الخوري

There is no questioning the role of the Army command or the integrity and patriotism of General Rodolphe Heikal; the problem today is inside the Army, not outside it. We recall the statement of the national officers who orbit a certain axis.

The main reason for all of Lebanon's tragedies and its financial collapse is the accumulated trade deficit, whose annual rate was between 15 and 16 billion dollars.

Energy and Water Minister Joe al-Sadi will participate tomorrow in the Cabinet session to present the electricity plan he has worked on, while the rest of the Lebanese Forces ministers will remain in their boycott as long as the Dahr al-Baydar explosives file is not referred to the Judicial Council.

I received the Egyptian Ambassador in Lebanon, Tamim Khallaf, and we discussed ways to enhance industrial cooperation and strengthen trade exchange between Lebanon and Egypt, especially by facilitating the flow of goods exchange between the two countries. I explained to him that Lebanese industries are advanced, in demand abroad, and compete in international markets. I also expressed my wish that Egyptian markets open their doors to Lebanese pharmaceutical products, which enjoy the accreditation of major international companies, especially the pharmaceutical and food industries.

Our markets cannot be open to everyone while others' markets are closed to our industry.

Lebanon still imports more than 70% of the medicines it consumes, despite having advanced factories and competencies that produce medicines to international standards.