French diplomatic sources indicate that a list of Lebanese personalities accused of blocking the formation of the next government could soon be published. These people would then be subject to sanctions as Paris worries about the lack of progress in the formation of a next cabinet and the escalation of political tensions.
They believe that these tensions are of artificial origin, while the economic crisis could soon worsen with the end of the subsidy program for the purchase of basic products at the end of June.
Some sources close to the Lebanese presidency believe that the prime minister-designate could delay the formation of his cabinet until June, to avoid being held responsible for a sharp rise in prices which should then occur at that time.
As a reminder, the French Foreign Minister had already repeatedly called on Europe to react to the collapse of Lebanon.
France has indeed largely invested in the Lebanese file, in particular during the two visits of French President Emmanuel Macron to the land of the cedars, on August 6, 2020, barely two days after the explosion of the port of Beirut and on September 1 on the occasion of the hundredth anniversary of the proclamation of the State of Greater Lebanon.
For the time being officially, the Quai d’Orsay recalls that France would not hesitate to act against those who block the process of forming the government and who “have abandoned the general interest in favor of their personal interests”. French diplomats are still in contact with their European counterparts to decide what action to take.
Q. – France is preparing to publish a list of names of Lebanese officials likely to fall under sanctions for obstructing the formation of a government in Lebanon, according to Lebanese media. What exactly is it?
THE MINISTER – The President of the Republic and the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs have indicated to the main Lebanese officials that France would not hesitate to act against those who have abandoned the general interest in favor of their own. personal interests. France is in contact with all of its partners, particularly within the European Union, in order to develop concrete proposals intended to implement this objective./.
A country without a government as the economic crisis hits it hard
Lebanon has been without government since the resignation, on August 10, of outgoing Prime Minister Hassan Diab.
The formation of a new government is considered as one of the preconditions for the relaunch of negotiations with the International Monetary Fund in order to obtain the release of financial aid from the international community in the face of the economic crisis that Lebanon is going through.
Following Mustafa Adib’s failure to form a cabinet, former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who resigned following major protests in October 2019, was tasked with forming a new government in October 2020.
In an attempt to unblock the situation, the former prime minister promised the Amal movement to allocate the portfolio of the finance ministry to a member of the Shiite community. He also reiterated that Lebanon could do without a state of default, thus denying the gravity of the economic crisis however experienced by the population, with 55% of it now living below the poverty line while the economic recession has reached 29% according to some reports for the year 2020.
However, Saad Hariri’s proposals for an 18-member cabinet clash with the Presidency of the Republic, who points out that if the Shiite and Sunni communities choose their representatives, the Christian representatives in the new cabinet would also be chosen by the former. designated minister. General Aoun de facto considers that the current proposals of the Prime Minister contravene both the Lebanese constitution and the national pact.
The latter, for his part, accuses the head of state of wanting to obtain a blocking third party within his new cabinet.