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Beirut – The World Bank warned on Friday that the situation in Lebanon is worsening day by day, adding that it is very concerned about the deterioration of conditions in the country that is suffering the worst financial and political crisis in its history.
“We are very concerned that things will get worse day after day,” said Saruj Kumar Jaha, director of the World Bank’s Lift Department, in a hypothetical interview with journalists in Beirut on the ‘Zoom’ platform, adding: “We speak in the Latest bank reports on Lebanon issued in December last year. On economic difficulties, but we received no response to these economic reports. “
He continued: “We are committed to discussions with the political leaders in Lebanon to find solutions,” considering that “responding to the reports is the only solution.”
“A large part of the Lebanese people has entered the poverty line. Lebanon will face a very difficult situation and will reach problems that it will not be able to solve when the reform process is delayed,” said the international official.
Jaha considered that the crisis in Lebanon “is not only economic, financial and supportive, but also has an educational part in the medium and long term.”
Jaha criticized the Banque du Liban and the Lebanese government for approving the disbursement of aid provided by the World Bank to those affected by the Beirut bombing in Lebanese pounds, not dollars.
“We expected to deliver the aid to the beneficiaries of the program in US dollars, but unfortunately the response we got from the Central Bank and the Ministry of Finance was rejection,” he said, noting that “the aid was disbursed in Lebanese pounds at a price of 6,200 pounds against the dollar. “
Jaha revealed that the World Bank is “in talks with Lebanese officials on how to transfer these funds from the dollar to the Lebanese pound.”
“We will approve a private company as a third party that will evaluate the whole process and not only disburse the funds,” he said.
For more than a year, Lebanon suffers from a serious economic crisis, the worst since the end of the civil war (1975-1990), which caused a financial collapse, as well as huge material losses suffered by the Central. Bank.
The World Bank’s warnings came when Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri failed, nearly two months after he was assigned to form a government of specialists that he had promised to announce quickly, pledging to address the economic collapse and accelerate the implementation of the reform package.
Political disputes, including differences between Hariri and Lebanese President Michel Aoun, hampered the formation of the government, amid mutual accusations of obstruction.
There is no indication on the horizon that the political crisis will end anytime soon, at a time when only Lebanon’s leaders appeared in statements steeped in generalities and promises.
