The Lebanese government resigned on Monday after the explosion that devastated Beirut. For Fouad Zmokhol, president of the Gathering of Lebanese leaders and business leaders in the world, the reconstruction of the country necessarily requires international aid, not only at the economic and humanitarian level but also at the political level. At the microphone of Europe 1 he pleads, with regret, for an international trusteeship or a United Nations mandate, in order to put the country back in motion. He considers that France has its role to play, with the agreement of the international community.
The need for a "United Nations mandate"
"Today, unfortunately, but it is the only solution, we need a mandate from the United Nations, or from France," said Fouad Zmokhol. He fears that without external intervention for the reconstruction of the country, Lebanon will be unable to come out of its faults. "Today it is impossible to do it alone. It is impossible or it means taking up arms against ourselves".
The president of the Gathering of Lebanese leaders and heads of companies in the world judges that "if the international community wants to help, it is not only international aid, it is not on financial aid, which will be squandered , it is under a tutelage, a mandate from the United Nations, France or other ".
"France can help rebuild the country at all levels"
This supervision must be, according to Fouad Zmokhol, well defined with "a determined objective to ensure a good democracy, to deliver elections to have a legislative power which represents the people, to form an executive power which can rebuild this state on bases economic, on transparency and above all knowing what really happened ". It must have clear terms: be established "for six months or a year in order, first of all, to organize early elections and above all to put this economic, political and social system back into operation".
He particularly welcomes the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron, a few hours after the tragedy which "brought back hope that France, Europe, the international community has not abandoned us", even though the Lebanese leaders do not were not going to the field. For Fouad Zmokhol, "France can help rebuild the country at all levels". However, this action cannot be a unilateral action. France, or another country, must therefore be "mandated by the United Nations to provide a security perimeter and monitor corruption".