The Lebanese forces betrayed their pledges to form a government

French President Emmanuel Macron today accused the political class in Lebanon of “betraying his pledges to his country and the international community,” following the failure to form a government headed by Mustafa Adib. However, Macron gave Lebanon’s leaders another 4 to 6 weeks to form a government within the framework of the French initiative.

In a press conference in Paris today, the French President directed harsh criticism and angry language to the political forces in Lebanon, saying that “the French-Lebanese friendship was detained by a political class accused of corruption and terrorism,” adding that these forces and those who lead institutions in Lebanon “clearly refused respect. Their obligations before France and the international community. ”

Macron accused the leaders of Lebanon of giving precedence to their interests and that of their parties and sects over the interest of the country, adding that by doing so, they “deprive Lebanon of the international aid it needs.”

France had put forward an initiative after the Beirut port bombing on the fourth of last August to guarantee international support for Lebanon for reconstruction, provided that the ruling class in Lebanon implements urgent reforms to fight corruption, reform the administration, and accelerate the formation of a government capable of implementing these reforms.

Maneuvers of politicians
The French president said, “The maneuvers of Lebanese officials made it impossible for the appointed prime minister, Mustafa Adib, to form a government capable of implementing reforms,” ​​explaining that some forces in Lebanon “have set snares for others regarding appointing ministers, and there are others who wanted to impose Hezbollah’s choice in a way that contradicts with it.” The commitments they made with me on September 1, and they refused to make any concessions. ”

Macron singled out Hezbollah with harsh criticism, saying, “Hezbollah cannot at the same time be an army that fights Israel, a militia against civilians in Syria, and a respectable party in Lebanon that practices politics.”

The Lebanese President Michel Aoun, before yesterday, Saturday, the Prime Minister-designate, Mustafa Adeeb, apologized for forming the government, after disagreements between the political spectrum regarding the assumption of some ministerial portfolios. The Lebanese Presidency said – in a statement – that President Aoun will take the necessary measures in accordance with the constitution.

Adeeb offered his apology for continuing the tasks of forming the government, and said – in a speech after his meeting with Aoun at Baabda Palace – that the consensus according to which he accepted the formation of the government no longer exists, and that forming a government according to the specifications that he has laid down is doomed to failure.

For his part, former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri said today that whoever celebrates the downfall of the French initiative to push Lebanon’s divided leaders to form a new government “will regret losing this opportunity.”

Another time out
Despite his criticisms, the French President gave the leaders of Lebanon another 4 to 6 weeks to form a government within the framework of the French initiative, stressing that Paris “will not abandon Lebanon because the road map (the French initiative) is still in place, and it is the only initiative that exists regionally and internationally.”

Macron said that before the end of next October, he will organize, together with the United Nations and international partners, an international donor conference for Lebanon, in order to provide the necessary assistance to meet the health and educational needs of the Lebanese people directly through UN organizations.

The French president added that within the next 20 days, a meeting of the international group to assist Lebanon will be held to inform the international community of the upcoming stages, including ending the ongoing investigations into the Beirut port explosion to determine responsibilities, and to talk about the road map, and the conditions for Lebanon’s aid.

Macron visited Lebanon early this month for the second time since the Beirut port bombing, and stressed the need to form a government of specialists within two weeks to implement urgent reforms.