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At the donors’ meeting commemorating the anniversary of the bombing in Beirut, the President of France once again called for the formation of a government that can implement reforms in Lebanon, which is hit by the crisis.
French President Emmanuel Macron criticized a “failed” Lebanese political class when he convened an international donor conference, and blamed him for the country’s economic turmoil The first anniversary of the big bang That attack destroyed the port of Beirut and destroyed most of the capital.
The Lebanese cabinet resigned after the disaster on August 4, 2020 and has been acting as a caretaker ever since. The country’s currency collapsed, jobs disappeared, banks frozen accounts, and lenders called it one of the most serious financial crises. modern.
Even as Lebanon is plunged into deeper turmoil, political quarrels have prevented the formation of a new cabinet needed to unlock international aid.
“Lebanese leaders seem to be betting on a strategy of procrastination. I regret that. I think this is a historic and moral failure,” Macron said in his opening speech as the host of the UN-supported conference on Wednesday. Aims to raise at least US$350 million.
“Lebanon’s political system will not have blank checks. Because, since the beginning of the crisis, and before that, they have failed.”
France has led international efforts to get its former colonies out of crisis. After the explosion, Macron visited Beirut twice, offered emergency assistance and imposed a travel ban on some senior Lebanese officials. He also persuaded the EU to agree on a sanctions framework to be used.
The French president also stated that Lebanon’s top priority is still to form a government capable of implementing reforms. He pledged to provide Lebanon with another 100 million euros (11854 million U.S. dollars) of emergency assistance and 500,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine for the country.
Macron’s office stated that US President Joe Biden will join about 40 other world leaders in a conference co-sponsored by the United Nations.
The meeting after the bombing last year raised about 280 million U.S. dollars, and emergency assistance was kept away from politicians and was provided through non-governmental organizations and aid groups.
Macron’s office stated that the new assistance will be unconditional, but the approximately US$11 billion raised in 2018 is still locked in and depends on a series of reforms.
The World Bank calls Lebanon’s crisis one of the worst depressions in modern history. Since the outbreak of the economic crisis in 2019, the currency has depreciated by more than 90% against the U.S. dollar, and more than half of the population has fallen into poverty.
Last month, Qatar Say It will provide 70 tons of food to the Lebanese Armed Forces a month, and it also calls on all parties in Lebanon to form a new government “to achieve stability.”
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