BEIRUT — Lebanon's international backers said Wednesday they supported its new Cabinet, while urging it to swiftly tackle the country's snowballing crises amid ongoing anti-government protests. The group urged Prime Minister Hassan Diab's government to commit to major reforms that would “stop and reverse the deepening crises” afflicting the country economically and politically. Those issuing the statement included international partners like France, the United States, Russia and the United Nations. Lebanon's economic slump has sparked months of mass protests against its government and ruling elite, many of them in power since the end of the 15-year-long civil war in 1990. Diab, a former professor at the American University of Beirut, was picked by the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and its allies after Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigned at the end of October, two weeks after the nationwide protests erupted.

Source: International New York Times February 12, 2020 16:43 UTC