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And the agency “Reuters” said that “patience is running out in France, the United States and other donor countries, of politicians, many of whom were familiar faces during the country’s slide into its economic crisis.”
Paris, Washington and other countries have provided aid to Lebanon more than once since the civil war that broke out between 1975 and 1990.
Two sources who participated in the talks that took place in Beirut last week, quoted by Reuters, said that “Patrick Daryl, Macron’s adviser for Middle East and North Africa affairs, made it clear in the talks that although Paris was upholding its promises, we will not save them unless there are reforms. “
For his part, a Western diplomat said France is still trying to organize a conference to discuss reconstruction in Beirut in late November 2020, but doubts remain, adding: “There is no news. Lebanese politicians have returned to their way of working, and the concern is total disregard for people. “
On the American side, Dorothy Shea, the United States ambassador to Lebanon, said in a conference call at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington last Friday that the United States “realizes that Lebanon is important” and that “avoiding the State failure should be the top priority. ” .
But, he added, “we really couldn’t love him more than they wanted.” He emphasized that there are no rescue plans without reforms, adding that “we have gained experience,” adding that there will be a “gradual, step-by-step approach and nothing is free.”
Last year, major protests broke out against the ruling elite, as people held them responsible for looking out for their vested interests, at a time when public debt was rising.
The coronavirus pandemic also increased pressure on the country’s resources, and a massive explosion in the Beirut port during August 2020 destroyed large areas of the city, adding to Lebanon’s economic difficulties.
In addition, with the depletion of dollars, a shortage of basic products, including medicines, appeared and an increasing number of people fell into poverty in Lebanon.
For its part, France is disappointed in Lebanese politicians, especially after French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Beirut after the explosion, and had tried to persuade politicians to implement at least partial reforms to address the emergency situation, but rival factions continue to fight for influence and Lebanon did not form a government. Given that the government in which the August explosion and its aftermath caused its collapse, and as in previous crises, each side accused the other of bearing responsibility for this situation.
Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri is fighting under the country’s sectarian foundation-based power-sharing agreement to form the government now. However, some sources cited by Reuters said that “the efforts have been complicated by the recent sanctions imposed by the United States on Gebran Bassil, son-in-law of President Michel Aoun, who The Lebanese National Movement Party is the largest Christian party in the country.
The sanctions were imposed on Bassil based on allegations of corruption and his ties to the Iranian-backed “Hezbollah” party, which is Lebanon’s most powerful party and is Tehran’s strike force in the region and Washington considers him a terrorist group, while Bassil denies the accusations.
Official sources say: “The main stumbling block is Aoun and Bassil’s insistence on appointing ministers in the 18-member government, while Hariri wants all ministers to be specialists and have no connection to political parties.”
In this context, Reuters quoted a source closely connected to the talks as saying that “some of the stakeholders mentioned that Bassil is the main obstacle to forming a government”, while Bassil denies this accusation, saying that “his party has the right to appoint ministers, since others were able to appoint ministers. “
The agency also quoted an informed source as saying that “Macron’s adviser, Daryl, asked Hezbollah to try to persuade Basil to soften his position, but the party refuses to pressure him, because that could further weaken him.”
While the crisis in Lebanon deepened, several sources told Reuters that “the current stalemate is a suicidal situation for the country that is rapidly depleting its foreign reserves,” and these reserves are estimated at just $ 17.9 billion.
He continued: “Due to the sanctions, which Xia recognized as part of the maximum pressure campaign imposed by the Donald Trump administration on Iran, Iran and its allies are headed to wait until Trump leaves office, but some officials in Lebanon they have warned against the waiting game. “
A high-level political source familiar with the talks said: “The message from the French is now clear: no government, no reform, then kindness and thank you. If the French wash their hands on this matter, who will look at us? The Gulf? The United States? Nobody. “
The same source added that “after all, they don’t know how to deal with exceptional circumstances and challenges, and we are still dealing with the formation of the government as if we were living normal days.”
For his part, Shi’a said that “donors must stick to their position, otherwise the political elite will not take them seriously.” And he stressed that if “they do not feel the importance of the element of time to form a government, how can we continue to pressure them? They look at us and their language says that they try to make us implement reforms.” It would be interesting to see you try. ”
