Wednesday 14/04/2021
Vehicles drive near the grain silo that was damaged during Beirut port explosion, in Beirut, Lebanon . (REUTERS)
BEIRUT Eight months after a massive blast ripped through Beirut port and nearby districts of the Lebanese capital, a host of foreign companies with different national interests is competing to rebuild it.
“Everyone has their eyes on the port: the Russians, the Chinese, the Turks, the French and now the Germans,” interim port director Bassem al-Kaissi said.
“But for the moment these are only declarations of intent.”
The August 4 explosion of hundreds of tonnes of ill-stored fertilisers devastated the dockside and large swathes of the capital, killing more than 200 people.
Lebanon to ask Russia for help restoring port, building power plants
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Foreign firms vie to rebuild ravaged Beirut port
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By Reuters Staff
2 Min Read
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Lebanese Prime Minister designate Saad al-Hariri intends to ask Russia for economic assistance during a visit to Moscow later this week, the RIA news agency cited his special representative as saying on Tuesday.
FILE PHOTO: Prime Minister-designate Saad al-Hariri speaks after meeting with Lebanon s President Michel Aoun at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon March 22, 2021. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
Hariri will seek Moscow’s help restoring the port in Beirut, devastated by a huge chemical explosion last August, and building electric power stations, RIA said.
The explosion killed 200 people and caused billions of dollars worth of damage, further weakening an economy already facing meltdown as a banking crisis sent the value of the Lebanese pound plunging against the U.S. dollar.
Lebanon to Ask Russia for Help Restoring Port, Building Power Plants
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