French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian announced Thursday, April 29, sanctions against Lebanese officials deemed responsible for the political blockage in their country, by restricting their access to French territory. This is a first concretization of the threats brandished by France, very involved in the attempts to settle the Lebanese political crisis, in an attempt to force the political class to break the deadlock.
“On a national basis, we have started to implement restrictive measures in terms of access to French territory against personalities involved in the current political blockage or involved in corruption”, said in a statement Jean-Yves Le Drian, visiting Malta. The text does not mention the exact type of restrictions, nor the number and identities of the persons concerned.
“I would like to say it again here: those responsible for the blockage must understand that we will not remain inactive”, specified the head of the French diplomacy, recalling that Paris had already started a reflection within the framework of the European Union on the usable instruments “To increase the pressure” on those responsible. “We reserve the right to adopt additional measures against all those who hinder the way out of the crisis and we will do so in coordination with our international partners”, he added.
A very serious economic crisis
Appointed in October, Prime Minister Saad Hariri has yet to form a government. The current team, which manages day-to-day business, resigned in August 2020 after the devastating explosion at the port of Beirut, which left more than 200 dead and thousands injured.
Lebanon is going through a very serious economic crisis. The depreciation of the Lebanese pound, the explosion of poverty and unemployment, the erosion of purchasing power and precariousness provoke the anger of public opinion, with demonstrations and sporadic blockades of roads.
At the beginning of April, a hundred Lebanese personalities had asked French President Emmanuel Macron to freeze the questionable assets of their political leaders, France being a historic ally of Lebanon.
