‘We couldn’t do anything in 2013’

By his own admission, caretaker Minister of Economy and Trade Nicolas Nahas has had a frustrating year — as a member of a resigned government, unable to implement policy, but still blamed for the stagnating economy. Executive sat down with him to discuss the impact of the conflict in Syria and the formation of a new government in Lebanon. What stage is the Lebanese Syrian Conflict Trust Fund [to help stabilize the economy] at and how much will you be seeking? It is an idea. It was developed during the visit of President [Michel] Sleiman to New York and has been taken on with the World Bank in Washington. We have organized several meetings where we have set [out] the social and economic impact assessment. We have given [donor countries] the priority of the government, we have given them the concept note of the trust fund, we have given them