Report: EU Meeting in Brussels to Address Lebanon File

Attention turns today to the meeting of the EU Foreign Ministers in Brussels, to see if the Union will resort to implementing its threat and announce sanctions on Lebanese officials it blames for obstructing the formation of a government, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Monday.

Interlocutors reportedly will discuss the Lebanes file and the obstacles that prevented the formation of a government according to the French initiative, said the daily.

France had urged Lebanese officials to form an independent, non-partisan government to resume crucial talks with the International Monetary Fund, paving way for the crisis-wracked country to restore international confidence and unlock billions of dollars in aid.

The Italian AKI news agency quoted an informed European source earlier as saying that the Department of External Relations in the European Union is preparing a paper that includes options and opinions on how to help Lebanon.

The source said that the aim of the paper is to see how cooperation between the various parties can help Lebanon out of the current crisis, as the situation is politically, economically and socially difficult.

He said Europe continues to urge Lebanon to expedite the formation of a fully-fledged government capable of facing challenges and preventing further collapse in the country.