Reform Swiftly Or Face Curbs, Macron Tells Lebanon Leaders

French President marks nation’s centenary by travelling to a forest outside Beirut to plant a cedar tree; police fire teargas at stone-throwing protesters outside parliament

French President Emmanuel Macron has warned Lebanese politicians they risk sanctions if they fail to set the nation on a new course within three months, stepping up pressure for reforms in a country collapsing under the weight of an economic crisis.

Visiting for the second time in less than a month, Macron marked Lebanon’s centenary by travelling to a forest outside Beirut to plant a cedar tree, the emblem of a nation facing the biggest threat to its stability since the 1975-1990 civil war.

In central Beirut, close to the port that was devastated in a huge Aug.4 blast, police fired teargas at stone-throwing protesters who gathered outside parliament to vent anger at mismanagement and state corruption that has dragged Lebanon into crisis.

“It’s the last chance for this system,” Macron told POLITICO in an interview.

“It’s a risky bet I’m making. I am putting the only thing I have on the table: my political capital.”