French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian called on Lebanon to accelerate the formation of the government late Monday night, after Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced his Cabinet's resignation.
The Lebanese government must “accelerate the formation of a government that will prove its effectiveness before the people,” Le Drian said in a statement carried by local media.
“We must listen to the demands expressed by the Lebanese in terms of reforms and how to practice governance,” Le Drian said.
Prime Minister Hassan Diab resigned Monday under mounting public pressure in the wake of a devastating explosion that rocked Beirut last week, in a move effectively clearing the way for a national unity government backed by France, the US and Arab countries.
The Lebanese people hold authorities responsible for the explosion that damaged half of the nation’s capital. They accuse leaders of gross negligence and recklessness, as the blast was a result of the detonation of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, stored at the port since 2014, endangering civilian life.
Diab’s Cabinet was formed on Jan. 21 after Hariri submitted his government’s resignation last year under the brunt of a nationwide popular uprising on Oct. 17 against the worsening economic conditions and the country’s entrenched political elite blamed by protesters for corruption, mismanagement and the squandering of public funds.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
