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In addition to the US$560 million in humanitarian assistance provided by the United States to Lebanon in the past two years, it has also provided assistance.
US President Joe Biden pledged on Wednesday to provide Lebanon with an additional US$100 million in aid, and he urged reforms in this crisis-torn country.
“Today I announced that I will provide nearly 100 million U.S. dollars in new humanitarian assistance,” Biden said at a United Nations-backed Lebanese donor conference led by France.
“But if Lebanese leaders do not commit to the arduous but necessary work of reforming the economy and fighting corruption, no amount of external assistance will be enough,” he said.
“This is essential. It must start now,” Biden said. “There is no time to waste. You know. If you do, we will be there to help.”
The Biden administration did not immediately specify where the new funds will be used, but Biden said that this is in addition to the US$560 million in humanitarian assistance earmarked for Lebanon in the past two years.
The Lebanon Conference was held a year after the Beirut port explosion that killed at least 214 people, and it was the latest trauma to a country with a free fall economy and no stable government.
Biden said: “I extend my deepest condolences to all those who have been injured and lost loved ones, and all those who are still struggling to recover from the trauma.”
“We also recognize that the Lebanese people have suffered more in the past year due to avoidable political and economic crises.”
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