Lebanon "absolutely not" proposing debt restructing -finance minister

The Lebanese government is not proposing a restructuring of public debt and is committed to paying all maturing debt and interest payments, Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil said on Sunday.

Khalil, speaking after a meeting with Lebanon's president, prime minister and central bank governor, also said the state is committed to safeguarding rights of depositors, banks and holders of sovereign debt instruments.

What is proposed currently is the implementation of reforms to bring spending under contro and reduce the budget deficit to "secure financial balance" and activate the economy, he said. (Writing by Tom Perry Editing by David Goodman)