Security of Europe, Mideast interrelated - Le Drian

BEIRUT, April 20 (KUNA) -- French Minister of Defense Jean-Yves Le Drian stressed Monday the interrelation between the security and stability of Europe, on one hand, and that of the Middle East and the Arab region on the other.
The situations in the Arab region impact not only on the French nationals in the region but on the citizens inside France and other European countries as well, he told reporters at the French embassy.
The Paris attacks last January were a reminder of the threats posed to Europe by the instability in Yemen, Iraq and Syria as well as the Al-Qaeda organization, he said.
Le Drian noted that the Syrian conflict resulted in unprecedented mobilization of thousands of foreign fighters, some of them are French.
He lashed at the Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad's strategy of escalating violence against the opposition even if the price was a total destruction of the country.
Al-Assad's policy led to a humanitarian disaster that left 250,000 deaths, dozens of thousands of missing people and more than 4.5 million refugees. This tragedy led to the emergence of extremist organizations such as the Islamic State in the Levant and Iraq (ISIL) and Al-Nusra Front, he went on.
The French defense minister affirmed that the unrest in the Arab region poses threat to the security of his country, noting that the situation prompted his ministry to prioritize military action and intervention when need be.
France seeks to build strong partnerships with the Arab countries, including Lebanon and Jordan which are on the frontline of the fight against ISIL and Al-Nusra, he said, noting that his country maintains close defense relations with Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
France believes that the GCC countries play an important role in the regional transformations; this is why it supported the Operation Decisive Storm against the Houthi rebels in Yemen, he affirmed.
Le Drian lauded the planned joint Arab rapid intervention force, voicing desire of his country to contribute to the formation of this force.
He affirmed that the French military strategy attaches great importance to the security of such regions as the Mediterranean basin, the Middle East, North Africa, the African Sahel and Sahara, the Arabian Gulf and the Indian Ocean.
On the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, he said France is working with other major players for launching a UN initiative for reaching a fair, balanced and permanent solution to the conflict.
Le Drian who started an official visit to Lebanon yesterday oversaw the delivery of the first shipment of French weapons donated by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the Lebanese Army earlier today.
He held talks with Lebanese Prime Minister Tammam Salam at Grand Serail here and briefed him on the stages of the Saudi donation worth USD three billion. (pickup previous) wsm.gb