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00:00:00who I was not lucky enough to complete
00:00:04parties discussed with them in this discussion from Beirut, lawyer and political analyst, Professor Amin Bashir, and also journalist
00:00:07Ramy Naim. Of course, dear viewers, this coverage
00:00:11will continue with you during the upcoming hour, and my colleague
00:00:14Fouad Al-Haj
00:00:34relations stands before a new
00:00:37stage, titled "rearrangement
00:00:39of priorities and opening
00:00:43the Minister of Labor a different page of cooperation and coordination" after
00:00:46Minister of Interior is in full years of tensions and challenges that have left
00:00:48between Syria and Lebanon on their mark on various common issues. Politically,
00:00:51border issues, refugees,
00:00:55or return to the political
00:00:56of the defunct regime, there was a kind transit, and security coordination
00:00:58were absent, and the focus was only are at the forefront of discussions. Economically, attention is turning to opportunities
00:01:03with Syria, and of course, to reactivate trade and facilitate the movement
00:01:05of transport and transit, and to open horizons of cooperation in the energy,
00:01:09agriculture, industry, and reconstruction
00:01:12sectors. In this special coverage, we open the file
00:01:15of Syrian-Lebanese relations in politics
00:01:19and economics,
00:01:20be facilitations from and we discuss the opportunities for rapprochement and the existing
00:01:23obstacles, and what the next
00:01:27be cumulative, meaning stage may bring for the two countries.
00:01:32After years of challenges that cast a shadow over
00:01:35political and economic relations between Syria
00:01:38and Lebanon, today
00:01:41But when we were talking the features of a new stage are emerging, a stage that opens the door to
00:01:45reactivating trade and enhancing cooperation
00:01:48and investment between the two countries. With the political
00:01:51change in Syria, the need arose to reorganize economic
00:01:55relations with Lebanon and open a new
00:01:58page based on mutual
00:02:00interests, away from the complexities of past years.
00:02:03The last period witnessed official movements
00:02:06and joint meetings that focused on reviewing
00:02:10have too high expectations, economic agreements and facilitating the movement of goods and trucks
00:02:14and addressing customs and administrative obstacles
00:02:17that hinder the flow of trade between the two countries.
00:02:22I believe that This relationship acquires strategic importance,
00:02:24as Syria constitutes a basic
00:02:28very reserved about ties, and therefore there is land passage for Lebanon to reach Arab markets, while Lebanon
00:02:31represents an important market and trade and service
00:02:34opportunities for Syrian products. Opportunities
00:02:38for cooperation are not limited to trade only, but
00:02:41did not occur with the Syrian side, extend to the sectors of industry, agriculture,
00:02:44energy, transport, and reconstruction,
00:02:47or for this former Baathist which opens the door to joint investments and contributes to boosting
00:02:51the production cycle in both countries. The path
00:02:54of economic cooperation between Damascus and Beirut cannot
00:02:58be separated from the nature
00:03:00of the transformations witnessed in the region, as
00:03:04the rebuilding of relations
00:03:06trucks. This between the two countries is linked to issues that go beyond
00:03:09the commercial aspect to include political coordination, border
00:03:13add a lot control, and issues of transit, energy, and refugees. The common interests between
00:03:16Syria and Lebanon
00:03:18data. Therefore, today, this are a real opportunity to build more balanced and sustainable
00:03:21relations, but translating them into a tangible
00:03:26countries. Syria today reality remains dependent on the ability to overcome outstanding issues and remove
00:03:30obstacles to trade and investment, and to transform
00:03:34official understandings
00:03:36Islamic jihadist background. All into practical steps by many
00:03:38the port of Tripoli. We'll stop talking about the that reflect on both
00:04:06and Social Affairs from side and the Lebanese
00:04:17the two countries. To what
00:04:27benefit both countries Good evening, Professor Fouad,
00:04:36News held with
00:05:06in agriculture and construction.
00:05:31To discuss the details of this important visit by the Lebanese
00:05:34delegation, we are pleased to host,
00:05:37dear viewers, Dr. Ali Mohammed,
00:05:40the economic expert, our guest here in the studio, and also
00:05:44Ms. Alia Mansour, the political writer from Beirut,
00:05:47and also Tareq Abu Zeinab, the security
00:05:50and political researcher, also from Beirut, the Lebanese capital. I'll start
00:05:54with you, Dr. Ali, after welcoming
00:05:57you. The relationship
00:06:01the economic level is not new. It dates back
00:06:04decades. Of course, during the period
00:06:08of Syrian tutelage over Lebanon. Now, things
00:06:12have returned to their proper course. How
00:06:15do you evaluate the nature of the relationship and what are the
00:06:18steps that can be taken to develop the form
00:06:21of the economic relationship between
00:06:37unfortunately, was at its lowest point over the past
00:06:40years, specifically during the period of the revolution,
00:06:44for political and non-political reasons that were well known.
00:06:47However, the Lebanese-Syrian relationship is not just a neighborly relationship or a transit
00:06:51relationship. It is a relationship of significant economic
00:06:54exchange, social relations, and trade relations. This is how the course
00:06:57of this relationship is supposed to be. Lebanon today considers Syria its only
00:07:01land outlet along approximately 375 km
00:07:04of borders. Therefore, the Lebanese
00:07:08interest is very significant with Syria
00:07:11for exporting Lebanese goods and everything related to the Lebanese
00:07:14economy through Syria to the Gulf countries, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq,
00:07:18etc. At the same time, Syria, I believe,
00:07:21complements Lebanon with regard to some industries, for example,
00:07:24agricultural, agricultural processing, etc., and benefiting from
00:07:28some ports in Lebanon, especially Beirut
00:07:31and Tripoli.
00:07:34this benefit in full has economic importance
00:07:38at the level of Beirut. Beirut port is now in a state of
00:07:41repair, as you know, after the explosion that occurred. How can there be integration
00:07:45between the ports of Tartous and Latakia, and also Tripoli,
00:07:49given that Tripoli is now the main port in Lebanon? I believe that the discussion
00:07:53today and the Lebanese desire to link the port of Tripoli to the Syrian
00:07:56borders should be at the core of the work of the technical committees
00:07:59and economic committees that are meeting today to achieve this integration with the ports of Tartous
00:08:03and Latakia and with the port of Tripoli. Lebanese-Syrian
00:08:06economic exchange, frankly, as a result
00:08:10of past circumstances, did not exceed 250 million dollars, according
00:08:13to Lebanese statements. Unfortunately, we do not have official
00:08:17statistics in Syria regarding the accuracy of these figures.
00:08:20However, you know that the illegal crossings that
00:08:25of anomalous figures to the statistical
00:08:30integration between the three ports, I believe, will be very good,
00:08:34especially since we are talking today about Iraq's
00:08:38plans to export Iraqi oil today with Syria
00:08:41and trying through Jordan, and perhaps in the
00:08:45future, part of the Iraqi oil exports will be through
00:08:50economic issue for a moment and turn to the political issue with
00:09:06about Tarek Mitri, this seasoned Lebanese politician who held
00:09:10many positions during
00:09:13the past years, also a remarkable ministerial delegation, ministers
00:09:16of labor, education, and social affairs. The importance
00:09:20of this visit and its implications.
00:09:23In my opinion, the importance of this visit, with my great appreciation for Dr. Tarek
00:09:27Mitri, for the Prime Minister, is that
00:09:31your visits started by discussing other files
00:09:34than the economic cooperation file. It's true that the economic cooperation
00:09:38file is very important, but the relationship between Syria
00:09:41and Lebanon cannot be limited to economics. Many
00:09:44pending issues between the two countries. We saw Minister
00:09:48Hanin Al-Sayed's visit two weeks ago to Damascus
00:09:51and her meeting with Social Affairs Minister Hind
00:09:54Aboud, and today she is present, and the visit
00:09:57of the Minister of Education. These are all files that concern
00:10:00the Syrian and Lebanese sides due to the presence of a large
00:10:04number of refugees. It is true that more than half of the Syrian
00:10:08refugees in Lebanon have returned, but the Syrian
00:10:11refugees who remain in Lebanon suffer from some difficulties,
00:10:15whether in certifying documents or even in returning to Syria.
00:10:19These files are very important to the Lebanese public.
00:10:22Cooperation is lacking. The visit, up to this moment,
00:10:26I knew that there was a planned visit by the Lebanese Minister of Interior,
00:10:30and it was postponed for reasons that have not
00:10:33yet been announced until minutes before we went on air.
00:10:36They have not yet been announced, but the main files,
00:10:40in addition to the economy, because the economy alone, specifically
00:10:44between Lebanon and Syria, cannot build a healthy
00:10:47relationship because there are many files, as
00:10:51I said, which are security, border control, preventing
00:10:55both parties from controlling borders,
00:10:59and later border demarcation, the file of Syrian refugees,
00:11:02the file of the return of those who remain, the file
00:11:06of facilities for those who will remain in Lebanon at this stage.
00:11:09There are many files that have recently begun to be discussed,
00:11:13because the first four visits were two protocol
00:11:16visits and two working visits, but despite that, the relevant
00:11:19parties to these files
00:11:23on the economic aspect. With these files, and also these notable
00:11:26visits, whether from the Lebanese side to Syria or even the Syrian side to
00:11:30Lebanon, how does Beirut read
00:11:33and monitor this time with a different eye than
00:11:37the eye that monitored it during the period of the defunct regime? What
00:11:40is the extent of the comfort that Beirut is experiencing
00:11:44with these political atmospheres now?
00:11:47In fact, there is a great deal of relief in the Lebanese
00:11:50street after the President of the street repeated
00:11:54for a year and a half his very positive words
00:11:57about his relationship with Lebanon and how he sees this relationship,
00:12:01how it should be after his announcement of
00:12:04many of his economic vision for cooperation between
00:12:08the two countries, and as I told you, recently the relief increased
00:12:11because the files began to be discussed. The Lebanese
00:12:15are concerned about economic cooperation, but there is also a
00:12:18file that concerns, if you ask the Lebanese street, even Lebanese
00:12:21politicians, away from the camera, because the camera has its calculations,
00:12:25the file of Syrian refugees in Lebanon is a priority
00:12:28for many of them. The security
00:12:31file is a priority for Syrians
00:12:35and Lebanese. These files began to be discussed seriously today.
00:12:38There is greater relief because these files have been put on the table.
00:12:42No one is saying that these files will be
00:12:45resolved overnight, but the Syrian side
00:12:48is showing that it is open to discussing them, and the Lebanese
00:12:52side is showing cooperation in these files.
00:12:55Therefore, the relationship has now begun,
00:12:59meaning that frankness has begun,
00:13:02to make the relationship healthy, because my reproach in the early stages
00:13:05was that there was no frankness on the files
00:13:08that concern both sides. It was more
00:13:11of a show of sympathy.
00:13:13Yes, please
00:13:16continue. The era of Bashar al-Assad cannot
00:13:20be compared to today, and no one
00:13:23has fears. Bashar al-Assad and Hafez
00:13:27al-Assad committed crimes against the Lebanese people,
00:13:29just as they committed crimes against the Syrian
00:13:33people. Perhaps at the moment of his downfall, even some of
00:13:37the Lebanese people did not realize that when Hafez al-Assad was committing
00:13:40massacres and assassinations in Lebanon, he was also committing
00:13:44massacres. The two peoples are starting to get to know each other
00:13:47and reconcile with each other because all of this was covered
00:13:51up due to the Syrian regime's dominance, due to Hezbollah's
00:13:55dominance over Lebanon and its security apparatus
00:13:58and media to a very large extent. Even when the media challenged
00:14:02Hezbollah, the Lebanese media, of course, its priority was
00:14:04Lebanon. Today, frankness has begun between
00:14:07the two peoples, and frankness is the only
00:14:10thing that will lead to this point of Syrian-Lebanese
00:14:14rapprochement. Ms. Alia, I'll turn to Professor Tarek Abu Zeinab, the security
00:14:24there was a security meeting between the Syrian
00:14:29side in Saudi Arabia,
00:14:33under its patronage. An agreement was signed
00:14:36to enhance direct security coordination between
00:14:42extent, in your estimation, has
00:14:53and viewers. Sir, today, frankly, according to sources close
00:14:57to the Lebanese government, the importance of today's
00:14:59visit is the culmination of all previous meetings held
00:15:03in Saudi Arabia and in Syria to strengthen the state's
00:15:07ability to deal with Syria. However, this visit
00:15:10will announce positive results regarding
00:15:13previous and current discussions and a final
00:15:17and conclusive announcement of all new agreements that will
00:15:20come into effect between the two countries. Of course, the most prominent
00:15:23files discussed, and
00:15:26on which results have been reached and will be announced today, God
00:15:29willing, are the issue of Syrian refugees and return
00:15:32mechanisms, addressing the conditions of Syrian residents in Lebanon,
00:15:36border control, and regulating entry and exit movement, and confronting
00:15:40illegal and irregular entry into Syria and Lebanon, and also
00:15:44regulating Syrian labor and granting rights
00:15:47to Syrian workers in Lebanon. Of course, there are
00:15:50education issues, and Lebanon will recognize
00:15:53Syrian certificates and coordinate between
00:15:56the relevant institutions. This visit
00:15:59also includes meetings between Lebanese
00:16:02and Syrian ministers. But today, also
00:16:06to clarify to Ms. Alia regarding the absence
00:16:09of the Minister of Interior, because the Syrian
00:16:12Minister of Interior offered him an appointment
00:16:16quickly, so the Minister
00:16:19of Interior did not go. However, the Lebanese
00:16:23coordination with the Syrian Minister of Interior. Today,
00:16:27the announcement of positive results regarding all
00:16:30previous and current discussions will be crowned.
00:16:33Also, of course, Lebanon today benefits greatly
00:16:37from its close relationship
00:16:40these relations are based on parity, respect
00:16:44for sovereignty, and non-interference in Lebanese or Syrian internal
00:16:47affairs. This was stated by President Ahmed
00:16:50Al-Shar'a and also His Excellency President
00:16:53economically, there will
00:16:58the Syrian side for the export
00:17:01of Lebanese products through Syrian territories and
00:17:05for activating transit transportation,
00:17:08and of course, there will be transit
00:17:11stations in Syria for Lebanese transit,
00:17:14and there will be free zones for economic work.
00:17:18Of course, today, these positive results and visits,
00:17:21their importance, frankly, will reflect on the relationship
00:17:25between the two countries and the two peoples, and we will feel
00:17:29all these facilitations for the Syrian and Lebanese peoples. Of course,
00:17:32Lebanon today is in a very important stage in bilateral
00:17:35relations, and of course, we, the previous stage,
00:17:39the days of the criminal Baathist regime, this stage has ended,
00:17:43and of course, as for breaking the ice between the Syrian
00:17:46and Lebanese peoples, God willing, there is no ice,
00:17:50because the two peoples are, I mean,
00:17:52there is, frankly, after the Syrian
00:17:56war and the displacement of Syrian
00:17:59brothers to Lebanon, there is now kinship and family
00:18:04a mixture of family and social ties
00:18:08between the Syrian and Lebanese peoples. Therefore, today,
00:18:11I believe today the two peoples understand each other.
00:18:15The Lebanese and Syrian peoples were, I mean,
00:18:18eager for this regime to be
00:18:21overthrown,
00:18:24regime to collapse. But today, these important
00:18:28relations are being crowned, from state to state, and
00:18:31from two peoples who are, I mean,
00:18:35truly interconnected, with the new Syrian
00:18:37government and the vision of His Excellency President
00:18:41Ahmed Al-Shar'a. Today, we are talking about a new
00:18:44Syria and a new Lebanon.
00:18:51Syrian News correspondent. So, what are the details of the visit
00:18:55and the most prominent files that the Lebanese side will discuss
00:18:58in Syria?
00:19:03Yes, Fouad, this visit is of great
00:19:07importance, in fact, because it took place between two
00:19:11brotherly countries that are bound
00:19:13relations that must
00:19:16be strengthened and settled after the end
00:19:20of that previous regime that disrupted
00:19:22many balances between Syria and Lebanon. This
00:19:26visit was high-level
00:19:29with a Lebanese delegation headed
00:19:33by the Deputy Prime Minister or the Lebanese
00:19:36Prime Minister, Tarek Mitri, and the Ministers
00:19:40of Labor, Education,
00:19:43the Lebanese side. They were received at the People's
00:19:46Palace by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates,
00:19:50Asaad Al-Shaibani, and the ministers
00:19:52corresponding to the visiting delegation. We are talking here about
00:19:56the Minister of Higher Education, and the Minister of Education,
00:19:59and the Minister of Social Affairs and Labor.
00:20:02This reception and visit gain
00:20:06their importance from the files that will be discussed
00:20:09and debated during the meeting that Syrian
00:20:14Dr. Tarek Mitri. He talked
00:20:17about the file of Syrians and their return
00:20:21from Lebanon, the file of Syrians in Lebanon, who wants to return,
00:20:25and who wants to stay, in addition to the issue of labor
00:20:28and regulating labor for Syrians, also
00:20:31certificates, study certificates, and the equivalence of those
00:20:35certificates for those who obtained study certificates
00:20:38during this period. So, many
00:20:42common files were discussed in this meeting. There
00:20:45were side meetings, side discussions
00:20:48between the ministers of the two
00:20:51countries. The concerned
00:20:54those files and debated them. It is worth
00:20:57mentioning, Fouad, also that
00:21:00there was a technical delegation from the Lebanese
00:21:04Ministry of Interior that attended
00:21:06the meeting. We can say that it is an important
00:21:10meeting, an important visit to conclude all
00:21:13outstanding files between
00:21:16the two countries. And here, let's say, if we look
00:21:19at the percentage, the percentage of outstanding files is
00:21:22old files from the time of the defunct
00:21:26regime. He probably left a file, we are talking
00:21:29about the file of Syrian migrants
00:21:33and refugees who went to Lebanon. This was also
00:21:36due to the defunct regime, but it is a file that is being
00:21:39discussed and debated now to resolve all
00:21:43matters related to it and to
00:21:46reach a final agreement, we can say,
00:21:53Noras Al-Arifi, Syrian News correspondent, for reporting
00:22:04very important milestones during the past period at the economic
00:22:07level between the Syrian and Lebanese sides, most notably the Lebanese-Syrian
00:22:11Investment Forum and also the Lebanese-Syrian Business
00:22:15Council. Both spoke about developing
00:22:18and improving investment opportunities between the two countries
00:22:21that are both emerging from a long war,
00:22:24and also the period of the defunct regime, and also
00:22:27the period of Syrian tutelage over Lebanon.
00:22:31about integration, what are the most prominent challenges
00:22:35and difficulties that both sides face,
00:22:38especially the Syrian side? I believe that the most prominent
00:22:42challenges facing Syria and Lebanon today are the issue
00:22:45of border crossings. There are six legal border crossings
00:22:49between Syria and Lebanon. Some of them have not yet opened
00:22:52due to issues related to the digitalization of customs in these crossings
00:22:55or the rehabilitation of these crossings, and the evidence of
00:22:59the pressure on the Masnaa crossing primarily. Therefore, the issue of border
00:23:03crossings is paramount. The second issue is the unification
00:23:06of customs between the two countries. The brotherly
00:23:09Lebanese side says that some customs
00:23:12fees in Syria are high, and this
00:23:16concerns the Syrian side given that the customs
00:23:20law and its amendments in Decree 80 certainly raised customs duties on some
00:23:23products with local alternatives and lowered
00:23:27them on materials used in the production process
00:23:30and some facilities such as renewable energy and health
00:23:33and others. Therefore, I believe there must be a solution
00:23:37and preferential treatment between the two countries
00:23:40regarding intra-trade. The third issue is that
00:23:44most countries in the region have adopted the method
00:23:47of transshipment between trucks. Today, Lebanese
00:23:51trucks arrive at customs yards and clearings
00:23:54and unload to Syrian happens with
00:23:58other countries, not just with Syria. So today, I believe
00:24:01one of these challenges today is raising the cost
00:24:05of some Lebanese products that are exported through
00:24:08Syrian territories, and this issue also, I believe, needs
00:24:11to be studied by the two countries to achieve the interests of both
00:24:16will benefit from transit fees on trucks that cross
00:24:20its territories to Jordan or Iraq. At the same time,
00:24:24Lebanon will export these goods. Then comes the financial
00:24:27and banking aspect. We all know, perhaps
00:24:30we will discuss it in another question, but we remain
00:24:33here on the topic of challenges. But when
00:24:36we talk about the economic relationship between Syria
00:24:39and Lebanon, what can Lebanon gain
00:24:43from Syria, and what can Syria gain from
00:24:46Lebanon, especially since both parties
00:24:54I believe that the main goal for the Lebanese
00:24:58side as an economic necessity for Syria is the issue
00:25:01of land transport primarily, in addition to the opportunities
00:25:05for investment that will open up for Lebanese investors
00:25:08in the reconstruction sectors in Syria, which are many,
00:25:11unfortunately. So, I believe this is a very great
00:25:15benefit. The issue of Syrian refugees and displacement
00:25:18is, I believe, causing a lot of discussions and
00:25:29but why does the Lebanese side benefit from Syrian
00:25:33refugees in terms of labor? You know that Syrian
00:25:36labor in Lebanon has made a great achievement
00:25:39in reconstruction in Lebanon and the return to life in Lebanon
00:25:43during the past decades was primarily due to this Syrian
00:25:46labor that worked in Lebanon, especially skilled
00:25:50labor. And to confirm your words, especially
00:25:56The Lebanese side speaks clearly about this issue, that the
00:25:59labor force that voluntarily returns to Syria may be
00:26:03missing in these sectors. Therefore, resolving this issue
00:26:06between the two sides, I believe, will be a balanced
00:26:10solution so that the labor that brotherly Lebanon needs
00:26:13remains, and it needs these Syrians who are there.
00:26:16And I believe that the return of what it considers surplus.
00:26:20Lebanese consumption today, frankly, Lebanese consumption is high.
00:26:24The Lebanese debt, even if its indicators were 130%
00:26:27of GDP in 2014, there is pressure on the Lebanese
00:26:30budget and on the Lebanese
00:26:32economic reality. So, I believe that the Lebanese budget regarding
00:26:36Syrian refuge and displacement will be primarily from the perspective
00:26:40of labor because it is important. And the proof today, if we can
00:26:43see the composition of the delegation,
00:26:54aspect. I will go
00:26:58side, Ms. Alia. To what extent can
00:27:01this delegation's visit, which is naturally
00:27:04an important and notable visit including
00:27:08ministers, reflect on improving
00:27:11and deepening the political relationship between Syria
00:27:15and Lebanon? I know that the reason
00:27:18was a specific health circumstance
00:27:21or an urgent meeting for His Excellency Minister Anas
00:27:24Khattab. I think the relationship must
00:27:30every time we build on meetings and resolved
00:27:33files. I insist on calling them Syrian refugees
00:27:37in Lebanon because I heard the words displaced and migrants.
00:27:40They are Syrian refugees in Lebanon. About
00:27:4470,000 of them have returned. The registered number is approximately
00:27:481.2 million, meaning less than half
00:27:50the number remains. The discussion is about the voluntary
00:27:54return of families because Lebanon also
00:27:57does not want to lose its workforce. This issue
00:28:00is being discussed directly today and was discussed
00:28:03in previous meetings between the two
00:28:06sides. Now, in politics, in politics,
00:28:09also so that we don't
00:28:12the relationship still needs a lot of work.
00:28:15The expectations are high. Yes,
00:28:18sorry, the expectations are high. We are in
00:28:21Lebanese parties very happy with the
00:28:25positive relationship with Syria. There are other
00:28:27parties
00:28:30the relationship with Syria, and I'm talking about official parties, not
00:28:34just political parties. Of course, we know Hezbollah's
00:28:37absolute loyalty to Iran. Even if meetings occurred or
00:28:43the situation of the
00:28:47entire region today is on the brink, as they say. If
00:28:51war is declared again on Iran, Hezbollah
00:28:54will not stand by idly. It might not fight a battle in Lebanon
00:28:57in support, but we are seeing and hearing
00:29:01part of the sabotage attempts that
00:29:04Hezbollah is carrying out. But I am sure and informed
00:29:08that what Hezbollah is doing in Syria is
00:29:12much more than what is announced. So the relationship needs to be
00:29:15cumulative. Those
00:29:19who are wary
00:29:21of the relationship with Syria, let me tell you as it
00:29:24is: for sectarian reasons, some are
00:29:27wary of the relationship with Syria, that
00:29:31we have become in a completely Sunni
00:29:33environment, and President Al-Shar's background is an
00:29:39this is affecting it. Perhaps no one
00:29:42will speak out, because you know that in politics, a politician cannot say everything
00:29:46or an official cannot say everything, but there are
00:29:49negative signals sent from Lebanon to Syria, whether
00:29:53in closed meetings or even through the media. This builds
00:29:56trust, and in my opinion,
00:29:59the issue of borders is not limited,
00:30:02but here, when we talk about political
00:30:05weight in Lebanon, we are talking about the premiership and also the
00:30:09presidency, and of course, the Parliament. But the real
00:30:13political weight is the premiership and its relations,
00:30:16and of course, President Joseph Aoun has
00:30:19distinguished relations with Syria. How can we one day
00:30:23translate these political relations into practical
00:30:26agreements that genuinely from the
00:30:30political side?
00:30:32Now, Dr. Nawaf Salam is certainly among those
00:30:36aspiring and working hard for the best
00:30:39relations. But how enthusiastic is His Excellency President Joseph
00:30:43Aoun about the relationship with Syria? I am reserved.
00:30:47Indeed, when His Excellency Minister Shibani was in Beirut
00:30:50and extended
00:30:53an official invitation to him to visit Damascus, his response was not
00:30:57immediate the next day through the media.