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21:48 GMT
Chairman of the Union of Arab Banks (UAB) Sheikh Mohammad Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah addresses the conference
BEIRUT, April 23 (KUNA) -- Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Al-Hariri stressed on Tuesday that his country needs to carry out the necessary reforms for the benefit of the Lebanese citizen and public finance as well as to overcome challenges.
In a speech in the Arab Banking Conference for 2019 entitled "Economic Reforms and Governance" that he sponsored at the Phoenicia Hotel, he said, "We in Lebanon sometimes suffer from campaigns that aim to make people feel desperate."
"The successful organizations, just as the successful people, like Riad Salame, Governor of Central Bank of Lebanon, or the Middle East Airline or other Lebanese institutions, are always under attack because they are successful," he pointed out.
He noted that the problem was that the state did not make the reforms it should have made.
He stated that "in the past, for example, the Paris II Conference was held, and there was a package of reforms that had to be carried out".
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Union of Arab Banks (UAB) Sheikh Mohammad Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah said "we are concerned about our Arab societies and countries".
He added that the progress in the Arab nation lacks economic diversification, pointing out that the UAB discusses economic reforms and governance so as to reach sustainable development.
He said the massive destruction resulted from the wars, and ongoing unrest and conflicts for many years in the Arab countries have led to a decline in economic and social conditions.
Thirty million Arab people are living below the poverty line, and 65 percent of the refugees are from the Arab countries, he revealed.
Also, Governor of Central Bank of Lebanon Riad Salame said the laws approved by the government and the parliament have allowed the country to be committed to combating money laundering and terrorism.
The conference featured several dignitaries including Kuwait's Minister of Commerce and Industry, and Minister of State for Services Affairs Khaled Al-Rawdan, the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps Kuwait's Ambassador to Lebanon Abdel-Al Al-Qenaie as well as others. (end)
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