298 million $ to help Lebanon

Shafaq news/ An emergency donor conference on Sunday for Lebanon raised pledges worth nearly 253 million euros (298 $ million) for immediate humanitarian relief, the French presidency office said.

“Those commitments would not be conditional on political or institutional reform,” President Emmanuel Macron’s office said. “There were also pledges made for longer-term support that would depend on changes brought in by the authorities,” the Elysee Palace said.

World powers promised not to fail the Lebanese people as Beirut recovers from the massive explosion that killed 158 people and destroyed swathes of the city last Tuesday.

But foreign countries demanded transparency over how the aid is used, worry of denoting to a government viewed by its own people as deeply corrupt. Some are also concerned about the influence of Iran through the Hezbollah.

The “assistance should be timely, sufficient and consistent with the needs of the Lebanese people,  and directly delivered to the Lebanese population,” the final communique stated.

Macron, who visited Beirut on Thursday, hosted the conference by video-link and in his opening remarks urged participating nations to put aside their disagreements and support the Lebanese people.

The international response should be coordinated by the United Nations in Lebanon, he added.

The offer of assistance included support for an impartial, credible and independent inquiry into the blast. Public anger over the explosion has prompted some Lebanese to call for a revolt to topple their political leaders.

“Our role is to be by their side,” Macron said from his summer retreat on the French Riviera.

For its part, the White House said that President Donald Trump told the conference that  the United States was ready to continue providing aid to help the Lebanese.

“The President called for calm in Lebanon and acknowledged the legitimate calls of peaceful protesters for transparency, reform and accountability,” a White House statement added.

“We haven’t given a number, but it will be substantial. On a humanitarian basis, we have to do it,” Trump told reporters in Morristown, New Jersey.

The International Monetary Fund said it was willing to redouble efforts to help Lebanon after the devastating blast, but said all of the country’s institutions needed to show willingness to carry out reforms.

In a statement to the conference, the IMF’s managing director, Kristalina Georgieva, laid out reforms expected, including steps to restore the solvency of public finances and the soundness of the financial system, and temporary safeguards to avoid continued capital outflows.

The communique said Lebanon’s partners were ready to support the country’s longer-term economic recovery if leaders committed fully to the changes expected by the Lebanese.

It’s noteworthy that The Beirut blast destroyed entire neighborhoods, displaced more than 250,000 people, and demolished buildings.

The damage is estimated to cost billions of dollars, and Economists forecast the blast could wipe out up to 25 percent of the country's gross domestic product.

Even before Sunday's conference, offers came to Lebanon to provide immediate humanitarian support, including rescue teams and medical supplies.