Brussels (Brussels Morning) The EU and the UN expressed concern on Thursday over Lebanon’s continued decline, calling on Lebanese leaders to form a government as soon as possible.
EU Ambassador to Lebanon Ralph Tarraf called on Lebanese leaders to take action and warned that “there is no more time,” according to Reuters reporting on Thursday.
Speaking after the meeting with President of Lebanon Michel Aoun, to whom he conveyed an urgent message from Josep Borrell, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Tarraf pointed out “we feel extreme concern about the rapid deterioration of the economic, financial, security and social crisis.”
Tarraf pointed out that the EU still provides aid to the people in Lebanon and criticised Lebanese leaders for failing to form a new government for a year, calling on them to fulfill their duties and steer the country out of the deepening crisis.
UN concerned with Lebanon
Also on Thursday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed concern about the deepening crisis in Lebanon, calling on all “political leaders to urgently form an effective government of national unity,” his spokesman Stéphane Dujarric noted.
Dujarric pointed out that Lebanese leaders have to form a government to “bring immediate relief, justice and accountability… and drive an ambitious and meaningful course for reform to restore access to basic services, restore stability, promote sustainable development and inspire hope for a better future.”
An international group including the US and France warned last week that the “fast-accelerating crisis underscores the utmost urgency of forming a government capable of taking the situation in hand.”
The political deadlock in Lebanon has caused financial decline, which culminated in fuel shortages this month that paralysed parts of the country and sparked security incidents.
The crisis caused the Lebanese pound to drop more than 90%, with the World Bank describing the situation in Lebanon as one of the steepest depressions in modern times.
