From left to right: French diplomat in charge of coordinating international support for Lebanon, Pierre Duquesne, Nabil Fahed, president of the supermarket owners' union and former minister Mohammad Choucair, during a meeting in Beirut, July 18 2022. (Credit: DR)
BEIRUT — The French ambassador in charge of coordinating international support to Lebanon, Pierre Duquesne, arrived in Beirut on Monday.
Here’s what we know:
• Duquesne’s trip is specially devoted to monitoring Lebanon’s commitments to the International Monetary Fund.
• Duquesne met with Economic Organizations, an organization chaired by businessman and former minister Mohamed Choucair. The meeting was devoted to the presentation of the main lines of a recovery plan for the country emanating from the private sector.
• Duquesne stated that Lebanon, in crisis for almost three years, had no other "realistic" choice but to count on IMF aid to get its head above water, according to the press release published by the Economic Organizations.
• He also called on the Lebanese authorities to conclude “very quickly” the steps to convert the preliminary agreement reached with the IMF in April into a definitive agreement.
• Duquesne is scheduled to meet this week with President Michel Aoun, Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, members of the caretaker government, and chairpersons of parliamentary committees — Finance and Budget as well as Administration and Justice.
• Duquesne who is the interministerial delegate for the Mediterranean was also appointed as coordinator of the support conference for Lebanon organized in Paris in April 2018.