Project Watan: The Role of Arab Countries Is of Paramount Importance in Protecting Lebanon at This Critical Stage

Project Watan’s Executive Board held its weekly meeting chaired by MP Neemat Frem and attended by the members. After deliberating on the key developments and their repercussions on the domestic Lebanese situation, the following statement was issued:

• Project Watan considers that the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran creates a favorable climate and opens a serious window of opportunity to reach a clear-cut agreement through the Lebanese-Israeli negotiations under U.S. auspices, leading to the liberation of the land and the full extension of the Lebanese state’s authority over all its territory. In this context, Project Watan commends the performance of the Lebanese negotiating delegation and places its hopes on a roadmap in which the establishment of “pilot areas” constitutes an important step, paving the way to build on these results and complete the process.

• Project Watan renews its gratitude for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s initiative to reopen its markets to Lebanese exports, and affirms that the Arab role at this critical stage is of paramount importance to prevent Lebanon from sliding into destructive axes. It also relies on the Arab brothers to protect Lebanon from the repercussions of any agreements that could negatively affect it, as happened with the 1969 Cairo Agreement and the subsequent Syrian guardianship over Lebanon in 1976.

• Project Watan considers that, despite the historic and pivotal moments the region and Lebanon are experiencing, the Lebanese state must continue to focus on and seriously address daily livelihood issues, foremost among them:
• Cement production: The significant delay in restarting the plants is causing heavy losses and painful economic stagnation. The cost of a ton of cement has more than quadrupled, directly affecting construction costs and activity in the real estate sector, while placing a major burden on every young man and woman seeking to start a family in their homeland.
• Waste management: For more than six months, we have been sounding the alarm over the need to implement comprehensive waste treatment plans. We fear that, if the current situation continues, we will reach the point of landfill closures without sustainable solutions, which could once again unleash an environmental disaster affecting citizens.