Lebanon: In Beirut the head of the UN

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres began a three-day visit to Lebanon today, during which he will show his “solidarity” with the country, which is hit by an unprecedented economic and financial crisis.

“If there is one word that characterizes my visit, it is the word solidarity,” Guterres said on arrival in Beirut this afternoon, according to the UN.

On Thursday, he called on Lebanese political officials to show unity in finding solutions to the country’s crisis, one of the worst since 1850, according to the World Bank.

“The divisions between the political leaders in Lebanon have paralyzed the institutions, which has made it impossible to reach an agreement with the International Monetary Fund, implement effective economic plans and create the right conditions for the country to begin to recover,” Guterres said. during a press conference on Thursday.

The crisis is accompanied by a political paralysis that is hindering the implementation of the necessary reforms, at a time when more than 80% of the population lives below the poverty line.

The Lebanese government has not met since mid-October amid political divisions over the work of the investigator in charge of investigating an explosion in the port of Beirut in August 2020, in which at least 215 people were killed. 6,500 were injured and entire neighborhoods of the capital were destroyed.

Guterres will travel to the presidential palace today to meet with Lebanese President Michel Aoun. Tomorrow Monday, he will inspect the port of Beirut “to observe a minute’s silence as a tribute to the victims of the blast and their families”.

During his visit, which concludes Wednesday, he will also visit the United Nations Interim Force (FINUL) in southern Lebanon, where he will move along the ceasefire agreed after Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000. .

Source: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ