Prime Minister Nawaf Salam emphasized on Monday evening that a new phase was on the horizon for Lebanon. He stressed the need for the government “to preserve the trust granted to it by both MPs and citizens, which requires daily effort on its part.”
The Prime Minister made these remarks during the iftar reception organized on Monday evening by the Salam Association at the Rotana Gefinor Hotel. Among those in attendance were his wife, Sahar Salam, former Prime Minister Tammam Salam and his wife, Lama.
Salam also announced that his government had launched a series of reforms across multiple sectors, as the process of “rescuing the country requires fundamental reforms,” he stated.
Furthermore, he spoke about missed opportunities for Lebanon, declaring, “I did not come to this position by chance. I firmly believe there is a real opportunity for the country.” He continued, “Unfortunately, we have missed several opportunities in the past. The first was after the failure to implement the Taif Agreement (in 1989), the second was after the Israeli withdrawal (in 2000), when we hesitated to deploy the Lebanese army in the south, and the third was after the Syrian withdrawal (in 2005).”
“Today, a new opportunity is before us,” he continued. “We have a choice: either we succeed, or the situation deteriorates further. I am convinced that this opportunity can bring many benefits, despite the challenges posed by the financial crisis, the repercussions of the Israeli-Lebanese conflict and the unexpected costs of reconstruction.” According to the Prime Minister, the latest estimated reconstruction cost, as per the World Bank, stood at $14 billion, and “it could increase in future assessments.”
“This represents an additional burden on the country, but we will face this reality,” the Prime Minister emphasized, adding that Lebanon “is now at the dawn of a state reconstruction phase, focusing on institutions and administrations.”
Regarding the attraction of foreign investments, he stated that this “would require the implementation of significant economic and financial reforms.” However, he added that “the era of international aid is over.” He insisted that the return of investments would only be possible within the framework of a “transparent and independent judicial system.”
“This is a colossal undertaking,” he concluded.
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