French President Emmanuel Macron announced in an interview on Friday that he plans to visit Lebanon again.
“I will make my third visit to Lebanon after verifying basic matters, and we will do everything to form a government in Lebanon even if it is incomplete in specifications,” Macron said in an interview with Al-Arabiya.
Macron briefly talked about the political crisis Lebanon is facing as the country’s political leaders fail to reach an agreement that would allow the formation of a government capable of enacting reforms.
“The Lebanese system is in trouble because of the devilish alliance between corruption and intimidation,” he said, stressing that the French initiative is “the only one that allows progress toward a solution in Lebanon.”
With that said, Macron affirmed that the French roadmap is still on the table.
“My affection goes toward the people of Lebanon, but their leaders do not deserve the country,” he added, praising Lebanon as “a pluralistic model in a region ravaged by insanity.”
“The people of Lebanon are wonderful and have presented unprecedented intellectual and cultural successes abroad.”
Macron had announced a scheduled visit to Lebanon back in December, “to pressure the political class and politicians must form a government to conduct reforms or else there will not be international aid.”
However, he was forced to cancel the trip after he tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) later that month.
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