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News ID: 89379
Publish Date : 20 April 2021 - 21:02

Lebanon PM Urges Qatar to Rescue Nation Out of Crisis

DOHA (Dispatches) – Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab has called for Qatar’s help during a visit to the Persian Gulf country as his nation is in an economic crisis.
Diab met with several prominent Qatari ministers and officials during the trip. He met with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Doha on Monday evening. He also attended an iftar banquet organized by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdul Aziz Al Thani.
"Lebanon has reached the brink of total collapse, as a result of decades of corruption and policies that have encouraged a rentier economy at the expense of a productive economy,” Diab told local media.
"We knock on (Qatar’s) door just as we will knock on the doors of other sister Arab countries and wait for it to open its doors for us, as did sister Qatar.”
Despite public outrage and international pressure to form a government so as to enact reforms needed to unlock aid pledges, wrangling over cabinet posts persists eight months after Diab’s government resigned.
It followed a devastating explosion at the Beirut port in August, widely blamed on official negligence.
The massive portside explosion killed more than 200 people, leveling the waterfront and damaging countless buildings.
It is not clear if Qatar would provide assistance before Lebanon announces a permanent government.
Qatar indicated in February that it was ready to help kick-start Lebanon’s flailing economy, but only if its deeply divided political class agreed on a new government.
Prime minister-designate Saad al-Hariri and President Michel Aoun have been at loggerheads for months over the makeup of a new cabinet.
This week’s three-day trip is Diab’s first official visit since taking office, having cancelled trips to Cairo and Baghdad.
"Lebanon is in grave danger and it can no longer wait without a safety rope,” Diab added in the Qatari capital.
"We expect you to be on the side of this country -- Lebanon hopes that you will be a safety net to protect your Lebanese brothers.”