Lebanese president calls for urgent int’l support amid “most difficult time”

BEIRUT, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) — Lebanese President Michel Aoun said on Wednesday that Lebanon is going through its “most difficult time,” calling for urgent help and support from the international community, according to a statement by Lebanon’s Presidency.

Aoun’s remarks came during the donors’ conference held virtually to mark the first anniversary of the Beirut port explosion.

Lebanon is suffering from an unprecedented poverty rate, the COVID-19 pandemic, severe shortage of medicines, the heavy burden of the Syrians’ displacement, and the economic plight depriving the country of necessary resources, Aoun said.

Lebanon needs support for the maintenance of infrastructure including water and electricity as well as the Lebanese army, he added.

The president called for restoring full operations at the Beirut port, a vital facility for a prosperous national economy. Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron pledged 100 million euros’ (118.66 million U.S. dollars) worth of emergency aid and 500,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine to Lebanon.