On his first visit to Lebanon, the UK’s Minister for the Middle East, James Cleverly, has urged Lebanon’s politicians to implement urgent reforms to prevent the country plunging further into economic crisis.

As part of his visit, Minister Cleverly met with President General Michel Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri, Caretaker PM Hassan Diab, Foreign Minister Charbel Wehbe, PM-designate Saad Hariri, Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi and Lebanese Army Commander General Joseph Aoun.

The visit to Lebanon comes at a critical time for the country amidst an ailing economy, an ongoing coronavirus pandemic and increasingly vulnerable population. Minister Cleverly underlined the need for the rapid formation of a new government, and the urgency of long-awaited reforms.

At the port of Beirut, the Minister saw the scale of August’s devastating blast and the important role UK aid provided in the response. This included over $30 million aid package, the swift deployment of UK teams of humanitarians, military and medical specialists and the deployment of HMS Enterprise sent to help with the recovery efforts.

Source: National News Agency