French President Emmanuel Macron will not visit Lebanon unless a government is formed, a source at the Elysee told Sky News Arabia on Thursday.
“Unless things progress in Lebanon and a government is formed, Macron will not visit Lebanon,” said the source on condition of anonymity.
#Lebanon's PM-designate Saad Hariri meets with #France's President Emmanuel Macron, looking for support to form a new government in Beirut and help repairing the country’s Arab ties.https://t.co/jITftgbiVd
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) February 11, 2021
Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri, who is visiting Paris for talks with Macron, had announced earlier that discussions with the French President focused on the Lebanese crisis and on the hurdles hampering the formation of a cabinet.
Macron had in December called on Lebanese politicians to swiftly form a reform-oriented government in order to unlock international aid for the crisis-hit country.
Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Saad al Hariri says he dined with French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss the crisis in Lebanon and the difficulties in forming a new government in his country pic.twitter.com/o1xZywaYY4
— TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) February 10, 2021
At that time, an official in the French presidency confirmed that world powers would "continue to pressure the political class" in Lebanon to implement the reforms necessary to advance the country from the stifling political and economic crisis it is going through, that aggravated after the huge explosion in Beirut's port last August.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
