French troops in Libanon in 1860 ...and 2006
Lucien Am
Article mis en ligne le 31 juillet 2006
On August 30, 1860, the French army landed in Lebanon to protect the Christian Maronites who were slaughtered by the Muslims ( 6,000 killed in Lebanon and 18,000 in Syria).
The French first minister of the time ( Mr. Thiers ) declared then to the National Assembly :
- « THE INTER-CONFESSIONNAL CONFLICT IN LEBANON WILL NOT BE SOLVED EVEN IN ONE CENTURY. »
Let’s hope that The French and Lebanese Governments of 2006 - and their Holly Sponsor in Rome - will remember that !