(30 Sep 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Beirut, Lebanon – 30 September 2024
1. Wide of press conference with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot
2. SOUNDBITE (French) Jean-Noël Barrot, French Foreign Minister:
++SOUNDBITE FOLLOWS FROM PREVIOUS WIDE SHOT++
“Ladies and Gentlemen, I have chosen to do my first bilateral trip to Lebanon, a country that is a friend of France, a country that is already so fragile, caught up today in a war that it did not choose."
3. SOUNDBITE (French) Jean-Noël Barrot, French Foreign Minister:
++MID OF BARROT++
“There is still hope, but time is short. I therefore urge Israel to refrain from any ground incursions and to a cease-fire. I call on Hezbollah to do the same, and to refrain from any action likely to lead to regional destabilization. I would remind you that the current situation is largely due to Hezbollah’s decision to enter the conflict on October 8, 2023, and drag Lebanon into it, something we have always deplored."
4. Wide of presser in progress
5. SOUNDBITE (French) Jean-Noël Barrot, French Foreign Minister:
“Whether the war is continuing or negotiations opening, it is irresponsible to leave the country today without a head of state who can bring it together and represent it. This is the only way to preserve Lebanese unity and coexistence at a time when war, after years of economic crisis and institutional paralysis, is likely to exacerbate internal tensions.”
6. Mid of reporters
7. SOUNDBITE (French) Jean-Noël Barrot, French Foreign Minister:
“I will also work to ensure that those (French citizens) who wish to leave the country can find available flights, and the embassy will get back to our nationals and to you as soon as possible.”
8. Mid of Barrot leaving after presser ends
STORYLINE:
France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot urged Israel on Monday to refrain from a ground offensive in Lebanon and accept a cease-fire.
Barrot’s comments come after nearly two weeks of Israeli air strikes on its northern neighbour, killing hundreds, including top Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and several of the group’s military commanders.
"There is still hope, but there is little time left," Barrot said during a media conference in Beirut just hours after an Israeli airstrike hit a residential building in the heart of the Lebanese capital.
"I therefore urge Israel to refrain from any ground incursion and to cease fire,” he added.
He also called on Hezbollah to stop firing on Israel, saying the group “bears heavy responsibility in the current situation, given its choice to enter the conflict” after Hamas’ Oct. 7 deadly incursions into southern Israel.
Barrot expressed solidarity with Lebanese people who, he said, are “caught in a war (they) did not choose.”
During Monday’s visit, France’s top diplomat also delivered critical medical aid and hospital equipment to Lebanon and extended support to the country’s French nationals.
For those who wish to leave Lebanon, France will provide flights, Barrot said.
AP video by Fay Abuelgasim
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