Thierry Mariani, MEP from the National Rally (RN) strongly criticized Emmanuel Macron's policy in Lebanon in a video published on social networks. The MEP accuses the French president of contributing to the political impasse which is preventing the election of a new Lebanese president, by supporting a candidate unacceptable to a majority of Lebanese Christians and linked to Hezbollah.
Thierry Mariani alerts his “Lebanese friends” about a resolution on Lebanon which must be voted on Wednesday July 12 in the European Parliament. Initially supported by the European People's Party (EPP), to which Les Républicains en France belong, this resolution has become, according to him, a “real stab in the back of the Lebanese”.
The resolution accuses the Lebanese people of allowing anti-refugee rhetoric to flourish and calls for Syrian refugees to remain on Lebanese soil rather than their repatriation to Syria. Mariani emphasizes that this situation is untenable for Lebanon, a country of six million inhabitants which currently shelters two million Syrian refugees. “Imagine that in France, we had to welcome twenty-two million refugees,” explains Mariani, illustrating the scale of the challenge facing Lebanon.
The National Rally parliamentarian then criticizes the resolution for having accused the Lebanese political parties of the slowness in appointing a President of the Republic. According to him, Emmanuel Macron, by supporting without limit a candidate unacceptable to the majority of Lebanese Christians, would be partly responsible for this blocked situation. Mariani claims that the candidate supported by Macron is linked to Hezbollah, a loaded accusation in the Lebanese context.
Thierty Mariani draws three main conclusions from this situation:
- A Betrayal of the Republicans: He accuses the European People's Party, and by extension the Republicans in France, of having given in and betrayed their Lebanese interlocutors by maintaining an intransigent position on the question of Syrian refugees.
- On European interference: He criticizes the European Parliament for its interference and threats of sanctions, stressing that these actions contradict the EU's claims to defend Lebanese sovereignty.
- Economic and political pressure: Mariani insists on the need for Lebanon to no longer be treated as a pariah by European policies, which contribute to the pressure on the Lebanese pound and the emigration of its executives. According to him, a political overhaul of Lebanon must be carried out by and for the Lebanese themselves.
He concludes his message by calling for a European policy more respectful of Lebanese sovereignty and rejecting any form of interference. He stresses that Lebanon must stop being considered a pariah by European policies and calls for an approach that truly supports the country's stability and prosperity.
These criticisms come against a backdrop of growing political and economic tensions in Lebanon, exacerbated by the massive presence of Syrian refugees and the prolonged absence of a president. His comments add a controversial dimension to the debate on foreign interference and the responsibilities of different international actors in the Lebanese crisis.
In short, Thierry Mariani accuses Emmanuel Macron of playing a harmful role in Lebanese politics, while calling for increased solidarity and renewed respect for the sovereignty of Lebanon. These declarations risk reviving debates on the influence of France and Europe in this sensitive region.
