Sharjah24 – AFP: French Trade Minister Franck Riester visits Beirut's blast-hit port where a French company is set to start recycling tons of grain abandoned in destroyed silos, giving it a "second life" by turning it into agricultural compost. During his visit, Riester urged Lebanese leaders to take concrete actions to reconstruct the port and expanded on EU sanctions set to target the country's ruling elite.

Commenting on this, Franck Riester , French Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and Economic Attractiveness said, "France is standing with the Lebanese, and will respond to all requests from the Lebanese to help them, but the Lebanese authorities must assume their responsibility. For example, at the port, to launch a call for tenders so that the container terminal can benefit from major works."

He added, "Today, only 5 of 16 craines are operational, and of these 5 cranes many are could shut down in just a few days, weeks or months. Therefore, there is a real threat to the supply to Lebanon, there is a real short-term humanitarian and health threat. Thus, it is urgent that decisions be taken and that the call for tenders be launched so that there will be an operator of this port terminal here in Beirut."

The French Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and Economic Attractiveness continued, "Given the absence of a decision for 11 months now, France has decided to announce a certain number of individual sanctions, in particular to limit the movements in France of these authorities, to eventually enact sanctions that freeze assets, to send an emergency signal that we cannot continue like this here in Lebanon."

The Franck Riester , French Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and Economic Attractiveness said, "Europe is on the same page as France. As you know, yesterday a unanimous decision was taken to create a legal framework allowing for the creation of individual sanctions against those who block decisions, who block the formation of the government, and who block reforms that the country needs."