EU Envoy Meets Diab, Says Aid Hinges on Reforms

W460

EU Ambassador to Lebanon Ralph Tarraf held talks Thursday with Prime Minister Hassan Diab at the Grand Serail and noted that the European Union’s assistance to Lebanon hinges on the implementation of economic reforms.

The meeting was held in the presence of Environment and Administrative Development Minister Demianos Qattar.

Speaking to reporters after the talks, Tarraf said the conferees agreed that the new government needs to focus on the economic files and implement structural reforms in order to improve the government’s performance.

He added that the EU is willing to help Lebanon should the government carry out the necessary reforms.

Tarraf also stressed that Lebanon should dissociate itself from the regional conflicts, adding that the European Union will monitor the government’s political alignment.

He also declined to answer a question on whether the government is one-sided or under Hizbullah’s control.

Diab also met on Thursday with French Ambassador to Lebanon Bruno Foucher in the presence of Minister Qattar.

SourceNaharnet
Comments 5
Thumb warrior 23 January 2020, 16:45

أعلن وزير الخارجية والمغتربين ناصيف حتي وفاة نظيره السوري وليد المعلم.

وكتب حتي، عبر حسابه في “تويتر”: “سفارة لبنان في سوريا تبلغت خبر وفاة وزير الخارجية والمغتربين، نائب رئيس وزراء الجمهورية العربية السورية وليد المعلم”.

وأضاف لاحقاً: “وزارة الخارجية السورية تؤكد وفاة الوزير وليد المعلم. مذكرة رسمية ستصدر قريباً”.

Thumb janoubi 23 January 2020, 16:49

It seems he is more Syrian than Syrians! He announced the death of Syria's foreign minister before the Syrian authorities did:)

Thumb janoubi 23 January 2020, 18:01

بعد نشره خبر وفاة المعلّم.. حتّي ينفي: الحساب مقرصن!

Thumb gebran_sons 23 January 2020, 16:50

Not 1 cent should be given to Hizbollah government. They are not fooling anyone. Hizbollah cost to Lebanese economy is in the hundreds of biliion dollars. It bankrupted the country, eliminated investments, scared away all western firms, made Lebanon an armed outpost for Iran radicals, and now its puppet government want to mortgage the future of our kids and steal their money. We object to all acts of violence, but we'll prepare for the million-person march on Feb 14 and we'll write all governments to put Bassil and his cronies on the list of supporting terrorists. We will liberate Lebanon from Iran's Hizbollah or divide the country and join the European Union like Cyprus.

Thumb chrisrushlau 23 January 2020, 20:11

Tarraf, from Germany, specifically cited as needful of reform Article Twenty-Four of the Lebanese constitution, which assigns half of the seats in its legislature, the Chamber of Deputies, to Christians, who make up about a quarter of the Lebanese population. He said, "This may have made sense when France was trying to cling to its former Syrian domains, but now this is just a mandate for instability and insecurity."