Lebanon’s Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri said on Friday that no progress had been made in talks to form a new government, after months of political wrangling.
Hariri dined this week with French President Emmanuel Macron, whose efforts have so far failed to rally Lebanese leaders to come together to tackle their country’s unprecedented financial crisis.
“There is no progress in forming the government,” Hariri told reporters after his first meeting with Lebanese President Michel Aoun in weeks.
"Efforts are ongoing to save Lebanon," he added, saying he was still committed to his suggestion over the formation of an 18-minister cabinet.
Moreover, he explained to Aoun that his recent trips abroad were aimed at "restoring relations with countries with whom distances have emerged."
Macron has been spearheading international efforts to rescue the former French protectorate from its deepest crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war. Macron is trying to use Paris’ historical influence in Lebanon to persuade squabbling politicians to adopt a roadmap and form a new government to root out corruption, a prerequisite for international donors including the IMF to unlock billions of dollars in aid.
