UPDATE - French president urges to prioritize aid to Lebanon

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By Menatallah Said and Hacer Baser

BEIRUT (AA) - French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday he would prioritize aid for Lebanon without any condition.

Macron arrived in Beirut where he met his Lebanese counterpart Michel Aoun and the two visited the site of a massive explosion Wednesday at the Port of Beirut.

“Lebanon is not alone ... and we are fully aware that Lebanon’s crisis is massive,” Macron said and vowed to secure and coordinate international aid to Lebanon, including medical supplies and medicine.

Later he met Aoun, Prime Minister Hassan Diab and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri at the presidential palace.

Macron called for a “transparent investigation” into the explosion after the meeting.

He said three planes with medical aid and firefighters already arrived in Lebanon and that France would continue to send medicine, food and reconstruction materials.

The massive blast rocked the Port of Beirut and left at least 135 dead and around 5,000 injured along with dozens who are still missing under the rubble.

The government, which blamed the blast on a large quantity of ammonium nitrate stored in the port, said an investigation is underway which will take five days.

Meanwhile, other Lebanese former premiers called for the formation of an international investigation committee to probe the incident.

The Port of Beirut is the main port of Lebanon which is considered a temporal storage place for basic goods including grains, foodstuffs and medicines.

* Ahmed Asmar and Zehra Nur Duz contributed to this report from Ankara