The Lebanese presidency - today, Monday, via its Twitter account - said that President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Hassan Diab signed a decree accepting the resignation of Foreign Minister Nassif Hatti and appointing Charbel Wahba to succeed him.

The Secretary-General of the Council of Ministers read the decrees later, and local media reported the event.

The new foreign minister, Charbel Wahba, 67, has since his retirement in 2017 served as adviser to President Aoun for diplomatic affairs.

Wahba's career in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs extends 42 years, during which he held various positions including the Lebanese Ambassador to Venezuela (2007-2012) and a Consul General in Montreal and Los Angeles.

He even submitted his resignation in protest at what he described as the absence of an actual will to achieve reform (Anatolia).

Resignation until

Nassif until he officially submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Hassan Diab in the Grand Serail in Beirut, in protest of what he described as the absence of an actual will to achieve the reforms demanded by the Lebanese and the international community.

He explained that this decision comes because his duties could not be fulfilled in these circumstances, which he described as fateful, and the absence of a vision for Lebanon as a free, independent and effective homeland, expressing his fears that Lebanon is on the way to becoming a failed state.

He even stressed that what is required in the state building process: creative minds, a clear vision, sincere intentions, a culture of institutions, the rule of the rule of law, accountability and transparency.

Lebanon is witnessing the worst economic meltdown in its recent history, which caused protests across the country (Reuters)

Economic collapse

Diab formed a government that received major support from Hezbollah and its allies, months after the resignation of the government of his predecessor, Saad Hariri, in the wake of a massive protest movement that pervaded Lebanon against the entire political class that the protesters accused of corruption and impotence.

Diab pledged to carry out emergency reforms to pull the country out of its crisis, but his government after months had not been able to take any concrete action in a country ravaged by political and sectarian divisions, and the majority of its political forces are linked to external countries.

Lebanon is witnessing the worst economic collapse in its recent history, especially with the lira losing more than 80% of its value against the dollar, which has eroded purchasing power.

The country’s talks with the International Monetary Fund have faltered, in the absence of reforms and amid disputes between the government and banks over the scope of financial losses in Lebanon.

For decades, Lebanon has faced successive crises and deep sectarian and political divisions that have prevented the establishment of a real state. The logic of settlements and the sharing of quotas over reform have been overwhelmed, and politicians have been accused of taking bribes and kickbacks on all public projects.