Lebanon's PM Hassan Diab urges fractious sectarian leadership to set aside differences as it reviews economic recovery plan
Lebanon's Prime Minister Hassan Diab signs a request for assistance from the International Monetary Fund at the government palace in Beirut, Lebanon on May 1, 2020.
The government approved the plan last week, announcing that it would form the basis of negotiations with the International Monetary Fund for aid. "Time is very precious. The accumulated losses are very big. The situation is very painful, and the chance to rectify will not last long," Diab told the meeting convened at the presidential palace.There was no place for score-settling, he said, adding that trading accusations would be "costly for all".
Leading Sunni politician Saad Hariri, a former prime minister and traditional ally of Gulf Arab and Western states, did not attend the meeting. Neither did Druze leader Walid Jumblatt though Aoun's Maronite rival, Samir Geagea, attended.The local currency has lost more than half its value since October and depositors have largely been shut out of their savings as dollars have become ever more scarce. Inflation, unemployment and poverty have soared.
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