France FM: Lebanon at risk of ‘disappearance’ if politicians fail to act swiftly

2020-08-28 15:25:00

France’s foreign minister urged Lebanese politicians to form a new cabinet and implement “urgent” reforms to avoid “the disappearance of Lebanon”. Lebanese authorities must act swiftly, Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a radio interview ahead of President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Lebanon next week. “It’s for the Lebanese authorities to assume their responsibilities. They are trained and competent, but they have made a consensus among themselves for inaction and that’s no longer possible,” Le Drian said, according to Deutsche Welle. “The president told them that when he went on August 6 and will repeat it when he is in Beirut on Tuesday.” Macron, who is set to fly to Lebanon on 1 September, was the first foreign head of state to visit the country earlier this month following Beirut’s port explosion that killed nearly 200 people and wounded 6,000.