EU: Lebanese Decision-Makers Need to Assume Their Responsibilities
After meeting the Lebanese president, the ambassador to the EU said that the union is deeply concerned about the rapid deterioration of the Lebanese situation, delivering an urgent message to Aoun.
Today, the EU's ambassador to Beirut, Ralph Tarraf, said that the EU is deeply concerned about the rapid deterioration of the Lebanese situation, adding that he has informed Lebanese leaders that time for action is over, urging them to form a government.
Tarraf's statement came after meeting President Michel Aoun when he conveyed an urgent message to him from the EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell.
The Ambassador added that the EU is still providing great assistance to the Lebanese people. He urged the Lebanese decision-makers, who failed to agree on the formation of a new government over the course of a year, to assume their responsibilities as he stressed that there is no more time left.
Earlier last week, an international support group comprising France and the US said that the accelerating crisis alarms the need for a government capable of taking charge.
Last June, the EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, expressed his concern about the political and economic crisis in Lebanon.
Borrell said from Beirut that the EU cannot provide any aid to Lebanon without noticing the necessary reforms. He ensured that once approved by the International Monetary Fund, the union will provide loans to Lebanon in order to support its economy, which is suffering from severe crises.
The EU has shown a growing concern about the sharp deterioration of the situation in Lebanon: The two-year economic collapse reached its climax last month, as fuel shortages paralyzed a large part of the country, causing chaos and numerous security incidents.
It is noteworthy that the crisis led to a drop in the value of the Lebanese currency by more than 90%, plunging more than half of the Lebanese people below the poverty line, and preventing depositors from accessing their accounts. The World Bank described the situation as one of the worst crises in modern times.