Lebanese President Michel Aoun said that his country will overcome the difficult circumstances despite the harsh economic conditions it is currently going through, stressing that he will do his best to get out of the successive crises that the Lebanese are experiencing.

The lira (the local currency) recorded a sharp decline against the US dollar, as its exchange rate in the parallel market exceeded 23,500 pounds, after former Prime Minister Saad Hariri apologized for forming the government.

During his meeting at the presidential palace east of Beirut, Aoun added, "Nothing should frustrate the Lebanese despite the severity of what they are exposed to," pledging to make all efforts to get out of the successive crises afflicting the country.

He stressed that the events proved that the will of life of the Lebanese had always enabled them to overcome many difficulties in the past.


government crisis

And on Thursday, Hariri announced - in a press conference - his apology for forming the government, after he presented on Wednesday a ministerial formation to Aoun, but the latter requested an amendment to the ministries and their sectarian distribution, which Hariri rejected.

A statement by the presidency, commenting on Hariri's apology, said that he "rejected all the amendments related to changing ministries, their sectarian distribution and the names associated with them."

Over the course of about 9 months, differences between Aoun and Hariri prevented the formation of a government to succeed the current caretaker government headed by Hassan Diab, which resigned on August 10, 2020, 6 days after a catastrophic explosion in the port of the capital, Beirut.

These disputes centered on the right to nominate Christian ministers, with Hariri accusing Aoun of insisting that his team, including Hezbollah, obtain the "blocking third", which is the number of ministers that allows control of government decisions.

In early June, the World Bank described the crisis in Lebanon as "the most severe and severe in the world" and ranked it among the three most difficult crises recorded in history since the mid-19th century.


European sorry

The European Union expressed its regret at the continuation of the political stalemate in Lebanon, and the faltering of reforms after Hariri's apology for forming the government.

The union said in a statement that Lebanon has been without a government with full powers for a year, which has caused an unprecedented economic and financial crisis, the tragic consequences of which the people are facing.

He called on all political forces in Lebanon to support the formation of the government urgently, and called for the start of parliamentary consultations without delay.

The European Union's foreign and security policy chief, Josep Borrell, said Friday that the union "deeply regrets" Hariri's decision to "apologise for forming a government and keep the country in a dead end."

"The European Union deeply regrets the ongoing political impasse in the country and the lack of progress in implementing urgent reforms," ​​Borrell said in a statement.


The European Union is preparing to impose sanctions on specific political leaders it considers responsible for the deadlock in this country, at the end of July.

A political consensus occurred between the EU foreign ministers during a meeting in Brussels on Monday to prepare for these sanctions.

"For almost a year, there has been no functioning government in Lebanon, which has led to an unprecedented financial and economic crisis that the Lebanese people are suffering from the tragic consequences of," Borrell said.

"It is the responsibility of the Lebanese leaders to resolve the current internal crisis that they themselves have caused," he added, stressing that "Lebanon needs a government capable of implementing economic reforms, governing and preparing for the 2022 elections that must be held on schedule."

The European Union foreign policy official stressed that an agreement with the International Monetary Fund "remains necessary to save the country from financial collapse."