On Tuesday, at Baabda Palace, the President of the Republic, Joseph Aoun, held a series of meetings that focused on two main files: revitalizing investment and developments in the situation in the south, as part of the state’s efforts to improve economic conditions and address the repercussions of the war.
Regarding the economic file, President Aoun received the head of the General Corporation for the Promotion of Investments in Lebanon (IDAL), Majed Mneimneh, who briefed the President on the efforts to attract investments, reviewing the results of his foreign tours, especially in the United Arab Emirates, and the interest he saw from investors in the opportunities available in Lebanon.
The two sides discussed the bureaucratic and administrative challenges facing the business environment, and discussed a proposal to establish a national platform that brings together investment opportunities and projects to facilitate communication with local, Arab and foreign investors. In turn, President Aoun stressed the need to activate the role of “IDAL” and simplify official procedures, in a way that contributes to moving the wheel of the economy and creating new job opportunities.
In a separate meeting, Aoun discussed with the head of the “Movement for Change” party, Elie Mahfoud, internal developments and the situation in the south, in addition to the efforts made to achieve Israeli withdrawal, the deployment of the Lebanese army along the border, and securing the return of residents and displaced people to their villages, as well as reconstruction plans.
After the meeting, Mahfoud praised the role of the President of the Republic, considering that Lebanon is going through a stage that allows it to emerge from the furnace of war and restore its sovereign decision-making. He pointed out that the president’s communications are focused on completing the Israeli withdrawal and the return of the people of the south, criticizing at the same time the political campaigns directed against the presidency, especially the statements of Sheikh Naim Qassem.
Mahfoud called for ensuring the safe return of the people of the South and the construction of their homes without fear of renewed conflicts, stressing the necessity of restricting the decision of peace and war to the hands of the state, and categorically rejecting any internal confrontation, while resorting exclusively to state institutions and the army and adhering to a unified national decision. He also affirmed the right of the President of the Republic to lead negotiations in accordance with his constitutional powers, criticizing the continued presence of weapons outside the framework of the state.
These economic moves are parallel to the official efforts made to contain the repercussions of the southern war, as the two issues intersect when it is necessary to strengthen the state’s ability to advance the economic reality, secure the requirements for the return of the displaced, and launch the reconstruction workshop.
