France urges ‘strong’ international pressure for new Lebanon government

France urges the international community to apply strong and unified pressure on Lebanon to form a new government, as frustration grows with the pace of reform in the wake of the giant Beirut port explosion.

“The political forces have still not succeeded in agreeing to form a government,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian tells a videoconference meeting on Lebanon on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

“Strong and convergent pressures are therefore needed from us to push Lebanese officials to respect their commitments,” he adds, according to the text of his speech.

“These convergent efforts must continue as long as necessary,” he says.

The meeting gathered members of the international support group for Lebanon including UN chief Antonio Guterres, World Bank head David Malpass and world powers including France, Germany, Britain, Italy, the United States, Russia, China, the EU and Arab League.

— AFP