Rania Chakhtoura, “Akhbar al-Yawm” agency

Everything needs dialogue except the economy... What is needed is the implementation of reforms only

Despite the fact that the main crisis that Lebanon is suffering from lies in the vaccum and disruption starting from the presidency of the Republic, and instead of providing solutions for the election of a new president, Hezbollah secretary-general announced yesterday an invitation to set up an economic dialogue table, saying: "We have always called to put aside the political dispute".

 However, a well-informed economic source commented, asking: "a dialogue about what?"

He added, via "Akhbar al-Yawm" agency, as if Nasrallah was telling the Lebanese: I have a model -he considers it successful- and you should follow it and establish a similar system to it! He talked about companies that are successful but are being sanctioned and about a financial system that is functioning normally.

The source stressed that everything in this country needs a dialogue, except for the economic part, where reforms are supposed to be implemented automatically, so: "Is Hezbollah ready to go through with it and facilitate the procedures?" Note that the first Conditions of the reform are to stop smuggling and close the borders, which Hezbollah clearly benefits from, in addition to the smuggling that occurs at the level of the entry of goods into Lebanon without paying any fees, down to dollar traders who manipulate the exchange rate!....If the party is unable to implement these measures, what is the point of dialogue?

The source also stressed the need to combat poverty, which has hit the structure of Lebanese society, where more than 40% of the Lebanese people have become below the extreme poverty line, which affects members of all sects without exception, and leads to extremism, or more dependence on political parties, or pushes to immigration...

Is the purpose of this invitation to benefit from the effects of the Iranian - Saudi agreement? The source replied: Iran does not have the funds to set up investment projects in Lebanon, so what is available – if this goal is to establish Chinese factories, which will lead to problems with the United States, which is establishing an embassy in Lebanon worth a billion dollars, meaning that Lebanon will also enter a new cycle of problems and economic narrowing, and in the ongoing conflict between Washington and Beijing.

Here, the source said that until this moment, the "resistance economy" as a whole is based on the West, as it imports from European countries and does not pay any customs duties locally, warning that "it cannot be manipulated with America on the subject of economic advancement."

In a related context, the source pointed out that according to the Constitution, the government sets policies and implements them, while the House of Representatives legislates the budget and projects that result in debts to the state. Therefore, if Nasrallah calls for dialogue within the government, it is in turn dismantled, and each minister considers himself an existing government in his own right and works for his political team.

The source concluded by stressing that the economy in Lebanon is free and must be maintained, while what is needed is the implementation of reforms and nothing else.