Macron accuses the political class in Lebanon of “taking the country hostage” … and a new deadline to form a government

French President Emmanuel Macron accused the Lebanese political class of “taking the country hostage” and “abandoning its obligations in the interests of its own interests,” noting that events in recent days showed that Lebanese leaders did not respect their promises to France.

During a press conference dedicated to the Lebanese dossier, Macron blamed some Lebanese forces for seeking to strengthen the strength of their camps and not the strength of their state, by making the formation of the government a sectarian issue, noting that the prime minister’s decision Saad Hariri’s adding the sectarian element to the distribution of ministerial portfolios during the formation of the government was wrong. He also condemned, in particular, “Hezbollah” and the “Amal” movement, stressing that they “do not want an agreement.”

He called on “Hezbollah” to clarify its position, saying that it cannot be an armed militia and a responsible political party at the same time, noting the absence of evidence that Iran played a role in obstructing efforts to form the government. Lebanese.

The French president warned that the new stage that Lebanon has entered represents not only a threat to this country, but to the entire region, saying: “A month has been lost and the risks are destabilizing the region now.”

Macron said that the French roadmap, which he presented after the attack on the port of Beirut last August, is still fresh and is the only option to get the country out of the crisis, pledging to continue pressuring the leadership of Lebanon to force it to implement this initiative.

Macron gave the Lebanese political class another four to six weeks to implement the French roadmap and form the government, ruling out imposing sanctions on Lebanese officials at the current stage.

He explained that punishing those who obstruct efforts to form a government in Lebanon does not appear to be a useful and useful tool now, indicating that France may consider this option in the future in consultation with other parties.

Macron also confirmed that Paris, in cooperation with the United Nations, plans to hold a new conference to mobilize support for Lebanon at the end of next October, noting that the French side will also hold a meeting in 20 days with the international contact group on Lebanon to discuss next steps.

Macron responded to a journalist’s question by saying: “I am ashamed of what the leaders in Lebanon are doing.”