(Reuters) – Lebanon’s leaders will open new talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Monday, an official government source told Reuters.
An IMF spokesman confirmed on Saturday that virtual talks were scheduled for next week with the Lebanese authorities.
The Lebanese government wants to reach an agreement with the financial institution by February as the country faces an unprecedented economic and financial crisis.
The IMF said last month it was studying financial sector losses valued at 69 billion dollars (60.8 billion euros) by Lebanese officials.
Disagreements over the scale of these losses and the inability of the Lebanese government to meet have delayed discussions with the IMF on a recovery plan deemed vital to unlock the international assistance the country needs to avoid bankruptcy and lift a large part of its population out of poverty.
(Report Tom Perry and Laila Bassam; French version Claude Chendjou)