Le Pen says Assad only choice in the face of Islamic State's threat

BEIRUT, February 20. /TASS/. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is the only possible choice in the face of the Islamic State (IS) threat, leader of France’s National Front Marine Le Pen said at a press conference in Lebanon’s capital of Beirut.

"Since we can’t let the IS to take power, there is no alternative to Assad," she stressed. According to Le Pen, "Assad seems credible and he is the preferable choice for France."

Le Pen, who is currently on a visit to Beirut, made this statement following her meeting with Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri. During the meeting, Hariri, leader of the country’s Sunni Muslims, called upon the West "not to equate Islam and terrorism." "Most Muslims stick to moderate approaches," he said.

Before that, Le Pen held a meeting with Lebanese President Michel Aoun. "We had a very substantial talk," Le Pen told reporters. "France and Lebanon have been bound by friendship and partnership for many years but we need to strengthen bilateral relations."

Le Pen also said that during the meeting, the Syrian refugees issue had been discussed which was a hard burden for Lebanon. She emphasized the need to provide more aid to Lebanon that had sheltered over 1,500,000 Syrians, in order to prevent them from moving to Europe. "We have also discussed the war on terror and come to the conclusion that Paris and Beirut need to cooperate to combat radical Islam," Marine Le Pen added.

Le Pen’s Lebanese trip is part of her presidential election campaign. Le Pen had been repeatedly raising her voice in support of Christians residing in the Middle East.