The Quai d'Orsay, headquarters of French diplomacy. (Credit: AFP file)
BEIRUT — France called on Lebanese officials Friday to speed up a stalled presidential election, form a long-delayed new government, and implement reforms required for an International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout, warning of "consequences" for those who block any progress.
At the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs weekly press briefing in Paris, spokesperson Anne-Claire Legendre spoke of a solution "of three kinds: the election of a president who brings people together, the entry into office of a government that works and the implementation of reforms that allow the International Monetary Fund to intervene in support of the Lebanese economic situation.”
After meeting on Thursday, the International Support Group for Lebanon (ISG), made up of France and several other countries, said it was "gravely concerned about the ramifications of a prolonged presidential vacuum," according to a statement.
The ISG had also "urged political leaders and members of Parliament to assume their responsibilities, act in accordance with the constitution and respect the Taif Agreement by electing a new president without further delay."
'Consequences'
Reacting to these statements, Legendre recalled that "France is mobilized with its partners, including within the framework of this support group, in Paris as well as in Beirut, so that the Lebanese leaders finally take responsibility to get out of this impasse."
"Today, the urgency is that the Lebanese leaders stop blocking the emergence of this solution which is well known to all... It is clear that all those who obstruct or are complicit in the collapse of the Lebanese economy are at risk of consequences," she continued, without specifying what they might entail.
In late April 2021, France announced sanctions against Lebanese officials accused of blocking the political process, without publicly naming the officials or the nature of the sanctions.
The European Union has expressed its willingness to activate sanctions against any Lebanese official who undermines democracy and the rule of law in Lebanon, particularly through corruption and the blocking of institutions.
'Urgently needed' reforms
Asked about the meeting on Feb. 6 in Paris between ambassadors from the United States, France, Qatar and Egypt as well as the Saudi chargé d'affaires in Lebanon, Legendre recalled said it was part of "the totality of the work we are doing with our partners on Lebanon."
"It is obvious that reforms are urgently needed today to meet the expectations of the Lebanese people. This is the message we are sending to all Lebanese leaders," Legendre added, in response to a question about the economic crisis in Lebanon.
"France has been mobilized on the humanitarian level to support the Lebanese population, especially since the Aug. 4 explosion," she went on.
"We are also engaged with partners in the region to find additional means of humanitarian aid for the Lebanese population. This was again the subject of the discussions that the [French] Minister of Foreign Affairs, Catherine Colonna, had in Riyadh with our Saudi partners. This commitment is constant and will be continued by France."
Lebanon has been in the grip of an unprecedented economic and political crisis since 2019 that has pushed more than 80 percent of the population below the poverty line.
The country has been without a president since late October 2022, and without an active government since last May.
Politicians are regularly called upon by the international community to implement the reforms necessary to obtain financial assistance, but progress has stalled.
