Five days after the double explosion that ravaged the port of Beirut and plunged Lebanon into anger and despair, several heads of state and representatives of international organizations will discuss Sunday afternoon to organize aid to the country of Cedar. By interposed screens, the main partners of Lebanon will have an hour and a half to agree to finance the emergency needs of the population.
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Emmanuel Macron, Donald Trump, Abdel Fattah Al-Sissi ...
Organized by France and the UN, the videoconference will be held at 2 p.m. Among the heads of state present: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, US President Donald Trump, King Abdulla II of Jordan, President of the European Council, Charles Michel, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, representatives of German, Italian, Russian and Chinese governments, and of course, French President Emmanuel Macron.
Israel is "not in the round table", according to the Élysée, but a contact is "made by the UN". Iran, meanwhile, has "not shown its willingness to participate", while "the Gulf countries - Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia - have been invited", the Elysee specifying no have "no doubt that they will be represented".
"Everyone wants to help!" Donald trump tweeted on Saturday morning, mentioning that he spoke in the morning with Emmanuel Macron, at the initiative of the meeting.
... We will be having a conference call on Sunday with President Macron, leaders of Lebanon, and leaders from various other parts of the world. Everyone wants to help!
- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 7, 2020$ 85 million needed for health needs alone
These funds will be used, for example, to clear and secure buildings. Indeed, the damage caused by the shock wave of the explosions is colossal, and some neighborhoods within a radius of one kilometer have been devastated, with collapsed buildings. The amount raised will also be used to supply medical equipment, to restore hospitals and schools, but also to provide emergency food aid while the Lebanese, already mired in a serious economic crisis, fear shortages.
For the time being, no figure has been put forward, and Emmanuel Macron's entourage did not want to communicate the amount of aid that could be released on Sunday. The United Nations, however, estimates that at least $ 85 million would be needed for health needs alone. The explosions, the circumstances of which are still murky, left at least 158 dead and more than 6,000 injured, at least 120 of whom are in critical condition, according to a latest report from the Lebanese Ministry of Health. In addition, nearly 300,000 Beirutis find themselves homeless.
On the occasion of the donors' conference, Lebanon's partners will then have to reflect on the funding mechanism. According to the Élysée, there is no question of writing a blank check to the Lebanese government. Emmanuel Macron promises it: this money will not go to corruption.