Canada ties aid to Lebanon with political, economic reform after port explosion
Posted August 27, 2020 9:52 am.
Last Updated August 27, 2020 11:57 am.
BEIRUT – Canada is pushing for political change in Lebanon as it offers assistance following the deadly explosion at the country’s main port earlier this month.
On a visit to Beirut, Canada Foreign Affairs Minister François-Philippe Champagne had a face-to-face meeting with Lebanese President Michel Aoun.
Champagne says the assistance Canada has given and offered in the wake of the deadly explosion must come with change in the country.
“There cannot be aid without real reforms, that impunity must cease,” Champagne said on a teleconference Thursday.
He added Canada stands in solidarity with the people of Lebanon, who have been taking to the streets to protest widespread corruption within the government, and to call for an independent investigation into the explosion.
“Listen to the young people, listen to these women, listen to these frontline workers, listen to the international community,” the foreign affairs minister pleaded.
Pleasure to meet with the President of @RedCrossLebanon, Dr. El Zoghbi.
We discussed how the #RedCross continues to play a key role in responding to the crisis & the needs of the Lebanese people. Dr. El Zoghbi also shared with me the challenges they are facing. pic.twitter.com/rTUDOoo0Tp
— François-Philippe Champagne (FPC) (@FP_Champagne) August 27, 2020
He noted the RCMP is willing to work alongside French national police and the FBI in an independent review. However, he stressed it needs to be transparent and thorough.
The destruction caused by the blast is widespread. Nearly 200 people were killed, more than 6,000 others were hurt, and thousands of homes, businesses, and landmarks were destroyed.
A number of people remain missing.
The explosion was the result of more than 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate being stored improperly at a port warehouse igniting. It’s still unclear what caused the fire that sparked the chemical compound, commonly used to make fertilizers and explosives.
A drone picture shows the scene of an explosion at the seaport of Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2020. A massive explosion rocked Beirut on Tuesday, flattening much of the city’s port, damaging buildings across the capital and sending a giant mushroom cloud into the sky. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
The blast represents what many have described as a clear example of the government’s neglect and mismanagement of the country.
Champagne visits blast site
Champagne, who visited the explosion-caused wreckage at the port, posted a video to Twitter from outside the destroyed grain silo that sits just metres from where a building housing thousands of tons of ammonium nitrate, believed to be the cause of the massive blast, was stored.
“You can smell destruction, you can feel destruction,” Champagne says in the video. “You can see, also, the resilience of the Lebanese people.”
I am here in the port of #Beirut to survey the horrific damage from the explosion. Canada stands with the people of #Lebanon.
Je suis ici au port de #Beyrouth pour constater les terribles dommages de l’explosion. Le Canada est solidaire du peuple du #Liban. pic.twitter.com/Bit4or6tWw
— François-Philippe Champagne (FPC) (@FP_Champagne) August 27, 2020
Champagne had earlier met with the head of the Lebanese Red Cross — one of the many organizations helping those impacted by the explosion — as well as authorities.
“The desire to rebuild, being mindful of that, is leading us to recommit. We have said we would be there for Lebanon, and I can assure you what you are seeing is only part of the destruction. You cannot even see with your own eyes the size of the destruction. I certainly have never seen anything like that,” he says, adding it has “redoubled” Canada’s resolve and Canadians’ generosity in the wake of the tragedy.
Many countries have joined in the effort to support Lebanon’s recovery. The country, already struggling amid the COVID-19 pandemic, was also in the midst of a severe economic crisis, crippling much of its economy.
On Thursday, France’s foreign minister warned Lebanon risks collapsing altogether due to its deep political and economic conundrums.
Canada has already pledged up to $30 million in humanitarian and recovery aid to Lebanon. Champagne also said on Thursday Canada would match, dollar for dollar, the full $8 million Canadians have donated through the Lebanon Matching Fund.
I want to thank all Canadians for their generosity in a time of great crisis.
Their donations will help ensure critical aid goes to those who need it most.
More information: https://t.co/aPX4QBqjPv
— François-Philippe Champagne (FPC) (@FP_Champagne) August 27, 2020
Other western countries have also affirmed their support for recovery in the small Mediterranean country, on the condition that change will come.
Many sending financial aid have refused to do so to the government, instead sending money directly to the people on the frontline.
-With files from The Canadian Press and The Associated Press
