Lebanese Caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab warned on Tuesday that Lebanon is a few days away from a social explosion.
In a speech during a meeting with ambassadors and diplomats at the Grand Serail, Diab called on the international community to save Lebanon from its deep economic crisis.
“Lebanon is a few days away from the social explosion. The Lebanese are facing this dark fate alone,” he said.
Diab, who has been Lebanon’s caretaker PM since August 2020 when the Beirut Port explosion had prompted his resignation, stressed that only a new government could revive talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Since the onset of the Lebanese crisis, the IMF has urged the collapsing country’s leaders to implement crucial reforms that would enable Lebanon to benefit from the financial support that could save it from total collapse and put it on the road to recovery.
However, since caretaker PM Diab‘s cabinet had resigned, around 11 months ago, the ruling class has failed to form a new government.
A Threat to the Lebanese Entity
“This government does not have the right to resume negotiations with the IMF to implement the recovery plan set by the cabinet, for this entails obligations the next government may not endorse,” Diab said in his speech about his caretaking government.
Diab, who is among the officials being questioned over the devastating August 4 blast, noted that the “siege” currently imposed on Lebanon by world powers is affecting the Lebanese people, not the corrupt.
“Linking Lebanon’s assistance to the formation of a new government has become a threat to the lives of the Lebanese and to the Lebanese entity,” he warned.
While Lebanese politicians fail to take action and solve the political crisis, their country continues to spiral down toward total chaos, with more and more sectors raising the alarms.
The European Union has repeatedly warned that it would resort to sanctions against politicians found to be blocking the government formation process in Lebanon while affirming its readiness to support the country only after reform conditions are met.
Despite that and other international attempts at breaking the deadlock, the vital political process remains frozen, accelerating Lebanon’s fall and shrinking hopes of recovery in the near future.
