PARIS, France
France on Monday hailed the appointment of Nawaf Salam as Lebanon’s new prime minister, saying he had the will to help the war-scarred country emerge from its deep economic crisis.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun
picked Salam, the presiding judge at the International Court of Justice, as
prime minister.
“A hope for change is rising,”
France’s President Emmanuel Macron said on X, wishing him “success in forming a
government in the service of all Lebanese people.”
A majority of Lebanese
lawmakers endorsed Salam to form a government for a country whose economy has
been battered by the conflicts engulfing its neighbors.
Lebanon has been managed by a
caretaker government for the past two years, and Salam’s backers hope he can
reduce the militant group Hezbollah’s domination of Lebanese politics and
strengthen the central government.
Macron’s office said Salam was
“recognized for his integrity and his skills.”
He “has already expressed in
the past his desire to lead the reforms that the Lebanese and the international
community expect to put Lebanon back on the path to restoring its sovereignty
and the reforms necessary for the economic recovery of the country.”
Macron’s office said he hoped
Salam’s government could be both “strong” and “represent all the diversity of
the Lebanese people.”
The agreement on a new prime
minister “opens extremely promising prospects” to overcome Lebanon’s financial
crisis, it said.
“It is about rebuilding trust
and we are in a framework that will allow us to reassure international donors,
carry out the expected reforms and build a financing framework,” the French
presidency said.
Macron is expected to visit
Lebanon shortly to show his support for the new leadership.
He has recently also spoken to
Nabih Berri, the speaker of the Lebanese parliament, to Najib Mikati, the
outgoing prime minister, and to Walid Jumblatt, the leader of the Druze
community.
No comments:
Post a Comment