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Guterres of UN calls on Lebanese leaders to respond to complaints | Antonio Guterres News

UN leader concludes a ‘coalition’ tour on the crisis in Lebanon, calling for an end to political and international support.

Beirut, Lebanon – UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged Lebanese leaders to listen to and respond to people’s grievances, as the country’s economy continues to grow.

“I am deeply concerned about the economic and financial crisis in this country, which is causing a lot of people need help,” Guterres told a press conference in Beirut on Tuesday.

“I urge the Lebanese political leaders to implement reforms that are in line with the aspirations of the Lebanese people for better health, accountability, security, and transparency, in order to restore hope for a better future.”

Lebanese money has dropped by more than 90 percent since 2019, and three-thirds of the population lives in poverty due to the Lebanese economic crisis. he continues to get worse. Hundreds of thousands of families need help.

The UN Secretary-General arrived in Beirut on Sunday afternoon for what he described as a “cooperation” trip ending Tuesday.

He met with President Michel Aoun, Prime Minister Najib Mikati, and Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri to discuss further issues, including the financial crisis, reforms, political instability, the upcoming parliamentary elections, the Syrian refugee crisis, and the security situation. the world. .

Lebanese leaders have called on countries to help the affected countries with the help of human rights programs, to take action on Israel’s Israeli airspace and border crossings, and to help bring back Syrian refugees.

Guterres also called on Lebanon to end its political turmoil for more than two months, and work hard to achieve change and respond to the economic crisis.

The Lebanese government has not met for two months following a dispute over the Beirut Port explosion, street disputes in October, and so on diplomatic conflict and Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait.

“In view of the suffering of the Lebanese people, the Lebanese leaders have no right to divide and weaken the country,” Guterres said.

Guterres also met with religious leaders during his visit, and he traveled to the cities of Tripoli and Tire to hear testimonies from locals. He went to Beirut Port to pay tribute to the victims explosion on August 4, 2020, which killed more than 200 people and injured 6,500 others, and met with UN peacekeepers on the southern border.

The UN chief stressed the need for transparent and impartial research on the explosion, which has taken place he stopped for more than a year.

At the same time, he called on countries not only to provide assistance to the Lebanese army, but to increase their assistance to ensure the security of Lebanon, and to increase aid to a country without funds. On Monday, Guterres said that only 11 percent of UN aid to Lebanon was provided.

Guterres said he stressed the need for regular dialogue with the International Monetary Fund to support the rescue and decision-making program, during a meeting with Lebanese officials.

Lebanese officials have struggled to resume talks with the IMF since the talks ended in July 2020. They had hoped to reach an agreement by the end of the year, but did not offer a new plan to resume talks.

The international community has called on Lebanon to join the IMF in providing humanitarian assistance to cover billions of dollars of restorative aid.




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