Lebanon starts first round of official talks with IMF

BEIRUT, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon on Monday kicked off the first round of official talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), seeking to unlock aid for the crisis-hit country.

Lebanon's deputy prime minister and chief negotiator Saade Chami said that the talks focused on a range of economic and political topics such as the budget, the banking sector and the exchange rate, the office of Prime Minister Na