French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian urged Lebanese politicians on Thursday to resume talks with the International Monetary Fund, saying they are the only way out of the country’s dire economic crisis.
Le Drian, the first Western official to visit Lebanon since the small country’s economy began to unravel last year, said concrete measures to undertake reforms have been long expected. Only such measures would enable France, a major ally of the Mediterranean country, to help Lebanon.
After meetings with senior Lebanese officials, including Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun, Le Drian said the time is now critical and that the situation is very concerning.
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“What I want to tell those responsible in Lebanon today is, ‘help yourselves and France and its partners will help you’,” he said. “It is the key message of my visit,” reports Arab News.
France, the former colonial power in Lebanon, is the leading Western nation involved in efforts to help the Lebanese economy out of its dire straits. The solutions are well-known, Le Drian said, and are necessary to avoid destabilizing Lebanon and its model of tolerance and openness in the region.
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The crisis has deepened since the government defaulted on its sovereign debt in March, the eruption of the coronavirus pandemic and the restrictions that brought. Talks with the IMF over an economic rescue plan have stalled. Unemployment and poverty rates have reached new heights, while basic resources, such as fuel, have become scarce as the government’s resources dried up.
The IMF talks, which began in May, have stalled over disagreements between Lebanese politicians on assessing losses and how to move forward. Lebanese officials hope successful IMF talks will open the way for $11 billion in aid pledged during a 2018 conference hosted by France.
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