BEIRUT The Lebanese government is preparing to issue Eurobonds in the range of $2.5 billion to $3 billion on May 20 to finance state needs, Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil told Reuters.

"There will be a new issue for which preparations have begun with local and international banks," he said. "It is a normal issue according to the plan and according to the public debt strategy set by us and the central bank."

(Reporting by Laila Bassam and Tom Perry; Editing by Angus MacSwan) ((thomas.perry@thomsonreuters.com; Reuters Messaging: thomas.perry.reuters.com@reuters.net))