폭발참사 레바논 지원 국제 화상회의…마크롱 주도•트럼프 동참
Over 30 world leaders have held a virtual conference hosted by France's president aimed at offering emergency humanitarian aid to Lebanon,... after a deadly blast killed hundreds and left countless more homeless.
Lee Seung-jae reports.
Hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron,... the virtual emergency donor conference was held Sunday,... with over 30 nations pledging to help the people of Lebanon as they attempt to pick up the pieces after last week's massive explosion which killed hundreds and left many more without homes.
"The objective of the conference is to bring our resources together so that we can provide a concrete response to the needs of the population of Beirut."
The participants pledged 298 million U.S. dollars in emergency relief to help Lebanon recover.
President Macron added that the world powers must put aside their differences and support the Lebanese people,... whose country's future he said was at stake.
On a related note, U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper says it's still not known what caused the explosion in Beirut,... after earlier downplaying President Trump's comments that the blast may have been a result of an attack.
Other defense officials have echoed those remarks,... as the U.S. military does not have any information pointing to an attack.
In Lebanon,... the nation's information minister Manal Abdel Samad has resigned,... marking the first government official to step down since the explosion.
In her resignation statement Sunday,... she apologized to the Lebanese people for "failing them".
The Lebanese people are furious with the government and have vowed to keep protesting after a night of street clashes during which they stormed several ministries.
Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.