BEIRUT, May 27 (Xinhua) -- The UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jan Kubis urged on Monday the Lebanese parliament to approve the 2019 budget as soon as possible, the National News Agency (NNA) reported.
"The 2019 budget is one of the basic requirements of CEDRE. We hope that the parliament approves it very soon after an in-depth revision," Kubis was quoted as saying by NNA.
The CEDRE international conference, which was organized by France in 2018, pledged more than 11 billion U.S. dollars in loans and donations to Lebanon if structural reforms are implemented in the country.
Kubis said the new measures taken by the Lebanese government in the 2019 budget are supported by the international community which wants to see a stable economic and political situation in Lebanon.
Earlier in the day, the Lebanese government endorsed the 2019 state budget and referred it to the parliament for discussion and approval.
Endorsing a state budget that slashes the deficit is among the measures the government has pledged to take as part of the key financial and economic reforms recommended at CEDRE conference.
Wadih El Khazen, a Lebanese official who is currently meeting with French officials in Paris, urged on Sunday Lebanese ministers and lawmakers to pass the 2019 budget very soon to avoid losing CEDRE's pledges.
"I have been warned by French officials that Lebanon should not further delay the budget if it wants to benefit from CEDRE," he said.
