Lebanon prepares for Paris donors conference despite political crisis: official

The Lebanese government, facing sharp political crisis in the country, has continued its preparations for an international donor conference, or Paris III summit, scheduled to be held on Jan. 25 next year, local newspaper Daily Star reported Wednesday.

Finance Minister Jihad Azour was quoted as saying that even in this turbulent time, "it's necessary for the summit to go ahead for the benefit of the Lebanese people. Paris III is for Lebanon and has nothing to do with the friction and discord dominating politics."

Azour made the remarks after he met on Tuesday with French diplomats and officials to discuss the agenda of the conference, during which the Lebanese government hopes to obtain billions of U. S. dollars in soft loans and grants from donors to fund Lebanon's postwar reconstruction.

Lebanese sectarian tension in the cabinet began to escalate last month when six pro-Syria ministers resigned after Seniora and the anti-Syrian majority in parliament rejected the opposition's demand for a new national unity government.

The opposition says it will continue its protest campaign until Seniora agrees to step down, while the prime minister and his supporters have vowed to stay in office.

Israel launched a 34-day-long fighting in south Lebanon after Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas captured two Israeli soldiers and killed eight others in a cross-border raid on July 12. Lebanon says the war costs the country some 2.8 billion dollars.

Lebanon has already received pledges of 940 million dollars from donors during their meeting in the Swedish capital of Stockholm on July 24.

Source: Xinhua