Beirut: Though Speaker Nabih Berri lauded Hezbollah’s “efforts” in the ongoing battles along the outskirts of Arsal “on behalf of Lebanon and the Lebanese,” the Future Movement, led by Prime Minister Sa‘ad Hariri, confirmed in a statement his “commitment to the Lebanese army, which is the sole legitimate security force and the only one that is entrusted with defending Lebanon and the Lebanese people and protecting the country’s borders”.
Hariri, who is in the US, is scheduled to meet President Donald Trump on Tuesday to discuss various concerns, including anticipated new sanctions against Hezbollah, and several of the party’s Lebanese allies. On Monday, he visited the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, where he declared that his “only concern is to preserve Lebanon, try our best to protect its stability and improve the economy”.
He added that his government was “looking for ways to create job opportunities and working on an investment plan for the infrastructure, including electricity, water, communications and all the other sectors, which will allow tourism, agriculture, industry and other sectors to develop”.
All of these were staple concerns though few are addressed because of insecurity and, since 2011, the repercussions of a massive refugee problem that literally stretched the country’s infrastructure to the breaking point. “Before the Syrian crisis,” confirmed Hariri, “the infrastructure in Lebanon was already worn out, and today with the one million and a half displaced Syrians, you can imagine the weariness in these infrastructure.”
It was unclear whether international financial institutions were ready to provide additional resources at a time when the country reeled under the influence of Hezbollah, which the United States and other world powers identified as a terrorist organisation. Hariri assured his audiences that despite internal political differences, the country’s leaders were determined to forge ahead, concluding: “The situation in Lebanon is difficult but not impossible.”
