French Defense Minister in Beirut Next Month to Oversee Arms Delivery
French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has said he would visit Beirut mid-April to attend a ceremony on the first shipment of $3 billion worth of weapons paid for by Saudi Arabia.
However, Le Drian told pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat in remarks published on Thursday that the delivery of helicopters, missiles, warships, telecommunications equipment and other defense material will take three years to complete.
The delay is caused by the manufacturing of the arms and munitions, and giving the Lebanese army time to train on how to operate them, said the minister.
Last month, the French Defense Ministry said in a statement that the deal, first announced in 2013, also includes training programs for the Lebanese army run by the French military.
“Scores of Lebanese officers and technicians will soon join French military schools for training,” Le Drian told Asharq al-Awsat.
The deal aims to boost Lebanon's military as it struggles to contain the rising tide of violence linked to the civil war in neighboring Syria.
Saudi Arabia and France inked the deal in Riyadh in November.
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