French President Emmanuel Macron presented a road map to politicians in Lebanon that included detailed measures to implement political and economic reforms more than a week after the Beirut bombing. The French paper called for the acceleration of the formation of an interim government and the organization of early legislative elections within a year. Macron is scheduled to visit Lebanon next Tuesday. Second visit in less than a month.
The road map, handed over by the French ambassador in Beirut, Bruno Foche, calls on the Lebanese authorities to take measures, as long as foreign donors demand a lot of them, and includes expediting the formation of a government to avoid a power vacuum, provided that this government implements urgent reforms, and France stresses the need to conduct an audit of the Central Bank The Lebanese who was criticized by political parties for his management of monetary policy.
Hassan Diab's government resigned on the tenth of this month under the pressure of the angry Lebanese street from the political class, who accused it of corruption and neglect, and held it responsible for the port explosion that killed at least 180 people, injured about 6,000 others, and destroyed entire neighborhoods.
The deadlock in the talks
and the positions of Lebanese politicians have frozen in fruitless talks until now aimed at agreeing on a new prime minister, after the resignation of the government, who may be able to resume talks with the International Monetary Fund and implement political and economic reforms.
The French paper says that 4 other sectors need urgent attention, which are humanitarian aid and the authorities' handling of the emerging coronavirus pandemic, reconstruction after the August 4 explosion in the Beirut port, political and economic reforms, and legislative parliamentary elections.
Macron urged the Lebanese authorities to make progress in the International Monetary Fund talks, and called for the United Nations to oversee the international humanitarian aid funds pledged to Lebanon in recent weeks to support it following the Beirut bombing, as well as an impartial investigation into the circumstances of the explosion.
Lebanon's caretaker government has failed to make progress in talks with the IMF for a financial rescue package, due to a stalemate over reforms and a dispute over the size of the financial sector losses.
The French road map also called for an immediate and complete audit of public finances and reform of the electricity sector in Lebanon, which is draining treasury funds and does not provide a sufficient electricity network for the country.
The French paper added that the Lebanese parliament should enact the necessary laws to bring about change in the transitional period, provided that all parliamentary blocs vote on these measures so that the new government can adopt them in the coming months.
The role of Paris Paris
says in the same document that it will play a major role in rebuilding the destroyed port of Beirut, strengthening health care, sending teams from the French Ministry of Finance and the French Central Bank to support financial audits, and help in organizing early elections, along with the European Union.
The French president is expected to arrive next Tuesday to follow up on international aid efforts to rebuild Lebanon, and to discuss political issues with the Lebanese leaders. On his previous visit to Beirut on August 6, Macron urged the authorities to carry out structural reforms, as a condition for obtaining international funding. It is necessary to revive the collapsed Lebanese economy a few months ago.
A Lebanese political source told Reuters that Macron has made several phone calls since his visit to Lebanon with prominent political leaders in the country.