ANALYSIS
The carrot and the stick. That is, in short, the strategy adopted by Emmanuel Macron on Thursday, during his visit to Lebanon. On the one hand, the French president promised humanitarian aid to Beirut, which was violently affected on Tuesday by two powerful explosions which devastated a large part of the city. On the other hand, he urged the Lebanese political class to reform in depth. Words that made some cringe in Paris, where its opponents judged that it was an "interference" in the affairs of a foreign state and accused its attitude of neo-colonialism.
New humanitarian resources sent
Arrived in Beirut, Emmanuel Macron first visited the port, where the two terrible explosions occurred Tuesday which left, according to a still provisional report, at least 137 dead and 5,000 wounded. There, the head of state discovered scenes of the apocalypse: corn flows escaping from gutted silos, boats lying on their sides and tangles of scrap metal and concrete. "As we were there yesterday, we will be there tomorrow", then promised the president.
While France has already sent three planes loaded with medical equipment and emergency rescue teams, Emmanuel Macron assured that he would organize "in the coming days additional support at the French level, at the European level". In the afternoon, the Head of State announced the dispatch of the "Tonnerre", an amphibious helicopter carrier, next Thursday. This will bring medicines, caregivers and equipment. 200 meters long, the Tonnerre contains 69 hospital beds with possible extension and two operating theaters. It can also ferry up to 9,000 troops, according to the Defense Ministry.
But the French president did not go there only to take stock of the humanitarian aid sent. He took the opportunity to express demands vis-à-vis the Lebanese political class. "It is the time of responsibility today for Lebanon and for its leaders," he declared after a meeting with the main Lebanese officials from all sides. "Profound changes", "refoundation of a new political order", "political pact" to be signed: all the expressions used by the French Head of State throughout the day bear witness to the extent of the reforms demanded by Paris from Beirut.
Paris has been calling for major reforms in Lebanon ... for a long time
And these complaints are nothing new. In reality, it has been a long time since France, like other countries and certain international organizations, in particular the IMF (which also repeated Thursday that Lebanon should "break the deadlock" on reforms), banged its fist on Table. Why ? Because for several years, Beirut has been sliding towards an economic wreck closely linked to its political failures. Endemic corruption, lack of transparency, the confiscation of power by a small elite has led the country to bankruptcy. Two years ago, during the CEDRE conference for the development of Lebanon, the country's negligence was brought to light. The international community, noting that Beirut was sinking into a financial crisis, then posed a sort of ultimatum: agree to get their hands on the wallet and help the country, on condition that it begins deep reforms to avoid squandering new aid.
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However, these reforms never came and the country sank into the worst economic slump in its history, which had also sparked major demonstrations in December 2019. Subsequently, the coronavirus crisis had finished putting its head under the water of a dying economy, throwing almost half of the Lebanese population below the poverty line.
At the end of July, during a visit, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Yves Le Drian, had made remarks in the same vein as those of Emmanuel Macron on Thursday. "These reforms are not there. We know what to do about transparency, regulation of electricity, the fight against corruption, reform of the financial and banking system. But nothing is happening!" , he lamented. "" Today there is a risk of collapse. The Lebanese authorities need to pull themselves together and let me say here to our Lebanese friends: 'Really we are ready to help you but help us to help you, damn it!' "
Does Macron arouse "hope" or does he "interfere"?
This "risk of collapse" now seems more imminent than ever after Tuesday's disaster. For Ishac Diwan, professor at the Arab World Chair at the Paris School of Economics, the new "political pact" proposed by Emmanuel Macron is therefore "the only way" possible. “It is clear that the Lebanese need urgent humanitarian aid. But it is also clear that they especially do not want this aid to benefit this political regime so that it can survive longer and avoid reforms. Above all, we must not let this oxygen cylinder give the means [to the Lebanese political class] to remain in power longer. "
Emmanuel Macron is therefore, believes the specialist, right. "All the Lebanese listen to him with hope." Without being in clear support for the French president, the Socialist deputy Boris Vallaud, himself born in Beirut and vice-president of the Franco-Lebanese friendship group in the National Assembly, also considered that it was necessary "to be demanding with the Lebanese government, and even harsh in some respects ".
But within the French political class, the words of Emmanuel Macron, who moreover are declaimed with emphasis in the devastated streets of Beirut, fall under political interference, even neo-colonialism. "I warn against interference in the political life of Lebanon. It will not be accepted. Lebanon is not a French protectorate," wrote rebellious France deputy Jean-Luc Mélenchon on Twitter. Julien Bayou, national secretary of Europe Ecology-Les Verts, reacted in the same way. "End of the French protectorate of Lebanon, 1941. Independence, 1944. Solidarity with Lebanon must be unconditional."