BEIRUT, May 28 (Xinhua) -- France urged the Lebanese parliament on Tuesday to accelerate its approval of the 2019 state budget in a bid to implement CEDRE reforms, a statement issued by the French embassy reported.
"The 2019 state budget will not be finalized before it is approved by the parliament which we hope happens as soon as possible," the statement said according to the National News Agency.
The statement added that the approval of the Council of Ministers on the budget constitutes a positive indicator of Lebanon's implementation of the commitments made during CEDRE conference.
It also noted that France is committed to supporting Lebanon in implementing reforms imposed by CEDRE in a bid to enable the country to overcome future challenges.
"We hope that Lebanon adopts a transparent process for the implementation of these reforms," it said.
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.
Endorsing a state budget that slashes the deficit is among the measures which the government has pledged to take as part of the key financial and economic reforms recommended at CEDRE conference.
