Virus casts shadow

Wives and mothers of prisoners protested outside and tried to get Macron’s attention about COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, in prisons.

Macron arrived late Monday, a few hours after Lebanon’s Ambassador to Germany Mustapha Adib was appointed by the president, Michel Aoun, to form a new government after winning the backing of major political parties and leaders in Lebanon.

But the 48-year-old diplomat, little known to the public before he emerged abruptly as a consensus candidate, faces a mammoth task and has been rejected by activists and the public demanding that long-ruling politicians stand down.

France and the international community have said they will not provide financial assistance to Lebanon unless it implements reforms to fight widespread corruption and mismanagement that have brought the tiny nation to the brink of bankruptcy. Adib, a dual Lebanese-French citizen, promised to carry out the mission as he prepared to form a new Cabinet, saying he will work on reaching a bailout deal with the International Monetary Fund.

The IMF welcomed Adib’s nomination, hoping a new government will be formed shortly “with a mandate to implement the policies and reforms that Lebanon needs to address the current crisis and restore sustainable growth.”

In a step aimed at showing Lebanon is moving ahead with reforms, outgoing Finance Minister Ghazi Wazni on Tuesday signed three contracts related to a forensic audit of Lebanon’s central bank accounts to determine how massive amounts of money were spent in this nation plagued by corruption.

After landing Monday night, Macron went to meet the country’s top diva, Fairouz, at her home near Beirut. He later met with former Prime Minister Saad Hariri.

Macron came to Lebanon two days after the blast, getting a hero’s welcome in one of the damaged neighborhoods amid absence by local leaders.