The Prime Minister of Lebanon, Najib Miqati, received the commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), General Aroldo Lazaro, to discuss the situation in the south and cooperation between the army and UNIFIL. Miqati also welcomed the Vice President of the World Bank for the Middle East and North Africa, Farid Belhaj, and the Regional Director of the World Bank’s Middle East Department, Jean Christophe Carre, in the presence of advisors, former minister Nicolas Nahhas and Samir Dahar.
After the meeting, Belhaj announced, "I had a meeting today with Prime Minister Najib Miqati, and this is my last official visit to Lebanon, which was an opportunity to discuss the issues faced by the region, particularly the economic, social, and security conditions. We talked about some upcoming projects that will be studied by the Cabinet and Parliament, which is important because these projects must move forward for approval to come into effect."
He added, "We discussed a study conducted by the World Bank on the economic and social impact of the influx of Syrian refugees into Lebanon. We had a study on the same topic regarding the influx of refugees ten years ago, which was presented to the Security Council, and there was a consensus around Lebanon and a desire to assist and support Lebanon. We conducted another study after ten years that assessed the economic and social impact of this influx, which will be presented to donors and the general public in Lebanon to understand the pressure on the budget and the economic and social contraction in Lebanon. All of this is to help Lebanon in difficult times, which is not new for the World Bank that has deep relations with Lebanon, and God willing, it remains at the same level of understanding and positive interaction."
Regarding the cost of the Syrian refugee crisis in Lebanon, he stated, "The cost is about 1.5 billion dollars, and all actors or donors must take a significant share of this, as Lebanon cannot bear this cost alone."
The Prime Minister also met with the Minister of Telecommunications, Johnny al-Qarm, and the Director General of OGERO, Imad Kraidia, to discuss ministry affairs.
Additionally, Miqati received the President of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Marwan al-Sahnaoui, who announced after the meeting, "We discussed the visit of the Prime Minister of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Riccardo Patierno, along with a accompanying delegation to Lebanon in April of next year, and we reviewed the details of the visit and the meetings it will include."
