France's Hollande arrives in Lebanon at start of Middle East tour

French President Francois Hollande arrived in Beirut on Saturday on a two-day visit to Lebanon, the first leg of a Middle East tour which includes Egypt and Jordan.

Hollande carries a message that will urge the Lebanese and their regional partners to distance the country from the regional turmoil, a senior French official at the Elysee Palace told the National News Agency (NNA).

Hollande headed for the Nejmeh Square for a meeting with Lebanese parliment Speaker Nabih Berri where an official welcoming ceremony was held.

Lebanon has been in a presidential vacuum since the term of President Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014.

"Hollande will stress France's support for Lebanon which is facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis," the NNA quoted the unnamed source.

Lebanon is home to more than a million Syrian refugees, the equivalent of a quarter the country's population of 4.5 million. Also, there are about 400,000 Palestinian refugees spreading in 12 camps.

The French leader will travel to an informal Syrian refugee camp in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley to speak to families who are preparing papers for residency in France.

He will reiterate that his country assumes responsibility toward the refugees and countries neighboring Syria, the source said.

Paris has announced in September 2015 that it will grant 100 million euros (112.8 million U.S. dollars) of additional aid to these countries, of which 40 million are for Lebanon, the source added. Endit