Macron tours blast site, promises aid package
French PM plans economic reform in Lebanon
BEIRUT • French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday announced plans for a “new political pact” and sweeping economic reforms in Lebanon as he toured devastated areas of Beirut following a massive explosion that killed scores of people earlier this week.
Macron, who said the disaster should “mark a new era” in the tiny Mediterranean nation, is the first world leader to visit the Lebanese capital in the aftermath of the blast, which engulfed its commercial centre Tuesday, eviscerated its port and killed at least 135 people. More than 5,000 residents were wounded and tens of thousands more remained missing, officials said. As many as 300,000 people have been displaced.
The immediate cause of the explosion, which sent a towering plume of red smoke into the sky, appeared to be an estimated 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, a fertilizer that can also be used to make bombs. It was stored in a warehouse at the port for years despite repeated warnings about the risk it posed — a revelation that has angered Beirut residents and prompted calls for resignations and wider accountability.
Canada has so far pledged $5 million in emergency aid. International Development Minister Karina Gould said the federal government will continue to help the country when it begins to rebuild.
Yet Gould also repeated long- standing calls from Canada and other countries for economic and political change to address the underlying problems that have left Lebanon heavily indebted — and which some have blamed for the explosion.
The New York- based Human Rights Watch on Thursday called on the Lebanese government to invite experts to conduct an independent probe into the blast.
Meanwhile in Beirut, Macron did not elaborate on the political deal he planned to pitch to Lebanese leaders. Despite its fraught colonial past in Lebanon, France maintains strong relations with its former territory.
In the historic Gemmayze quarter in east Beirut, furious crowds surrounded Macron to denounce Lebanon’s government.
“How do you know if you give money to them, they won’t steal it?” one man shouted at him, referring to Lebanon’s political elite.
“Do you trust me?” Macron asked, according to footage broadcast on Lebanese television.
“I want this aid to directly reach the Lebanese people.”
As part of his reform package, Macron called for a transparent audit of Lebanon’s Central Bank and other financial institutions.
Beirut’s governor, Marwan Abboud, said damage from the blast is estimated at $ 10 billion to $ 15 billion — an amount that Lebanon, already mired in financial ruin, is incapable of mobilizing on its own.