Four weeks after the Beirut tragedy, in which at least 188 people died after a double explosion, he is back.
French President Emmanuel Macron called for the establishment of a "mission government" as soon as possible upon his arrival Monday evening in Lebanon, a country facing a deep political and economic crisis for several months.
“I saw that a process had started in recent hours which allowed a figure to emerge as Prime Minister.
It is not for me to approve or to dub it [...] but to make sure that it is indeed a mission government that will be formed as quickly as possible to implement the reforms ”, declared the president. at Beirut airport, as he begins his second visit in less than a month to Lebanon.
Accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Yves Le Drian, and the Minister of Solidarity and Health, Olivier Véran, Emmanuel Macron was greeted on the tarmac at Beirut airport by the Lebanese Head of State, Michel Aoun.
"Take stock"
During his visit on August 6, Emmanuel Macron had pleaded for a new "political pact" and urgent reforms, promising to return to "assess" the progress made by the authorities, boasted for months by the streets.
“Lebanese, you are like brothers to the French.
I made a promise to you: I will come back to Beirut to take stock of emergency aid and build with you the conditions for reconstruction and stability, ”the president tweeted on Monday evening.
Lebanese, you are like brothers to the French.
I made the promise to you: I am coming back to Beirut to take stock of emergency aid and build with you the conditions for reconstruction and stability.
- Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) August 31, 2020
Just before Macron's arrival, Lebanon acquired a new Prime Minister, Moustapha Adib.
The 48-year-old scholar, currently an ambassador to Germany and little known, was chosen as usual by most traditional parliamentary forces, during consultations at the presidential palace.
A Prime Minister already contested
"The time has come for action", declared the new Prime Minister, pledging to form as soon as possible a team of "experts" who would "quickly carry out basic reforms".
The choice of this close to the former Prime Minister and billionaire Najib Mikati was quickly criticized by the popular protest movement.
"No trust in those who continue to cling to their posts and palaces as we bury our victims and heal our wounds," Jad Chaaban, a university professor wrote on Twitter.
"The biography of Moustapha Adib shows that he is a man of the system, and that he owes his appointment to the traditional parties," commented Nadim Houry, director of the Arab Reform Initiative, a research center.