BEIRUT, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed on Thursday the situation in southern Lebanon and preparations for the period following the end of the UN peacekeeping mission there amid continued Israeli attacks, according to the Lebanese presidency.
During their meeting in Paris, Aoun thanked Macron for France's support for Lebanon and its military and security institutions.
The two presidents discussed ongoing Israeli attacks on Lebanese villages and towns and efforts to halt them through Lebanese-U.S.-Israeli negotiations and the framework agreement reached during the talks.
Aoun briefed Macron on developments in southern Lebanon and thanked him for a joint French-Italian initiative concerning the period after the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) mandate ends, as well as for France's efforts to promote a civilian-military mission in Lebanon.
The two sides also discussed efforts at the UN Security Council to determine the future of the international presence in southern Lebanon and avoid a vacuum after UNIFIL's mandate expires.
They also discussed plans for an international reconstruction conference, economic cooperation, energy and the resumption of oil and gas exploration in Lebanese offshore blocks. ■
