On 29 December 2013, during the visit of French president François Hollande to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia had unexpectedly pledged to foot a bill of 3 billion dollars for French weapons intended for Lebanon. However, on 6 January 2014, the Chief of the Lebanese Armed Forces, General Jean Kahwaji, declared to have declined such a sumptuous offer.

The announcement of this donation, of an unparalleled amount, had been made by Lebanese President Michel Sleiman and confirmed by Saudi Arabia and France. In our columns, Thierry Meyssan had postulated that the Saudi generosity was actually the payoff for not recording the confessions of Majid el-Majid, the leader of Al- Qaeda in Lebanon [1].

Events have proven him right:
– According to the Lebanese army, Majid el-Majid was too sick to be heard by a magistrate. He died in detention on 4 January 2014, without leaving any confession implicating Saudi Arabia.
– The US ambassador in Lebanon, David Hale, went to Riyadh to ensure that Saudi Arabia would not equip Lebanon with weapons enabling it to defend itself against Israel.
– An identical approach was made by the State Department to France.
– The announced shipments will never take place, but a great number of Saudi, French and Lebanese intermediaries have already received a "compensation" (including the President, who has personally cashed in 50 millions dollars).
– To cover up the case, the Lebanese army is likely to receive uniforms and new vehicles.

Translation
Alizée Ville

[1] "Le silence et la trahison qui valaient 3 milliards de dollars", by Thierry Meyssan, Voltaire Network, 15 January 2014.