French Ambassador to Lebanon Anne Grillo in a meeting with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati at the Grand Serail, March, 27, 2023. (Credit: the Prime Ministry via Twitter)
BEIRUT — After a Monday meeting with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati at the Grand Serail, French ambassador to Lebanon, Anne Grillo, said Lebanon needs "constructive dialogue" to solve the country's ongoing economic and political crisis.
For the first time in its history, Lebanon is experiencing a double executive vacancy. It has been without a president since Nov. 1, 2022, and its government has been in caretaker status since May 2022.
Grillo told Mikati there is "an urgent need for dialogue, the functioning of the institutions, the election of a president, and the formation of a government," according to Mikati's press office.
"The deterioration of the living conditions of the Lebanese [people] calls us to be capable of responding to their needs," Grillo said. "We agreed that the situation is urgent and there should be restored initiative on the principles that follow a constructive dialogue."
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned last Thursday that Lebanon is in a very dangerous situation, one year after the country committed to reforms it has since failed to implement.