French President Emmanuel Macron said it was necessary to “change the leadership” of Lebanon and “release” the political leaders who are blocking the reforms, in an interview with three media including the Lebanese daily An-Nahar published on Friday.
“Lebanon’s problem is to solve people’s problems and release those who do not know how to do it,” said Emmanuel Macron, who has tried in vain since September 2020 to get the political class to initiate the reforms necessary to get out the country of political and economic crisis.
“Then, restructure the financial system and then make a plan with an honest president, an honest prime minister and a team that will roll out this plan and that will have the support of the street,” continued the French president. “We must change the leadership of this country,” insisted Emmanuel Macron.
Divided MPs and economic collapse
Lebanon has been without a president since Michel Aoun’s term expired on October 31. The deputies, deeply divided between the pro-Iranian Hezbollah camp and that which is hostile to it, have already met ten times without being able to elect a new head of state.
The country in full economic collapse is led by the resigning government of Najib Mikati, responsible for managing current affairs and whose prerogatives are reduced.
In response to a question about the commander-in-chief of the army Joseph Aoun, considered one of the main undeclared presidential candidates, Emmanuel Macron replied that he did not want to “get into a question of anyone: the names, if there is not a plan and a strategy behind it, it does not work”. “What interests me are the Lebanese men and women. Not those who live on their backs,” added the French president who deplored the massive emigration of young people.
He said he wanted to “try to help the emergence of an alternative political solution” while being “intractable with political forces”. He felt that it was necessary “to give in nothing to those who have become rich in recent years and who would like to stay and who are blackmailing”.
Emmanuel Macron, who returns from the regional conference on Iraq organized Tuesday in Jordan, indicated that he would “work in the coming weeks on a similar format with Lebanon”.
He said he was “convinced” “that the Lebanese, Syrian issues and beyond can only be resolved if we find a framework for discussion that includes Iran given its influence in the region”.