i'm trying to come straight. into my journey into storage to maintain d.w. . our plan is clear is to fight corruption when one of the people of lebanon going to get back i know we i very much we had very much aware and committed to that dr never letting me finish the answer as well or whether you like it or dislike it a presence and that component of a society even before the coronavirus pandemic lebanon's economy was plummeting through the floor decades of catastrophic mismanagement and rampant corruption pushed almost half the population into poverty joining me from beirut this week is the country's foreign minister nasser p.t. as lebanon negotiates urgent plea for assistance what guarantees can he get that

his government is any better than the previous ones. not soon 50 welcome to the conflict zone thank you 2 weeks ago your prime minister mr broughton article in the u.s. paper pleading for international assistance and blaming lebanon's dire situation on a combination of political mismanagement and corruption why do you think that the rest of the world with its economy in tatters from the coronavirus should simply hand you huge sums of money and let you do the same thing all over again. well 1st and foremost because we're not going to do what happened before from day one when we started working in this government our plan is clear is to fight corruption to

go for structural reform and darius structural reform it's not mine the reforms it's basically forms and if you loss of the of the economy not only in the financial sector but the economy which is the basic matter to address to go more to go away from our and entier economy as much as we can and go into some productive sectors of the economy i can culture the economy the little industrial thing and new technology while maintaining of course our service sector which is very important and liberal economic model we're very very. committed to transparency. with great respect last and these are these are these are just words and intentions without without a clear plan to deal with your patronage written publicly say i love me if you allow me to continue yeah but that you can't judge of course it's for you to judge the way you like to see it of course and i have to see it as a way of saying that we starting on this matter we started with has been 100 days

now of course were taken by the. problem which is not an excuse but it's a problem weighing heavily on us but what i'm suggesting we're committed to that matter this is why the world must try us but i'm not saying to give us a blank check what we have been saying at what you have been doing is the following we're reaching out to all countries members of the international support group for levanon to all international regional organizations with which we are dealing with cooperating on one hand as well as open to the civil society representatives of different. here security of the economy and your intentions are here intentions your public sector has been looted for decades by the same sectarian powers that still dominate this is what we're trying to tell you never allow me to finish the phrase so i'm listening to you now you go tell me what i have to finish perhaps we can profit from you i haven't finished the question you think these warlords and power brokers but you have never letting me finish the answer you've been giving me

a ok answer for a couple of minutes and you think do you think these warlords and power brokers who control so much in lebanon will just sit around while you shine a light on all their dirty dealings and then they'll just say sorry and hand back all the billions that they've stolen you really think that's going to happen. we are not going to think so thanks for putting this question we know it's an uphill struggle we know it's a key challenge and you have to stand up to the challenge or fail i know the difficulties i fully agree with you about the seriousness of the challenges about how heavy they are weighing on the house since years but we have to come out with an answer otherwise you will not be taken the road that you promised to take that's a very important matter i fully agree about the challenges the nature of the challenges and the magnitude of the challenges but you have to come out with an answer to these challenges and create a sort of rupture with the past and get on a start on a new foot your your country's record doesn't inspire confidence does it since the civil war lebanon has promised 4 times to reform in return for for a t.v.

show you enjoy something about the party telling you about the future if you want to go into the past you can have a lesson in history now that you have but why should anyone trying to tell you we know the stories we learned the lessons we are trying telling the international community look at look at us and let's see if we succeed we're. planning to succeed we're committed to success because we have to save our country again i agree with you about your description of the situation which i already know we all know and again i'm saying it's a major challenge let's see for you if you can succeed in facing up to it and this is the challenge that you are taking on us is to succeed this matter with the cooperation it's our primary sponsor ability as the by his government it's not an easy matter i fully agree with it's a very difficult matter because of this well established well and trash system that you rightly described and with which i fully agree with you but this is the only

road that we have to take to create an option with the past the challenges are very important very deep but we have to take this is the only to get out of this messy situation yes i understand what you're saying but it doesn't help when the team. that you sent to talk to the i.m.f. figures from the presidency the finance ministry central bank prime minister's office they present conflicting views about what needs to be done your own officials don't even agree on what should be done hardly surprising when they come from different sectarian factions so if this represents the way through. conflict what you say should feel like you're old brew we telling you we're coming out of a very difficult situation we are developing a common policy again we admit it's not an easy matter but we are progressing on this matter and engaging into this road that we have to take the negotiations with the have i understand the problems very well of political secularism in lebanon the

impact of it on the system all the problems that it has created for for decades now but we have to try to move out gradually as much as we can out of the system and focus on creating and consolidating state institutions misnamed i'm not saying it's an easy task but i'm saying this is the only way in order to salvage the country mr heath see the fact is that you're drowning in disunity as you have done for decades and the people know it's you just look at the very public fight between your prime minister and the governor of the central bank these are arguably the 2 most important people in lebanon at the moment and they're slugging it out in public as the country's economy goes into meltdown and your currency falls through the floor what does that tell the rest of the world this very public fight between these 2 extremely important figures well there are some differences of course but now we're working out and how the money developing

a position represented by the government by the prime minister and the government on trying to project you know different steps and a strategy of negotiations with the i.m.f. you talk about harmony even aware of the past problems. i'm sure you. are very much aware of you talk about harmony but even the bank of ireland to agree on your rescue package do they and they're at the heart of your saying trying to. working on developing and consolidating a policy on that matter very much of the banking association position what the governor of the central bank has said but you are developing a position different assessments to reach. developed position of position which is a position of the government to negotiate. to be the basis of the negotiations and never suggested nobody would suggest that it's an easy matter we're coming out of

a very messy situation the situation is still difficult economically with its social and other implications of the country but this is what you are committed which has to be to go into a real change real reforms and let's wait and see for you as you know concerned observers if you succeed if you don't succeed we draw the lessons of the past that you rightly described and you have to get out of you know of that situation that existing that existed in the past and that had very dramatic effects on the values economy and the many polity and generally not only politics mr he it might have been a good idea if you consulted the banks on the rescue package hardly a brilliant move not even took a consulting not to interrupt you we have thank you for the advice but we do have consultations we all engage in consultations to strengthen the official policy of the country for negotiations and for the planning of tomorrow. you

tried cross party talks with other political factions at least 5 parliamentary blocs boycotted your talks saying they didn't want to be made scapegoats for the government's past failings again that hardly inspires confidence of the national community does it see that lebanon is fractured we. are up and with this question. sure we are open for let me give you an example of the last meeting house that by the prime minister. with the members states and organizations of the said to the group we invited as the bunny's government 4 different n.g.o.s very qualified n.g.o.s among them research centers and groups to prevent their views and they consider this is very important because they're presented if you order views that are not official government views just to inject more ideas and more you know creative thinking in order to develop more or

a stronger policy and terms of the salvation of the country so we're open up to that as i started telling you we are open up internally to different factions we look we extend our arms and what you would like to discuss we ask people to come and discuss different political sensibilities different for 2 groups are welcomed to suggest what they have to suggest we want to have a national dialogue all competent and all compromise of national dialogue with the representatives of different sectors of the economy of the societies of the civil society on one hand i am on the other hand with countries which are supportive of lebannon what you are saying we're not saying we have a we have a plan with a capital b. take it or leave it why are you going to stand with main ideas men out. you've had a fresh violence you've had fresh violence in the streets in may and it's clear that you are not to the government people wanted you talk about consulting civil society the beirut maginot civil society group described your cap and i never know

that he was a reason for the people accept this is again can i can a time if you want the people say listen you have the government that the people want. yes yes i'm saying man to man seems a little society group described your cabinet as an insult a provocation of the people and the distain for their dignity that's a far cry a far cry from the salvation ok i got i got your message i got your message i got your message if you give me one second i respect all views those who are against us from point one before the government was formed and when the government is formed and we are extending our arms to all of those to come and discuss and present their views and ideas we need a national dialogue in order to constructive national dialogue so those who criticize us we respect their criticism and we are asking them to come and discuss with us and say how could we develop and salvation plan. you let's talk about the elephant in the room has bella you may not be

a hezbollah government you've said you're not a hezbollah government but they were certainly the midwife that assisted at the birth of this government let's also be clear that has. many midwives in the birth of this government with all due respect to your view i'm telling you have many midwives i'm using the center and we want to have as a representative as possible government we have and this matter may i just finish my question. if you allow me i just finish my question has just taken listening hezbollah has also taken part in previous lebanese governments that have so catastrophic actually mismanaged the country in years gone by i'm asking how does that qualify hezbollah to become part of the solution now. well hezbollah whether you like it or dislike it represents a large component of the of a society it's a main political party

a political actor 11 on and everybody is welcome to join and help us and this whether directly being involved directly or supportive or not supportive of the government let's see for the observers turner observers and external observers like you if you succeed you say this and i hear what you say why should the west lift a finger to help a government that's effectively been constructed by his bala which is why do we viewed around the world. what you think is a point of view so it's not absolute reality allows a country because you want what you think is a point of view you are yes not you have the right to express your i was answering i'm telling you can i answer that would you give me a 2nd. thank you i am saying i am which terrorist organization hezbollah is widely seen around the world as a terrorist cell and as an opposition it is not seen around the word considered by

some but it is not what this some i don't agree with this view you may disagree either logically politically strategically with a lebanese political party or libya's national resistance movement that's your right to do so but it's a major represent a major component of the of any society a social component and political component what i'm saying take us to task as a government telling our western countries with which we are committed to develop the best out of relations culturally politically socially economically strategically with the western countries are very close to most of those countries we have very good relations which want to develop to deepen strengthen and a lot of these western countries take us to a test about what we are doing what we are planning to do not about what is said here or there or about any ideological sloganeering or at the logical views. well let's just look at some of the specifics that hezbollah are accused of britain says that the organization continues to amass an arsenal of weapons in lebanon in direct

contravention of un security council resolutions 17011559 putting the security of the region at risk they also support terrorism in iraq and the palestinian territories do you approve of those actions. what you call terrorism and palestine as national liberation movement israel is a federal sustained and israeli policies of terrorist policies of patient of wanting to you know just destroy the national identity of it people of wanting to observe international law of human rights of servitude of a nation principles that's a terrorist policy conducted publicly about officially by israel. so we have committed to peace we are committed to our peace initiative and the arab words allow me to finish with committed to out of the arab peace initiative that's based entirely on you and security council resolutions voted by the 1st and foremost by the foot 5 permanent members and supported by the international committee so let's

see who is contacting terrorist policies here and there with all due respect you could have a difference and i respect the differences that you have with any political parties and lebanon or anybody is foreign policy but what you are saying here to rest on a friend france take us to test help us engage us in a dialogue in a comprehensive that log about how we are planning to move forward to just get lebanon out of this messy situation the instability of lebanon and dressing the instability and creating a societal stability and that alone is 1st and foremost the responsibility of the iranian people but it's also in the interest of the region and its and interests of the region and of the international community we are open to all ideas political ideas comprehensive ideas about that particular point or other things to discuss with us we are very much open to dialogue 'd reaching out to everybody there are we accept the criticism we welcome criticism want to discuss and try to get out of the situation with respect if you don't address the accusations that are made by

western governments against hezbollah you're never going to inspire confidence in the western accusations resolution now to give you my got your point accusations are not the realities with all due respect to everybody they come from pretty highly respected governments absolutely and with we have very good relations and we want to develop these relations with the west western europe with you as we have committed to develop and to discuss up early and to find common ground with these governments and of these countries we are very much we had we always had good relations and we want to develop further more of these relations and when hezbollah is accused of terrorism you turn around and simply accuse israel of terrorism how helpful do you think that is to your call of course. well this is not to miko's. is

a resistance movement fighting other than is it was fighting all the various territories you might disagree or agree with its policies i'm talking about the iranian government not about the policy of one particular party but when you are imagining israeli occupying arab land palestinian lands syrian lands and. is trying to destroy entirely the palestinian national identity at the moment when you are committed and tiredly to a peace process based on your and security council resolutions and on principle and rules of the national law so tell me who is conducting terrorist policy in the arab peace initiative adopted since 2002 we call for a comprehensive peace that addresses all tracks and all dimensions of the conflict to turn the page and create a peaceful middle east in which israel could exist within 67 borders based on the security council resolutions that were adopted by the international community not by lebanon and the arab countries that's our commitment and comment on so anyone

who would like to address terrorism or to fight i think in the region must address the basic roots of radicalism and terrorism in the region whatever you call terrorism respecting international law respecting you and 2nd financing is religion this is where the issue must start and this is one condition to establish a new middle east based on cooperation and leading to prosperity. are you prepared to subject to the kind of scrutiny that might show where their funds and weapons have been coming from and where they're going are you prepared to challenge has to be transparent. allow me to finish the state of lebanon besides what would happen on its own territories we have a sovereign the surgeon i respect that you would agree with us but we said the rules in our country we said the criteria and we are willing to. with anybody anything of common interest we are very much up and to our western france i keep

telling you we have the best of relations we might have differences of certain government at the one point of time we need to address the these differences and find common ground to work together well the record doesn't inspire confidence does it because look how hezbollah behaved in 2008 when they didn't like the government actions against them and when the government attempted to remove hezbollah telling you what i said last question isn't is the following what i'm saying is i'm right and the challenge for yes we are discussed we could i finish the question i respect your views though i might this is why you won't listen fairly that you want a journalist asked of lebanon. you want a special question. my point is that yes i'm listening to you but when you look at the way hezbollah behaved in 2008 when they didn't like government actions then the attempt to remove their corrupt officials and close down their illegal communications they seized parts of beirut by force and brought them to

a virtual standstill that's what happens when you challenge has bella who says that isn't going to happen again while you wait and see we are in a different situation you presented a political assessment of a political security conflict and that time i respect your views there are different views on that matter i might agree or disagree with you this is beside the point but we are looking to the future and looking today for the future so let's see how things will develop as a government with very much committed i'm not telling you we don't have many challenges internally and externally were very much committed to get lebanon out of the situation because this will serve the stability of the country 1st and foremost but also it will serve the interests of all those who would like to see stability in the region. when are you going to stop cracking down on people who are exercising their right to free speech human rights watch said in march that we have

a cracking down on people. that we always count them certain misuse or excessive use of force sometimes in the street we are committed to the right of each and every injury each and every lebanese to demonstrate and the street and to engage in dialogue and up and dialogue and discussion that's not borne out by reality and if we can't then i want to finish you can ban any act of violence. we can't ban any act of violence of course and we said that many times committed against peaceful demonstrators who are expressing very legitimate demands and their quest for change human rights. minister human rights watch said in march there's been a spate of prosecutions against activists and journalists who criticize government policies is that how you meet the people's aspirations by cracking down on them prosecuting them i really i really don't understand your generalization and you are

making statements as if there are with all due respect and the absolute reality is you are presenting a point of view based on a fact that could be interpreted and misinterpreted there is no perfect society and no perfect institution in each every country in the word so basically if certain acts which are unacceptable were committed and acceptable according to our laws we condemn these acts and we did that many times nobody is saying that there is a perfect situation but you are committed to that and every time that we see something happening like you what you would describe we try to correct that matter we are committed to do that and we welcome criticism of that matter how long do you expect people to wait for these rights that you are promising these reforms that you're promising the end to corruption and. back our looted money give us back looted money this is what they say when one of the people of lebanon going to get back i know very much we are very much aware and committed to that

it's not the government that looted the money before it's not business government that created the situation that was before but however we are committed to do all what we can without friends again saying inside and outside the region to everybody in order to get out of this vicious destructive circle that lebanon found itself in i understand the very legitimate frustration as well as the very legitimate demands of the various population of. which i'm a member i mean of any citizen before being a lebanese official we understand these problems we have to get together and try to get out of this very difficult situation at least we have the commitment and the clarity that we need to get out of this difficult situation now so if he thanks very much for being on comfort zone thank you. thank you very much so it's a pleasure thank you have a good day. thanks

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this is g.w. news alive a from a fiery memorial for the man whose jet has sent americans marching and demanding change. oh. lawn.