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Beirut – Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said it is time for Lebanon to rebuild trust between the people and its institutions, to add his voice to France’s call for change in a country ravaged by a year-long economic crisis and the repercussions. from a terrible explosion that destroyed part of its capital last month.
Conte is visiting Beirut a week after the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron, who is leading international efforts to implement major reforms in Lebanon that end decades of corruption and mismanagement in the corridors of the state.
In remarks published by the Lebanese National Information Agency, Conte said after speaking with President Michel Aoun: “It is time to look ahead and build trust among citizens and institutions, as well as write a new page in the history of the Lebanon, “adding that Italy and the European Union are ready to help.
During Macron’s visit to Beirut last week, he said that “Lebanese politicians, who usually negotiate for months before forming a government, promised to agree to a new government under the presidency of Mustafa Adib in two weeks, that is, to mid-September “.
And the rapid formation of a new government is the first step of the demands mentioned in a French political roadmap that paves the way for heavily indebted Lebanon to receive the necessary help so that it can get back on its feet.
The Italian Prime Minister said: “A very great challenge for the Lebanese authorities, who can adhere to a path of renewal of the institutions and the government to do everything possible, and these demands have been demanded by civil society organizations and citizens for a long time. “
“This path is worth building for Lebanon to enjoy a prosperous and peaceful future, and I have expressed this position to the President of the Republic,” he added, emphasizing that Lebanon can trust Italy and its role in the European Union and the international community.
Conte considered that the explosion in the port shook not only Lebanon, but the entire international community, signaling the immediate intervention of his country through the Italian civil defense and the sending of medical and health aid to Lebanon.
On August 24, the Italian embassy in Lebanon announced the arrival of an Italian military ship at the port of Beirut, as part of the “Emergency Operation Cedar” launched by Rome to help Lebanon.
Conte later met with Prime Minister-designate Mustafa Adib and Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri to conclude his visit with a tour of the Italian military field hospital on the Lebanese University campus in the southern suburb of Beirut.
