Lebanese ambassadors to halt work, demanding diplomatic transfers

BEIRUT — Lebanese ambassadors and diplomats who chair the central administration units of the Foreign Ministry announced in a press release on Wednesday that they will stop running day-to-day business on Thursday and Friday, in order to claim their right to diplomatic transfers, in accordance with the law.

Here’s what we know:

    • Officials also warned of “an escalation if the standstill continues on this issue … This position will be reviewed and assessed as [it develops],” they continued, insisting that “this measure is aimed at ending injustice and enforcing the law, and does not and does not fall within the framework of political tensions.”

    • In early February, the Foreign Ministry had asked embassies to find donors to help cover their operating costs, while it fell behind on the payment of diplomats’ salaries, and plans to close missions abroad.