As part of the support to the Lebanon Mine Action Program, and following the completion of the establishment of the Regional School for Humanitarian Demining in Lebanon, a cocktail party was held on on 5/10/2017 in the occasion of the launching the training work at this school in Said El Khatib Casern – Hamana Mount lebanon in the presence of Brig. General Ziad Nasr representing the Armed Forces Commander General Joseph Aoun and the French Ambassador to Lebanon, Mr. Bruno Foucher, accompanied by a delegation from the French Embassy and Lt General Didier Brousse, Director of Cooperation in Security and Defense in France, in addition to the presence of several army officers. The event included set of speeches delivered by key note speakers:

* A speech delivered by Lt General Didier Brousse clarifying the importance of the cooperation between France and Lebanon in the humanitarian demining context.

* A speech delivered by Brig General Ziad Nasr, LMAC director thanking the French army for its technical support and recommending the financial support provided by the European Union contributing to the opening of this school that will deliver effective trainings in the humanitarian context. Additionally Brig General Nasr conveyed the greetings of the Armed Forces Commander General Joseph Aoun to the government of France and the French Ambassador and his wishes of continuous cooperation between the two countries in the future. .

“Let me begin by conveying to you the greetings of the Armed Forces Commander and his pride and appreciation for the efforts that led to the opening of the Regional School for Humanitarian Demining in Lebanon, for its importance in strengthening capacities in this field. It is worth mentioning that there is no institution in the Middle East that has similar benefits and roles in the humanitarian demining context. It is also important to note that this stage is the result of two bilateral efforts between the Lebanese army and the French.

During the previous years, the school faced many difficult in stages of its establishment, especially the process of infrastructure, but finally we were able to secure the necessary resources, thanks to the valuable efforts of the Lebanese and the French army, which encouraged us to move forward in this project.

This school satisfies the need for training in the field of humanitarian operations in the Middle East, where many Arab countries have expressed their desire to train humanitarian deminers in the school.

This school is characterized by a high degree of proficiency that enables it to graduate skilled personnel in the field of humanitarian demining operations.

Finally, I would like to express my appreciation to Lt Col. Morin for his constructive assistance in implementing this project. I also wish to welcome Lt Col Bernard Thomas, the new coordinator of the school, and wish him success in his future assignments within the school.

We cherish the Lebanese-French partnership in the field of humanitarian demining in Lebanon”

· Exchange of symbolic gifts and cutting the ribbon.

· Presentation provided by Col Jihad Bechaalany, the head of RSHDL clarifying the structure and the major role of the school.

· A tour in the school followed by a cocktail.

At the end of the event, the French ambassador expressed his satisfaction with the stages that the school has taken till date and the importance of launching the training works. In his turn Brig General Nasr reiterated his thanks to the Ambassador and to all those who contributed to the establishment of this school whose activities are in the interest of the communities` safety and security.

{gallery}A cocktail party was held in the occasion of launching the training works at the Regional School for humanitarian Demining in Lebanon{/gallery}