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After Deadly Port Blast, Rudderless Lebanon Drifts Towards the Rocks Lebanon at Risk of Even Deeper Chaos

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After Deadly Port Blast, Rudderless Lebanon Drifts Towards the Rocks Lebanon at Risk of Even Deeper Chaos 12 Friday International Friday, August 28, 2020 After deadly port blast, rudderless Lebanon drifts towards the rocks Lebanon at risk of even deeper chaos BEIRUT: Three weeks after the catastrophic ex- going down the road to no IMF, no international plosion at Beirut port, Lebanon is drifting towards aid, no money. This is pushing Lebanon towards even more trouble as its politicians fail to agree a chaos, complete collapse,” said one senior polit- new government that can arrest a financial melt- ical source. A senior European diplomat said: down. As Lebanon grapples with the aftermath of “The speed of politics does not reflect the ur- the blast that killed 180 people, its politicians have gency of the situation. Does August 4 not show been locked in fruitless talks to agree on a new things need to change?” France’s foreign minis- prime minister who might be able to restart Inter- ter said on Tuesday Lebanon’s leaders should not national Monetary Fund talks and enact reforms. use the explosion as an excuse to hide the reality Even before the Aug. 4 port explosion, caused that the country was on the edge of a precipice. by unsafely stored chemicals, the financial collapse “We hope that this moment will be the moment had devastated lives across Lebanon, fuelling hy- which allows the Lebanese authorities, the perinflation and poverty and demolishing the value Lebanese officials, to take the necessary leap for of savings in a now zombie banking system. An in- a government with a mission to initiate the es- tervention by French President Emmanuel Macron, sential reforms that everyone knows (are who is due to visit again Lebanon on Sept. 1, has needed),” Jean-Yves Le Drian said. The financial been unable to break the impasse among the sec- collapse is the biggest threat to Lebanon’s sta- tarian leaders responsible for steering Lebanon bility since the 1975-90 civil war. Donor states into crisis. want to see reforms to curb waste and corrup- BEIRUT: An aerial view shows vehicles damaged at the port of Beirut in the August 4 massive explosion that All-too-familiar personal rivalries and factional tion that are the root causes of the collapse. But caused severe damage across swathes of the Lebanese capital. —AFP interests are getting in the way. Now, barring a three cabinets have failed to make progress on course correction, Lebanon is at risk of even reform since donors pledged more than $11 bil- deeper chaos, in the assessment of three senior lion to Lebanon in 2018. The currency has sunk stays on as caretaker until a new government is Hezbollah’s ally the Maronite Christian President sources from different parties. The central bank by as much as 80% since October. formed. The prime minister must be a Sunni Mus- Michel Aoun and his son-in-law, Free Patriotic has warned it can only subsidize imports of basic lim in Lebanon’s sectarian power-sharing system. Movement leader Gebran Bassil, who have been goods for three more months, an official source ‘We don’t know who is in charge’ Hezbollah and its Shiite ally Amal are pressing for at loggerheads with Hariri since last year. At the said, raising concern that prices of fuel, wheat and Prime Minister Hassan Diab quit on Aug. 10 the return of Saad al-Hariri, seeing him as well other end of the spectrum, neither the Christian medicine will spiral later this year. over the port blast. Nominated by the Iran- placed to galvanize foreign support. Lebanese Forces Party, seen as close to Saudi “It is very dangerous now. We were at a backed Shiite group Hezbollah and its allies in But this has hit resistance from several parties, Arabia, nor Druze leader Walid Jumblatt want him crossroads: either the right path or continuing January using their parliamentary majority, Diab each for their own reasons. The opponents include back in the job for now. —Reuters ‘Losing control’ Lebanon at ‘risk In another development, caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab said that Lebanon was at risk of losing control over the Athens”. After failed shuttle diplomacy aimed at coronavirus outbreak after a rise in the number of cases fol- Greece, Turkey getting the two sides talking again Tuesday, of disappearing’ lowing the explosion in Beirut on Aug 4. Cases doubled in Berlin on Wednesday criticized the naval exer- the two weeks following the blast as infections spread in hos- PARIS: Lebanon is at “risk of disappearing”, French Foreign cises as “not helpful”. The emerging crisis is pitals where victims were being treated, medics say. “The Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said yesterday, urging emer- draw in allies quickly rising to the top of the agenda not only number of cases is increasing greatly, and if this continues, gency reforms under a new government. “The risk today is regionally but also in Brussels and Washington. we will lose control of this epidemic,” Diab said in a statement Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said of Lebanon disappearing so these measures have to be issued by the Supreme Defense Council. Lebanon registered in war games after telephone talks with US President Donald taken,” he told RTL radio ahead of President Emmanuel 557 new COVID-19 infections and one death on Wednesday. Trump that Athens was “ready for a significant Macron’s return visit to Beirut next week to push reform ATHENS: Greece and its EU allies held war games It had registered a record 12 deaths the previous day. de-escalation - but on condition that Turkey im- and reconstruction after the devastating port blast. “They in the Mediterranean Wednesday while Turkey The health minister for Lebanon’s caretaker government, mediately stops its provocative actions”. are caught up between themselves in a consensus of inac- conducted drills with the US navy nearby, as the Hamad Hassan, who also spoke to the Council, said hospital But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan tivity,” Le Drian said. “That can’t go on and we are saying row between the two neighbors over gas and mar- capacity needed to be increased to help combat the rise in insisted Wednesday that Ankara would not ac- that very clearly.” itime borders ratcheted up another notch. The con- cases. The government imposed a partial lockdown last Fri- cept preconditions such as suspending its gas “The President of the Republic said it when he went to vergence of a growing number of warships on an day to help fight community spread. But the shutdown, which exploration before resuming dialogue. Turkey will Lebanon on August 6. He will say it again when he’ll be in energy-rich but disputed patch of sea between includes a curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., still allows for clearing “make no concessions on that which is ours,” Er- Beirut on Tuesday.” Macron departs Monday in a bid to Cyprus and Crete came as NATO and a host of Eu- rubble, making repairs and giving out aid in neighborhoods dogan said. Greece was able to secure the sup- boost the reconstruction effort but also to look at political ropean officials called for cooler heads to prevail. damaged by the explosion. The airport will remain open, with Greece and Turkey are ancient rivals with a port of EU military powerhouse France in three issues as Lebanon searches for a new government, the travelers having to take PCR tests before boarding and on litany of disputes - despite both being members days of war games starting Wednesday that also French presidency said. He visited Beirut two days after the arriving in the country. of the NATO military alliance. They nearly went include Italy and Cyprus. The Turkish defense massive explosion at the port killed 181 people and wounded ministry conducted its own drills with an Italian Amid concerns over the rise in cases, the union repre- to war over some uninhabited islets in 1996, and thousands. navy vessel on Tuesday. And the same US de- senting hotels, bars, cafes and restaurants said it would en- earlier this months frigates from the two sides On August 9, he chaired a video conference that saw stroyer that took part in the exercises with courage defiance of the curfew by its members, leading to collided while Turkey was searching for energy world leaders pledge more than 250 million euros ($295 mil- Turkey had staged air and sea manoeuvres with criticism by caretaker Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmi, in the eastern Mediterranean. The threat of an- lion) for Lebanon “The country is on the edge of the the Greek navy south of Crete on Monday. The who said security forces would crack down. A popular food other conflict could imperil Europe’s access to a precipice,” Le Drian added, calling for a new government to seeming shifts in allegiance highlight Rome and delivery app said it would restart deliveries until 11 pm. On wealth of new energy resources and draw in na- be set up quickly. “There’s a humanitarian and health emer- Washington’s desire to avoid challenging Erdo- Wednesday, caretaker President Michel Aoun said the gov- tions such as Egypt and war-torn Libya. NATO gency,” he said. Premier Hassan Diab’s cabinet has resigned gan because of Turkey’s importance to conflicts ernment’s coronavirus committee was discussing how to Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he was over the blast, which was blamed on a store of ammonium “personally regularly in contact with Ankara and in Libya and the Middle East. —AFP safely reopen businesses given their vital importance to the nitrate left for years in a port warehouse despite warnings economy.
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