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Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Mustafa Adib began his consultations with parliamentary blocs to form a new government on Wednesday, a day after French President Emmanuel Macron announced that he had obtained a commitment from political forces to complete the task in a record period of up to two weeks.
Macron, who visited Lebanon for the second time in less than a month, left Beirut on Wednesday morning after agreeing with political forces on a roadmap that includes the formation of a government with a specific mission made up of “competent personalities” who they receive political support and are carrying out urgent reforms in exchange for international support.
In a tweet on Wednesday, Macron said, addressing the Lebanese: “The moment I leave Beirut, I want to say again with conviction: I will not abandon you.”
Government formation generally takes weeks or even months, but French pressure was evident, especially with Macron promising to return to Beirut by the end of the year and calling political parties to a meeting in Paris next month to be held in parallel to a new international support conference.
Adeeb (48 years old) was assigned on Monday hours before Macron’s arrival to form a government, and he is an unknown figure for the Lebanese. His name came after having won the support of the most prominent rival political forces, led by the Future Movement led by Saad Hariri, Hezbollah and the President of the Republic, Michel Aoun.
Adeeb started the non-binding consultations in the morning at the residence of the Speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berri, due to the damage suffered by the House of Representatives in the port explosion. And it meets with parliamentary blocs, respectively. It has not yet issued any statement on the form of government it will form.
Following the meeting with Adeeb, the head of the Hezbollah bloc, Muhammad Raad, called for the formation of an “effective, productive and coherent government”, while the deputy Bahia Hariri, on behalf of the Future bloc, called for the rapid formation of a “government. of specialists “.
Macron in Beirut put great pressure on political forces in what he saw as a “last chance” to save the crumbling political and economic system.
He announced at a press conference following his Tuesday night meeting with nine representatives of the most prominent political forces, including Hezbollah, which has the support of Tehran, that “all political parties, without exception, have committed. . to that the formation of the government will not take more than 15 days “.
What if promises are not kept? Macron promises …
He announced the organization of a new international conference in support of Lebanon with the United Nations in Paris in the second half of October.
The international community pledged in a conference organized by Paris four days after the bombing of the port, to contribute 250 million euros to support the Lebanese, as long as they do not go through state institutions accused of corruption.
Parallel to the next supporting conference, “invitations have been extended to the three presidents” to come to Paris at the same time to assess the achievements of the agreed roadmap, according to Macron, who said he will also extend an invitation to “all political forces “.
“The roadmap is not a blank check delivered to the Lebanese authorities. If promises are not kept in October, there will be consequences,” Macron said.
And if that means imposing sanctions, Macron did not rule it out. “If sanctions are imposed, it will be in coordination with the European Union,” he said.
The Al-Akhbar newspaper, close to Hezbollah, considered that Macron acted “as if he was the guide of the Lebanese Republic in its centenary. He spoke as if he was giving the last warning. Or the next government implements a roadmap drawn up by France of from A to Z, or there is no help and the collapse will come with sanctions. “
The An-Nahar newspaper titled “A government of specialists on the impact of Macron’s deadline.”
“They speak to us of sovereignty while waiting for the president of a foreign republic to yell at and threaten them so that they know how to rule the country,” Imad al-Khazen wrote on Facebook.
“What was the feeling of the officials yesterday when they heard from the French president, how should they behave towards his people?” Farahat asked.
Short term change
Macron, who knows that his political bet in Lebanon is “fraught with risks,” insists on setting a timetable for progress, at a time when many Lebanese have lost confidence in the ability of the political class to achieve real change. , as this has implications for the network of interests and favoritism that it has woven over the years. .
“Everyone in Lebanon realizes that they no longer have the luxury of time and are aware that they will be subject to increasing pressure” from France, donors and the international community, “said Karim Bitar, professor of political science. in Beirut and Paris.
He expresses his belief that French pressure “may lead to some kind of short-term change” in the performance of officials who may try to “suggest that they have fulfilled the part of the agreement in terms of carrying out cosmetic reforms.” However, it expresses doubts about “its agreement to carry out the structural and systemic reforms that Lebanon urgently needs, because it could spell its end.”
Macron reiterated the demands of the international community for quick reforms in various sectors, including electricity, the port and the Central Bank, and the relaunch of negotiations with the International Monetary Fund, which did not result in 17 sessions between it and the government. Lebanese.
As part of the continuing international pressure, US Under Secretary of State for Near East Affairs David Schenker arrives in Beirut on Wednesday, in the second visit by a US official since the explosion.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, officials will urge “to implement reforms … and form a government to tackle corruption.”
In a remarkable position, Pope Francis warned on Wednesday that Lebanon faces “grave danger” and must not be abandoned.
As the international community waits for the country’s leaders to translate their commitments, Bitar is likely to be “willing to let the country collapse into chaos rather than accept deep structural reforms” that effectively “shoot them in the feet.”
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