Mikati: Lebanon faces tough challenges ahead

Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Wedneday that countries surrounding Lebanon are at the crossroads of deep and historical changes that should be taken advantage of in order to grant people true democracy and growth.           

He stressed that Lebanon in turn, is facing difficult challenges that may be dangerous and called on all sides to work together to overcome the economic challenges facing the country.            

Mikati added, at the opening of the 27th ESCWA Convention in Beirut that democracy is not always an easy road to pave. “Lebanon is still developing its democratic system and administrate reform, for the sake of greater freedom”, he said.           

Mikati also called on the United Nations to show more strictness in regards to the issuance of international resolutions, citing the Palestinian cause and the Palestinians’ right to establish a state of their own. In those regards, he added that Lebanon’s sovereignty was still being violated on a daily basis.          

In his concluding remarks, Mikati thanked ESCWA for its support of Arab states, adding that the drastic changes sweeping through the region are a proof of the close link between social justice and balanced development.