Najat Rochdi, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Lebanon, told a press conference after briefing UN members that Beasley went to the port with engineers to assess what can be done. “They are very optimistic to start actually this rehabilitation as soon as this week to increase the capacity of the port of Beirut,” she said. “The second — recovery and reconstruction — will cost billions of dollars and require a mix of public and private finance,” he said. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told UN member nations the voices of Lebanon’s angry people “must be heard.”“It is important that a credible and transparent investigation determine the cause of the explosion and bring about the accountability demanded by the Lebanese people,” he said. “It is also important that reforms be implemented so as to address the needs of the Lebanese people for the longer term.”Guterres also pledged that “the United Nations will stand with Lebanon to help alleviate the immediate suffering and support its recovery.”

Source: Ethiopian News August 10, 2020 18:11 UTC