Following Previous Colonial-Style Visit
BEIRUT – French President Emmanuel Macron has warned Lebanon, already reeling from crisis, it risks facing punitive measures if economic reforms are not implemented.
Visiting the country that is collapsing under the weight of an economic crisis for the second time in less than a month, Macron marked Lebanon’s centenary by traveling to a forest outside Beirut to plant a cedar tree, the emblem of a nation facing the biggest threat to its stability since the 1975-1990 civil war.
"It’s the last chance for this system,” Macron told POLITICO in an interview while traveling to Beirut on Monday. "It’s a risky bet I’m making, I am aware of it ... I am putting the only thing I have on the table: my political capital.”
Macron said he was seeking "credible commitments” and a "demanding follow-up mechanism” from Lebanon’s leaders, including a legislative election in six to 12 months.
Should they fail to shift direction in the next three months, he told POLITICO, punitive measures could be imposed, including withholding bailout money and sanctions on the ruling class.
Before Macron’s arrival, Lebanese leaders named diplomat Mustapha Adib as the new prime minister on Monday after he secured the support of major political parties.
Adib, the former ambassador to Germany, was named after he secured the support of nearly all Lebanon’s main parties in consultations hosted by President Michel Aoun.
Macron visited Beirut in the immediate aftermath of the port explosion that killed more than 190 people and injured 6,000. His previous visit to the country sparked outrage among the Lebanese.
Macron, whose country witnessed nationwide protests by the Yellow Vest movement for months over economic injustice in 2018 and 2019, used a colonial tone in his first visit, calling for political and economic reforms in Lebanon.
People took to the social media to vent their anger at the French leader after Lebanon’s Al-Mayadeen television said Macron, in a meeting with President Aoun, threatened Lebanese leaders with sanctions if they did not submit to reforms and a "political change”.
Since October, the crisis has sunk Lebanon’s currency, locked savers out of deposits held by a paralyzed banking system and fueled poverty and unemployment.
The Lebanese pound has lost more than 60 percent of its value over the last weeks while sources of foreign currency have dried up. Observers say American sanctions on Lebanon have deteriorated its already struggling economy.
Visiting the country that is collapsing under the weight of an economic crisis for the second time in less than a month, Macron marked Lebanon’s centenary by traveling to a forest outside Beirut to plant a cedar tree, the emblem of a nation facing the biggest threat to its stability since the 1975-1990 civil war.
"It’s the last chance for this system,” Macron told POLITICO in an interview while traveling to Beirut on Monday. "It’s a risky bet I’m making, I am aware of it ... I am putting the only thing I have on the table: my political capital.”
Macron said he was seeking "credible commitments” and a "demanding follow-up mechanism” from Lebanon’s leaders, including a legislative election in six to 12 months.
Should they fail to shift direction in the next three months, he told POLITICO, punitive measures could be imposed, including withholding bailout money and sanctions on the ruling class.
Before Macron’s arrival, Lebanese leaders named diplomat Mustapha Adib as the new prime minister on Monday after he secured the support of major political parties.
Adib, the former ambassador to Germany, was named after he secured the support of nearly all Lebanon’s main parties in consultations hosted by President Michel Aoun.
Macron visited Beirut in the immediate aftermath of the port explosion that killed more than 190 people and injured 6,000. His previous visit to the country sparked outrage among the Lebanese.
Macron, whose country witnessed nationwide protests by the Yellow Vest movement for months over economic injustice in 2018 and 2019, used a colonial tone in his first visit, calling for political and economic reforms in Lebanon.
People took to the social media to vent their anger at the French leader after Lebanon’s Al-Mayadeen television said Macron, in a meeting with President Aoun, threatened Lebanese leaders with sanctions if they did not submit to reforms and a "political change”.
Since October, the crisis has sunk Lebanon’s currency, locked savers out of deposits held by a paralyzed banking system and fueled poverty and unemployment.
The Lebanese pound has lost more than 60 percent of its value over the last weeks while sources of foreign currency have dried up. Observers say American sanctions on Lebanon have deteriorated its already struggling economy.
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