Mashnouq Says France Preparing for 'Paris IV Conference' to Back 'New Tenure'
France is preparing for an international donors conference aimed at supporting Lebanon economically in light of the election of a new president and the formation of a new government, caretaker Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq announced on Monday.
“The French have informed (Prime Minister-designate Saad) Hariri that they have started efforts aimed at holding a Paris IV conference as part of material and moral support for the new tenure,” Mashnouq tweeted.
The Paris III Conference was held in 2007 in the wake of the devastating 2006 war between Israel and Hizbullah that destroyed huge parts of Lebanon's infrastructure.
Hariri's nomination and the election of Michel Aoun as president after two and a half years of presidential and political vacuum have raised hopes that Lebanon can begin tackling challenges including a stagnant economy, a moribund political class and the influx of more than a million Syrian refugees.
The process of forming a government could take months, with horsetrading likely to revolve around the distribution of key posts like the interior, defense, finance and energy ministries.
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