The Coordinator of International Aid to Lebanon, French Ambassador Pierre Duquesne, returned to Beirut to meet with Lebanese officials, on a visit “of a political and reformist character.”
Duquesne will meet with President Michel Aoun, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, and Prime Minister Najib Mikati, after meeting with the caretaker Economy Minister Amin Salam and Minister of Public Works Ali Hamiya, earlier.
Attention is drawn to the political messages that the French delegate will bring to the Lebanese officials in addition to economic files such as negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Duquesne’s visit to Aoun and Berri in this phase will bring the faltering government formation file to the table, to demonstrate the importance of forming a government on time, which would contribute to achieving the demanded reforms.
The French delegate discussed with Hamiyah public transport and the reconstruction of Beirut’s port after the blast.
Ambassador Dusquesne stressed that “there is no alternative to the signing of a program with the IMF, as agreed last April, between the Lebanese government and the IMF, considering that this is the only realistic way for Lebanon to exit the crisis.”