Qatar to build and run a power project for Lebanon at no upfront cost to the state

Qatar will finance, carry out and operate a project to rehabilitate Lebanon's electricity production, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said after talks in Beirut with his Qatari counterpart, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

The Qatari prime minister said the two sides agreed on a comprehensive framework for energy cooperation, describing it as an old project "about to see the light of day". L'Orient-Le Jour reports the model under discussion requires no initial investment from the Lebanese treasury. Salam is expected to present the plan to the Council of Ministers.

No figure or schedule was given. In January, Qatar announced up to $400 million for Lebanon's energy sector. Since the end of the civil war, electricity has cost the country more than $40 billion, according to AFP.

The Qatari prime minister also met President Aoun, who asked Doha to press Israel to stop its attacks in the south and allow the army to deploy there.