Aid agencies and international advisers arrive in Lebanon to brief Aoun on relief efforts

IMF Director Kristalina Georgieva set out four conditions to move Lebanon’s economic reforms forwards

The head of the World Food Programme met Lebanese President Michel Aoun yesterday and briefed him on its efforts to help Lebanon after the explosion in Beirut last week.

Aid has been sent since the explosion killed more than 160 people, injured 6,000 more and damaged large parts of the capital a week ago.

It also placed a greater strain on hospitals struggling with rising numbers of coronavirus cases.

During the meeting, WFP Executive Director David Beasley said 17,500 tonnes of grain and 30,000 tonnes of wheat flour would be sent to Lebanon within 10 days.

Mr Beasley said the WFP would also send equipment, supplies and generators worth $30 million (Dh110m), after an area of the port was cleared to receive ships.

The damage caused by the detonation of more than 2,700 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored at the port left more than 300,000 people homeless.

Five bodies were recovered from the rubble yesterday, as Lebanese rescue teams worked with civil defence, the fire brigade and Russian and French teams to locate victims and possible survivors.

The British Royal Navy’s survey ship HMS Enterprise arrived in Beirut from Cyrpus yesterday to help Lebanese authorities assess the damage from the explosion.

Its arrival coincided with that of Britain’s Defence Senior Adviser to the Middle East, Lt Gen John Lorimer, who spoke with Mr Aoun and inspected the Beirut port along with British naval experts.

The UK agreed to provide a £20 million (Dh95m) humanitarian aid package to assist the Lebanese people after pledging £5m to the emergency relief efforts immediately after the explosion.

Lebanon received pledges amounting to nearly $298m for immediate humanitarian relief at an international donor conference hosted by France and the UN on Sunday.

Meanwhile, a Lebanese judge yesterday began questioning the heads of the country’s security agencies over last week’s explosion.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said Judge Ghassan El Khoury questioned Maj Gen Tony Saliba, the head of State Security, and that others would also be questioned.

State Security compiled a report about the dangers of storing the material at the port and sent a copy to the offices of the president and prime minister on July 20.

The investigation was focused on how the ammonium nitrate came to be stored at the port and why nothing was done about it.

About 20 people were detained in connection with the blast, including the head of Lebanon’s customs department and his predecessor, as well as the head of the port.

Dozens of people were questioned, including two former Cabinet ministers, according to government officials.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said yesterday that it was important that a “credible and transparent investigation determine the cause of the explosion”.

At the end of Sunday’s pledging conference, IMF Director Kristalina Georgieva stressed the need for Lebanon to enact economic reforms.

She said months of talks on a bailout for the heavily indebted country had “yet to yield results” as politicians and bankers remained divided over what needed to be done.

She set out four conditions for talks to move forward: restoring the financial solvency of the state, cutting losses at state-owned companies, passing a law to regulate capital outflows and setting up a social safety net.

“Commitment to these reforms will unlock billions of dollars for the benefit of the Lebanese people,” she said.