French President Emmanuel Macron will not visit Lebanon unless a government is formed, a source at the Elysee told Sky News Arabia on Thursday.
“Unless things progress in Lebanon and a government is formed, Macron will not visit Lebanon,” said the source on condition of anonymity.
Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri, who is visiting Paris for talks with Macron, had announced earlier that discussions with the French President focused on the Lebanese crisis and on the hurdles hampering the formation of a cabinet.
Macron had in December called on Lebanese politicians to swiftly form a reform-oriented government in order to unlock international aid for the crisis-hit country.
At that time, an official in the French presidency confirmed that world powers would “continue to pressure the political class” in Lebanon to implement the reforms necessary to advance the country from the stifling political and economic crisis it is going through, that aggravated after the huge explosion in Beirut’s port last August.