End political deadlock to get aid , France,UN urge Lebanon

France and the United Nations are ready to provide humanitarian aid to Lebanon but urged the country's leaders to form a new government as a political deadlock in Beirut has blocked billions of dollars in assistance for the cash-strapped country hit by multiple crises. A meeting on Wednesday  organised via videoconference by the U.N. and France was the second since the disastrous August 4 explosion that destroyed Beirut's port and wrecked large parts of the capital. The explosion came amid an unprecedented financial meltdown worsened by pandemic-related closures that has brought soaring inflation, poverty and unemployment.

French President Emmanuel Macron and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced the creation of a fund handled by the World Bank, the U.N. and the European Union to provide support for Lebanon, including food, healthcare, education and the reconstruction of the Port of Beirut. The plan also calls for a targeted set of reforms, which are essential to facilitate recovery and reconstruction, Guterres said.

 The World Bank report said Lebanon's economy faces an arduous and prolonged depression, with real GPD projected to plunge by nearly 20 per cent because its politicians refuse to implement reforms that would speed up the country's recovery. Lebanon's leaders continue to resist reforms and have been unable to form a government after the last one resigned in the wake of the explosion.