PARIS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th July, 2021) France will organize a UN-backed international conference to help crisis-hit Lebanon, the foreign ministry said on Friday, a day after Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri stepped down after failing to form a government.
On Thursday, Hariri declared that he is abandoning his post after meeting with President Michel Aoun, who once again denied his proposed composition of the cabinet. A French Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the development demonstrates the "political deadlock" deliberately perpetuated by the Lebanese leadership for months as the country further plunges into an unprecedented economic and political crisis.
"To meet the needs of the Lebanese whose situation is deteriorating every day, a new international conference in support of the Lebanese population will be organized on August 4 at the initiative of the President of the Republic [Emmanuel Macron], with the support of the United Nations," the official stated.
The current situation in Lebanon brings to the fore the urgency of forming a new government that will carry out all the necessary reforms and preparations for the 2022 elections. In this regard, it is vital to accelerate parliamentary consultations to appoint a new prime minister, the statement added.
Earlier this week, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that Brussels was likely to approve by late July new sanctions against Lebanese officials impeding the formation of a new government.
Lebanon has long been struggling with economic collapse, including shortages of essentials and the fall of the national Currency. The country is also engulfed in political crisis and has had no stable government since January 2020, when Hariri, who was prime minister from 2016, left his post. He was appointed as the prime minister-designate again in October 2020, following the resignation of Hassan Diab, who quit over the Beirut port blast, and Mustapha Adib's refusal to form a government. Hariri claimed that he would manage to find a compromise between all blocs and parties, but failed.
