Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab accused a number of Lebanese politicians of attempting to hinder international financial assistance for the country by showing the government's inability to handle the economic crisis
BEIRUT (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th July, 2020) Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab accused a number of Lebanese politicians of attempting to hinder international financial assistance for the country by showing the government's inability to handle the economic crisis.
Lebanese Finance Minister Ghazi Wazni said last week that bailout talks between Lebanon and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have been suspended, as the authorities needed to agree on reforms to be implemented to settle the ongoing economic crisis as soon as possible.
"The challenges our country faces have increased, difficulties are accumulating, and political stability is becoming more difficult against the background of reality distortion ... But unfortunately, some have gone very far in preventing any assistance to Lebanon, what are they doing...? We have reports of plans within the structure to obstruct the government, and we are under pressure from various directions under the pretext that we are incapacitated," the prime minister said, as quoted by the LBCI broadcaster.
The Lebanese prime minister expressed confidence that the government was able to work effectively and this was not the exclusive matter of any political forces or groups of individuals.
Lebanon has been suffering from the worst economic crisis in 30 years, prompting ongoing mass demonstrations to break out across the country since October 2019. Along with sanctions, the country's economy has also been affected by the recently introduced US Caesar law, targeting Lebanon's neighboring middle East partner the Syrian government of President Bashar Assad and its allies.
The COVID-19 outbreak has complicated the already fragile economic situation, causing record-low occupancy rates in the country's hotels and forcing some of them to close.
