Canadian Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne told Lebanese President Michel Aoun on Thursday that foreign aid for Lebanon in response to the massive explosion in Beirut earlier this month has to be conditioned upon sweeping reforms in the country
TORONTO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th August, 2020) Canadian Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne told Lebanese President Michel Aoun on Thursday that foreign aid for Lebanon in response to the massive explosion in Beirut earlier this month has to be conditioned upon sweeping reforms in the country.
"My key message to President Aoun today was: there cannot be aid without real reforms, that impunity must cease," Champagne told reporters after his meeting with Aoun.
Champagne noted that he met with Beirut residents affected by the explosion and urged Aoun to listen to protesters demanding change in the aftermath of the deadly blast.
On August 4, the Lebanese capital was rocked by an exceptionally powerful blast in the port of Beirut that destroyed nearly half of the city. More than 170 people were killed by the explosion and some 40,000 others were injured.
The Lebanese government said the explosion was caused by improper storage of 2,750 metric tons of ammonium nitrate by the port authorities. The finding reignited mass protests that saw the government of Hassan Diab step down on August 10.
