Freddy Baz : Chief strategic advisor, Banque AUDI

In a broad ranging interview, Banque Audi’s chief strategic advisor, Dr. Freddie Baz, discusses the economy, regional ambitions and why he is fed up with Audi being referred to as the No. 2 Lebanese bank. E In the latest Banque Audi report, you state that Lebanon was a “no growth environment in 2005,” but that it was able to “avoid a recessionary trap.” How were we able to do this and what if any role did the banks play? What we wanted to highlight is that we are not in a bad situation but we are witnessing a coincidental stagnation after the high growth of 2004, in which we saw 6% real growth as reported by the IMF and the central bank among others. But after the dramatic events we witnessed in February, it was normal that the real sectors would take a hit in terms of overall confidence and