Arab League econ meeting in vain without Syria: Lebanese analyst

‘It is wrong for Beirut to wait for the Arab countries to return to Damascus; Lebanon can pioneer or mediate the move,’ Ziad Nassereddin told IRNA.

He added according to the Lebanese media, Cairo and Beirut are trying to persuade the Arab League to invite Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, but it is very unlikely to happen.

‘Syria doesn’t need to partake in the event. On the other hand, Syria will not easily restore ties with Arab countries. But, other Arab countries need to restore relations with Syria.’

‘What happened in the past few years was systematic destruction of 122,000 industrial establishments and 7,000 schools. This crime will not be forgotten in Syria. Syria doesn’t need Arabs for reconstruction, but Arabs need it for investment.’

Regarding the importance of the economic-social conference to be held on January 16-20, Nassereddin said, ‘The importance of the meeting depends on the Arab countries’ goals about Lebanon and if they are after removing economic siege on Beirut, which has been one of the causes of the economic crisis in the country,’ about the.

He added, ‘Some Arab countries decided to prevent investments from entering Lebanon and pull out the money in the country’s banks. They prevented tourists from the Persian Gulf countries from entering Lebanon and were a part of sanctioning the Lebanese banks.’

He said if the meeting decides to support Beirut by entering capital into Lebanese banks and participating in financial stabilization or help it with the power crisis of the country, it will be important.

Otherwise, Beirut had better call it off not to waste a big amount of money on something that has nothing to give to Lebanon, he added.

‘All in all, the meeting is appropriate for arranging Lebanon’s economic ties with the Arab countries, not for yielding to them.’