UN Governor calls on Lebanese leaders to respond to complaints New Antonio Guterres

The head of the UN has called for a “solidarity” visit to Lebanon in order to end the political paralysis and call for international assistance.

Beirut, Lebanon – UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on Lebanese leaders to listen to and respond to the complaints of their people as the country’s economy continues to spiral.

“I am deeply concerned about the impact of the country’s economic and financial crisis on the growing need for more and more humanitarian aid,” Guterres told a news conference in Beirut on Tuesday.

“I urge Lebanese political leaders to implement reforms that meet the demands of the Lebanese people in order to achieve greater welfare, responsibility, protection and transparency in order to regain hope for a better future.”

The Lebanese currency has lost more than 90 percent of its value since 2019, and now three-quarters of the population has fallen into poverty as a result of Lebanon’s economic crisis. it continues to get worse. Hundreds of thousands of families are in need of humanitarian assistance.

The UN Secretary-General landed in Beirut on Sunday afternoon, which he described “Solidarity” visit will end on Tuesday.

He met with President Michel Aoun, Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri to discuss issues such as the economic crisis, reforms, political paralysis, the upcoming parliamentary elections, the Syrian refugee crisis and national security. .

Lebanese leaders have called on the international community to provide assistance to the country affected by the crisis, with support for social protection programs, action by Israel against violations of Lebanese airspace and borders, and to facilitate the return of Syrian refugees.

Guterres, meanwhile, called on Lebanon to end more than two months of political paralysis and work to implement reforms and respond effectively to the economic crisis.

The Lebanese government has not met for more than two months after disagreements over the Port of Beirut explosion street clashes in October, and follow-up diplomatic conflict Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.

“Given the suffering of the Lebanese people, Lebanese leaders have no right to divide and paralyze the country,” Guterres said.

Guterres also met with major religious officials during his visit, and visited the cities of Tripoli and Tire to hear the testimonies of its inhabitants. He visited the port of Beirut to pay tribute to the victims explosion on August 4, 2020, More than 200 people were killed and another 6,500 wounded, and joined UN peacekeepers on the country’s southern border.

The head of the UN stressed the importance of a transparent and impartial investigation into the explosion stopped for more than a year.

At the same time, he called on the international community to continue to support the Lebanese Army, to increase aid to ensure Lebanon’s security and to increase aid to the country that is short of money. On Monday, Guterres said only 11% of the UN’s humanitarian response plan for Lebanon was funded.

Guterres said the formal negotiations with the International Monetary Fund had highlighted the importance of conducting a bailout program and holding elections at a meeting with Lebanese authorities.

Lebanese officials have been struggling to renew negotiations with the IMF since the talks ended in July 2020. They hoped to reach an agreement by the end of the year, but have yet to present a new plan to revive negotiations.

The international community has called on Lebanon to reach an agreement with the IMF to secure a bailout program to help restructure and fix the economy to unlock billions in financial aid.