Lebanon's official delegation to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) meetings in Washington, composed of Deputy Prime Minister Saadeh Al-Shami, First Deputy Governor Wassim Mansouri, and Advisor Samir Daher, expressed their belief that the Lebanese government has lost its credibility with the international organization.
The delegation reported that the IMF has grown tired of hearing empty promises and blaming others regarding the failure to implement reforms, to the point where IMF officials are now refusing to hear such talk.
However, sources from the delegation have reported that IMF officials have told them that the Lebanese authorities did not achieve anything towards reaching an agreement with the fund in the past three years and that it is not the responsibility of the IMF to assign blame for this failure. Instead, the responsibility falls on Lebanon to achieve results by implementing reforms beginning in Lebanon rather than in Washington.
While continuing to engage with IMF officials is deemed necessary, the sources have emphasized that it is critical to move beyond the current phase of inaction and to reach tangible results in implementing reforms, particularly in Banque du Liban (BDL) and the banking sector, through a government plan.
Therefore, officials from the IMF are no longer willing to listen to empty promises from Lebanon, as the sources stressed that practical results are now required to prevent the Lebanese file from remaining frozen and the continuation of the country's deterioration and collapse.