PARIS, October 8 (RIA Novosti) – A deal to provide French weapons and military equipment funded by a Saudi donation to the Lebanese Army could be given the go-ahead in the near future, as soon as the parties come to an agreement, French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said as quoted by Reuters Wednesday.
"All the work is done and President [Francois Hollande] indicated yesterday ... that the conditions to fulfill the contract had been met," the minister said.
On Tuesday, former Lebanese Prime Minister and the leader of the largest parliamentary block Saad Hariri said that weapons and equipment should arrive from France to Lebanon soon. The politician made the statement after talks with French President Francois Hollande.
In late December, Saudi Arabia agreed to allocate $3 billion in aid to the Lebanese Army to buy French weapons and military equipment but the deal has been held up by negotiations between Paris and Riyadh on the lists of supplies.