French President Emmanuel Macron returned on Monday to Lebanon, a country in the midst of an unprecedented crisis, for a two-day visit with a packed schedule. That evening he dined with ‘Ana La Habibi’ singer Fairuz. The Lebanese icon hosted Macron at her home.
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The diva, who is loved and respected across Lebanon, is 86 years old. She has not performed publicly in nearly a decade, seldom gives interviews and has rarely been seen in public in recent years.
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Tthe singer, who is affectionately referred to as “the jewel of Lebanon”, accessorized her outfit with a black scarf and a coronavirus-proof face visor. Macron awarded the musical legend, born Nouhad Haddad, the Legion of Honour, France’s highest order of merit for military and civil merits, established in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte.
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Macron folds his hands in a sign of respect as he acknowledges anti-government protesters while leaving Fairouz’s home in Rabieh, north Beirut, Lebanon, on August 31.
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Saab, whose Beirut home and atelier were destroyed in the explosion, also revealed one of the singer's albums when he gave fans a glimpse at his devastated property.
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Protestors walk outside the home of Fairouz, one of Arab world's most famed singers, as French president Emmanuel Macron visits her, in Rabieh, Lebanon.
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"The objective of this visit is clearly to mark an end to a political chapter," Macron said in televised comments after arriving in Beirut late Monday. In this picture, he is seen meeting people mobilized in the reconstruction of the port of Beirut, Lebanon, a day later.
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To mark Lebanon's centenary, fighter jets fly over Beirut, leaving streaks of red, white and green – the colours of the flag. Macron began his visit to the country on Monday.
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Macron said he'd had no hand in picking Mustafa Adib, the academic and diplomat nominated as Lebanon's new prime minister-elect hours before his arrival. Local media had reported that Adib was Macron's preferred choice for the post vacated when the previous government resigned in the wake of the explosion, caused by a vast consignment of ammonium nitrate stored at the Port of Beirut.| Above: French President Emmanuel Macron and French Health Minister Olivier Veran visit Rafik Hariri University Hospital in Beirut, Lebanon.
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On Tuesday, Macron reiterated that some $11 billion in loans and grants pledged to Lebanon at the Paris-hosted CEDRE conference in 2018 would not be released unless Lebanon enacted reforms, for which he'd proposed a "follow-up mechanism" over the next few months. En route to Beirut, Macron also told Politico that Lebanon's ruling class could face sanctions if "fundamental" change did not occur within three months.| Above: An anti-government protester burns shopping bags as others try to jump over a metal barrier that was installed by security forces to block a road that leads to Parliament Square, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday.
Image Credit: AP
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As colonial power until 1943, France has maintained a close relationship with Lebanon over the years, hosting a number of international conferences to drum up financial support after the end of the 1975-1990 civil war.| Above: A journalist takes a selfie with French President Emmanuel Macron after a news conference at the Pine Residence, the official residence of the French ambassador to Lebanon, in Beirut.
Image Credit: AFP
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