Lebanese Hezbollah leader insists he backs reforms in the wake of blast tragedy

THE head of Lebanon’s Hezbollah has said that his group supports the formation of a government that would be able to improve economic conditions in the crisis-stricken country and undertake major reforms.

Hassan Nasrallah said his group was also open to calls from France for a new political contract in Lebanon, on condition that all Lebanese factions were on board.

The speech came on the eve of a meeting by Lebanese parliamentary blocs deciding to name a new prime minister and also ahead of French President Emmanuel Macron’s arrival in Lebanon on Monday.

This will be Mr Macron’s second visit to the former French protectorate in less than a month.

Mr Macron has offered French support after the devastating August 4 port explosion in Beirut and has also pressed Lebanese officials to formulate a new political pact to lift the country out of its political stalemates, entrenched corruption and years of mismanagement.

The Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, which has a dominant role in Lebanon’s politics, has come under intense criticism and public scrutiny as the country faces multiple devastating crises. The port explosion killed 190 people and injured over 6,000. Parts of the capital were devastated and the port, a main trade channel for the small country dependent on imports, was badly damaged.

An economic crisis had already cost the Lebanese currency more than 80 per cent of its value, driving unemployment, poverty and inflation through the roof.

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) said on Sunday that more than half of Lebanon’s population was at risk of failing to access basic food needs by the end of 2020, amid an average annual inflation rate expected to reach 50% compared to 2.9% in 2019.

ESCWA said the average price of food products had increased by 141% between July 2019 and 2020, and that it expected the Beirut explosion to further drive up basic food prices. Coronavirus infections and deaths have also spiked, causing concerns and pushing authorities to reintroduce some restrictions-that have largely been ignored amid the slump.

Mr Nasrallah promised Hezbollah would co-operate to avoid a political vacuum.

“Whether in naming a prime minister or forming a government, we will be co-operative and facilitate getting the country out of a vacuum,” he said. He snubbed criticism that Hezbollah stood in the way of reforms.

“Some hypocrites and liars say that Hezbollah is an obstacle to reforms,” he said.

“We support reforms that go as far as possible.”

Prime Minister Hassan Diab’s government, backed by Hezbollah and its allies, resigned on August 10, six days after nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate exploded in Beirut’s port where they had been stored for six years.