France’s foreign minister said on Tuesday the United Arab Emirates would join a Saudi-French fund that aimed to provide support to the Lebanese people.
“The visit by President Emmanuel Macron enabled the Gulf countries to renew ties, which saw the creation of a joint Franco-Saudi fund to support the Lebanese, which will be helped tomorrow or the day after with a contribution from the United Arab Emirates,” Jean-Yves Le Drian told a parliamentary hearing.
Riyadh and Paris agreed in early December to establish a common humanitarian mechanism to alleviate the suffering of the Lebanese as a first step to Saudi re-engaging with Lebanon after a diplomatic row between Beirut and the Gulf states.
But despite staking a lot of political capital on the issue for more than a year, President Emmanuel Macron has failed so far to push the country’s squabbling politicians to carry out economic reforms that would unlock vital foreign aid.
Le Drian bemoaned the ongoing political blockages surrounding an investigation into the 2020 Beirut port explosion that have prevented the government from meeting, saying this was an "unacceptable obstruction" for political objectives.
The failure of Cabinet to meet has prevented measures to address a crisis described by international bodies as one of the most severe financial meltdowns in world history.
Lebanon's currency has lost more than 15% of its value since the start of the year, piling further pressure on the population more than two years into a crisis that has plunged many into poverty and fueled demonstrations.
Protesters took to the streets in several areas of the country on Monday night, burning tires and voicing anger at the dire economic situation amid political deadlock. Cars queued at fuel stations to fill up before another expected rise in prices.
The UAE provided vouchers to 35,600 families in northern Lebanon to help the Lebanese people overcome their dire economic conditions.
A delegation from the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation, working closely with the UAE embassy in Beirut, began the campaign last June in Tripoli, the largest city in northern Lebanon.
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