“There is no way to be loyal to Lebanon and protect it other than through dialogue that opens the way to the formation of a salvation government that represents all Lebanese political powers and takes responsibility for saving the nation”
“Our fighters are present on Syrian soil… to confront all the dangers it faces from the international, regional and takfiri attack on this country and region. As long as the reasons [to fight in Syria] remain, our presence there will remain”
“Islam looks to the economy from a number of perspectives and not in isolation. It treats it through morals and piety — that is to say, a real faith in Islam. The source of social and economic solidarity in Islam is based on zakaat [a system of giving a fixed proportion of one’s wealth for redistribution]”
“This new package is similar to the one we launched this year, which proved to be quite successful. We should also focus on strengthening the economy of knowledge, which will secure job opportunities for our youth”
“We have not been able to pass on much of the wage increases as we simply don’t have any pricing power. In fact we are seeing the opposite, with retailers offering discounts at the height of the season just to clear inventory so as to be able to pay their bills and suppliers”
“You don’t need a resolution to the Arab- Israeli conflict to improve electricity in the country, or to reduce the cost of telecoms, or improve the roads, infrastructure or reduce bureaucracy. But politicians consider reforms a zero-sum game — if one side implements them the other side considers it a loss”
“It can happen in two minutes by convening the council of ministers — the decrees are there. It is a two-minute meeting, we say ‘ok’ and we move on”