Date: Feb 15, 2020 Source: The Daily Star France ready to help Lebanon in any capacity: Foucher BEIRUT: France is ready to help Lebanon in any capacity, the French Ambassador to Lebanon said Friday. During a meeting with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Bruno Foucher reaffirmed previous comments by French officials that they were prepared to help Lebanon out of the current financial and economic crisis. Berri also received a message from the Vice President of the European Union Josep Borrell, in which he affirmed the Union’s readiness to help Lebanon out of its crisis and assist with implementation of reforms, a statement said. Finance Minister Ghazi Wazni joined the meeting between the two men at Berri's Ain al-Tineh residence. Lebanon’s simmering economic crisis has been aggravated since the unprecedented popular uprising began, spiraling into a financial crunch that led banks to impose informal capital controls as dollars became scarce and the local currency weakened. As Lebanon grapples with its worst economic crisis since the 1975-90 Civil War, France has promised to drum up international assistance for the protest-hit country. France in 2018 hosted the CEDRE conference for Lebanon, where international donors pledged over $11 billion in grants and soft loans to shore up the country’s ailing economy and finance key infrastructure projects. However, the release of the aid is contingent on the Lebanese government implementing a string of structural fiscal and economic reforms.