Macron’s office said.
Lebanon's army has been hit hard by five years of economic crisis. It has an aging arsenal and no air defenses, leaving it in no position to defend against Israeli incursions or confront Hezbollah.
The Lebanese army has about 80,000 troops, around 5,000 of them deployed in the south. Hezbollah has more than 100,000 fighters, according to the militant group’s late leader, Hassan Nasrallah. The militant group's arsenal — built with support from Iran — is more advanced.
Conference participants also will discuss how to support the 10,500-soldier-strong U.N. peacekeeping mission, UNIFIL. European nations including France, Italy and Spain provide a third of its troops.
Italy, which has over 1,000 troops in the UNIFIL, is notably pushing for the peacekeeping force to be strengthened to “be able to face the new situation” on the ground, an Italian diplomat said, speaking anonymously to discuss ongoing talks.
“What we do know is that without a strengthened Lebanese armed forces and UNIFIL, there can be no sustainable peace and stability at the border between Lebanon and Israel,” Montaz said. “As such, the French efforts are important and crucial for the way forward.”
AP writer Abby Sewell in Beirut, Lebanon, contributed.
French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, left, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024 at the Elysee Palace in Paris. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, left, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024 at the Elysee Palace in Paris. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
SIUMU, Samoa (AP) — In the dark, dozens of people lined a narrow road near the Samoan fishing village of Siumu, gathering near a sign bearing a portrait of King Charles III and waiting excitedly for a glimpse of the real monarch.
A buzz surged through the crowd as a motorcade appeared Wednesday, bearing the first British king to visit a Pacific Island nation.
Hands waved briefly from rolled-down windows and those standing in just the right spot managed to catch a glimpse of the king's face. Then the monarch and his wife, Queen Camilla, were gone. The royals had arrived earlier Wednesday evening from a visit to Australia.
“All people in Samoa are very excited,” said Numio Faoagali, a garbage collector from Siumu who had spent three days cleaning and decorating his house with a Union flag and bunting. He hoped that Charles, who is staying at a resort nearby, might see it.
“It’s the first time to see the king. We’ve only seen him on the TV, not here in Samoa," he said.
Charles is expected to helm a major meeting of leaders from Commonwealth countries in Samoa, including many that once had colonial ties to Britain. His presence is likely to prompt uneasy questions -– as it did in Australia -- about the role of the British crown in the histories and aspirations of its former territories.
But on Wednesday, his visit provoked delight too.
Locals were thrilled their village was picked to host the monarch and congregated two hours early on Wednesday to await his arrival. Madeleine A. Tofaeono-Galo said her cousin, who lived on the other side of the island, was travelling to Siumu “just to see the king.”
As Apia, the capital, bustled with final preparations to welcome Charles, other world leaders and more than 3,000 delegates to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, enthusiasm focused on the global spotlight the monarch's presence might shine on the island nation of 218,000 people.
“We are excited as a one in a lifetime opportunity,” the paramount chief of Siumu, Ataona Tusi Fafetai, told The Associated Press.
“We have pride in our core values, as in hospitality, respect and love and caring for our people,” he added. “It’s a great opportunity for us to show the world that who we are and what we are as people and our identity as Samoan.”
It’s the first time a Pacific Island has hosted the biennial leaders’ summit. More than half of the Commonwealth's members are small countries like Samoa, many of them island nations among the world’s most imperiled by rising seas.
Climate change will occupy much of the summit's agenda. Charles has championed awareness of the problem for decades, and leaders are expected to agree to an Ocean Declaration pledging fresh, but as yet unspecified, commitments.
“We need support to properly lower the greenhouse effect over our Pacific islands,” said Fafetai, the chief. The summit was not only for “unity and awareness”, he added, but to “come up some solutions that will help us.”
The forum will test the ability of the group of nations from across the globe, with divergent political interests and economic fortunes, to align on matters of substance. It is likely to face uncomfortable, existential questions too.
The Commonwealth is seen by some as a vestige of empire with an uncertain mission in the 21st century, and discussions about colonization among its members have intensified in recent years. All three candidates to become the organization’s next Secretary-General -– from Ghana, Lesotho and Gambia -– have urged financial reparations for the past enslavement of colonized people.
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is attending the summit, has faced pressure from some lawmakers in the governing Labour Party to consider the prospect. But his government says it is not up for discussion.
“Reparations are not on the agenda for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting,” Starmer’s spokesman, Dave Pares, said ahead of the summit. “The government’s position has not changed. We do not pay reparations.”
Britain would not be offering an apology for slavery at the summit, Pares said. He also rejected suggestions that the Commonwealth's importance has diminished.
The summit would “bring together delegations from 56 countries representing a combined market for British business set to be worth $19.5 trillion by 2027,” Pares said.
There will be some notable absences from the event, however.
The leaders of two of the biggest Commonwealth nations, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, are attending a meeting of the BRICS developing nations hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has also cancelled his trip to Samoa as he faces political woes at home.
Among a group of countries more disparate and unequal than before, observers will be assessing whether Charles can be the unifying figure that his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, once was.
“The Commonwealth, I think he knows, was one of the most important things that his mother did,” said Anna Whitelock, professor of history of the monarchy at City, University London. “Not only keeping this Commonwealth of countries together, but actually retaining a sort of spirit of community and cooperation and relevance in a world where there’s so many other power blocs and challenges.”
Graham-McLay reported from Wellington, New Zealand. Associated Press writers Jill Lawless and Danica Kirka contributed from London.
Men hold flags as they wait for the arrival of Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla in the village of Siumu, Samoa, on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Men attach Union Jacks to the hoods of their taxis as they wait for the arrival of Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla in the village of Siumu, Samoa, on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
People sit under a portrait of Britain's King Charles III as they wait for his arrival and Queen Camilla in the village of Siumu, Samoa, on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
People wave and take pictures as the motorcade with Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla passes in the village of Siumu, Samoa, on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
People wave flags as Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrive in the village of Siumu, Samoa, on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla wave as they arrive in the village of Siumu, Samoa, on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
