UAE to Join Saudi-French Fund to Help Lebanese

On Monday, France's foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian revealed the UAE would join a Saudi-French fund that aimed to provide support to the Lebanese people.

Le Drian indicated that UAE has expressed its readiness to join the Franco-Saudi fund to support and help the Lebanese, but he didn't give any details on how the fund would work or how much was being pledged.

In a statement, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs said, "The latest visit by President Emmanuel Macron enabled the Gulf to renew ties, which saw the creation of a joint Franco-Saudi fund to support the Lebanese, which will be helped tomorrow or the day after with a contribution from the United Arab Emirates."

In December, both Riyadh and Paris agreed to establish a common humanitarian mechanism to alleviate the suffering of the Lebanese as a fruitful step to Saudi re-engaging with Lebanon after a diplomatic row between Beirut and the Gulf states.