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The French Embassy in Beirut said the conference in support of the Lebanese people, which took place on Wednesday via video, called for the acceleration of the formation of a credible Lebanese government on the basis of the French initiative.
This was produced in a statement issued by the embassy on Thursday to present the results of the Second International Conference in Support of the Lebanese People, which was held yesterday under the presidency of French President Emmanuel Macron and United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, with the participation of 32 countries, 12 international organizations and 7 Lebanese non-governmental organizations.
The statement emphasized “the urgent need for Lebanese political leaders to agree as soon as possible to form a credible and effective government … on the basis of the French initiative.”
According to the statement, the conference allowed the international community “to renew its commitment to support Lebanon in the tragedy that afflicted the population in their bodies and hearts,” referring to the disaster of the Beirut port explosion on August 4.
At the same time, the participants expressed their “concern about the delay in the results of the investigations into the explosion of the port of Beirut”, and discussed the reconstruction of the port facilities, their integration into the city and the rehabilitation of the neighborhoods affected by The explosion.
The participants said that reconstruction must be based on “reconstruction, better management and transparent decision-making.”
A humanitarian crisis
The conference expressed concern about the deterioration of economic and social conditions, and its concern about the “emerging humanitarian crisis”, and noted “the deterioration of all economic, financial, monetary and social indicators, as the poverty rate increased. from 28% to 55% in a 12-month period, leading many Lebanese to Immigration. “
The conference agreed with the World Bank that this is a “deliberate depression”, noting that “Lebanon is in a state of financial bankruptcy, but it can still be a successful country if reforms are implemented quickly.”
The statement indicated that the commitments made in terms of emergency aid since last August 4 have been fulfilled in all the priority areas identified by the United Nations.
After the Beirut port bombing, France organized the first international conference in support of the Lebanese people, during which the participants agreed to provide some $ 300 million in urgent aid under the supervision of the United Nations.
French President Macron also launched an initiative to form a Lebanese government of non-partisan specialists to carry out urgent administrative and banking reforms, but the initiative faces obstacles that prevent its implementation so far.
For his part, Lebanese President Michel Aoun said today, Thursday, during his meeting with the British Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa, James Cleverley, in Beirut, that the international community that is following the reform process in the Lebanon “must reassure.”
During the meeting, Aoun spoke about the difficulties Lebanon faces, “including the repercussions of the Syrian war on it and the displacement of more than 1.8 million Syrians to Lebanon and its impact on the various Lebanese sectors,” he said.
A critique of the Lebanese leaders
For his part, the British minister emphasized that Lebanon is threatened by hunger if its leaders do not move, describing what the country is going through as a “man-made problem that could have been avoided”, joining a group of voices that blame to the political class in Beirut for not drawing a way out of the crisis.
“The most urgent danger is the danger of food security … Lebanon is on the verge of being unable to feed itself,” Cleverley said in a statement.
“Now, months after the explosion, Lebanon is threatened by a silent tsunami. Lebanon’s leaders must act.”
For more than a year, Lebanon has been experiencing a severe economic crisis, the worst since the end of the civil war (1975-1990). In recent months, images of people searching garbage containers or selling their belongings on the Internet in search of food have become widespread.
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