SGBL Deputy CEO Stanislas Tertrais, who is a French official, confirmed Wednesday that Société Générale (France) has not ended its participation in the Lebanese bank.

“Société Générale (France) owns an SGBL share amounting to 16.79% of the total number of stocks and it is a member of its board of directors,” Tertrais said, adding that the 2019 results of Société Générale (France) did not entail any change as to its continued participation in Société Générale de Banque au Liban S.A.L.

A group of international lenders have formed a group to talk to the Lebanese government about its options regarding its foreign debt, distressed-debt investor Greylock Capital Management said on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Hassan Diab held talks Wednesday at Dar al-Fatwa with Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Daryan, a day after his government won parliament’s confidence.

“After the government won parliament’s confidence, His Eminence the Mufti of the Republic called me and we agreed on this meeting, that’s why my visit today is very normal,” Diab said after the talks.

The Association of Banks in Lebanon said on Wednesday that it was necessary for Lebanon to pay $1.2 billion Eurobonds due to be paid in March to “protect depositors, preserve Lebanon’s position in international financial markets and preserve its relations with correspondent banks.”

Head of the parliamentary Independent Center bloc MP Najib Miqati on Wednesday voiced calls for reducing the term of the current parliament and hence staging early parliamentary elections.

The International Support for Lebanon issued a statement on Wednesday reaffirming support for Lebanon and calling on PM Hassan Diab’s government to stop and reverse the deepening crises and address the needs of Lebanese.

Finance Minister Ghazi Wazni reportedly began negotiations with international bodies on Lebanon’s $1.2 billion Eurobonds due to mature in March, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Wednesday.

Lebanon’s new government won parliament’s vote of confidence on Tuesday, as 63 MPs voted in favor, 20 voted against and one MP abstained.

The MPs of Hizbullah, the Free Patriotic Movement, the AMAL Movement and their allies granted confidence to Hassan Diab’s government as those of al-Mustaqbal Movement, the Progressive Socialist Party and the Lebanese Forces withheld it.

The Ouzai police station witnessed deadly mayhem on Tuesday that left an Internal Security Forces officer dead and several policemen wounded.

The station’s commander, Captain Jalal Shreif, was killed in the incident as the shooter, Lebanese national Hasan al-Hussein, shot himself dead after opening fire at the ISF members.

Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Jebran Bassil on Tuesday urged the new government to “impose a monetary plan” and resist what he called the “blackmail” of both politicians and protesters.

“If the government wants to overcome the crisis and this is still possible, it has to raise its voice… and it should not bow to the blackmail of politicians seeking to keep their privileges nor to the blackmail of street protesters voicing unjustified political demands,” Bassil said in a speech before parliament as MPs debated Cabinet’s policy statement ahead of a confidence vote.