Lebanon Pays Outstanding U.N. Dues after Being Stripped of Vote
Lebanon's representative to the U.N. Monday said the crisis-hit country has paid outstanding dues it owes the international body after it lost voting privileges because it was behind on payments.
"Lebanon paid its dues that were delayed (a) few days... and everything is back to normal," Amal Mudallali, the country's ambassador to the U.N., said in a post on Twitter.
"Lebanon is not under article 19 anymore," she added, referring to a U.N. provision that allows the body to strip a member state of voting privileges if they have fallen behind on financial contributions.
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric for his part said that the U.N. controller reported Monday that Lebanon has made the payment and "Lebanon's voting rights have been fully restored."
Dujarric said: "We fully recognize that the recent events in Lebanon have challenged the banking system, delaying part of this money."
The U.N. on Friday said that Lebanon was among seven countries which would lose the right to vote in the General Assembly because of a failure to pay dues.
This sparked a social media outcry in Lebanon, with many blasting the government for putting the country in such a position.
The small Mediterranean nation is facing its worst economic crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The World Bank says that Lebanon is in recession, and has warned that the proportion of people living in poverty could increase from a third to half the population.
The economic downturn coincides with an anti-government protest movement that has been active since October 17.
Protesters are demanding the removal of a political class they deem incompetent and corrupt.
Source: Agence France Presse, Associated Press
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