Lebanese President Emile Lahoud said on Tuesday that he and other top officials were cooperating to complete administrative and financial reforms, as well as enforcing the law, reported the official Kuwaiti news agency, KUNA.
The agency quoted the president as saying in a statement that he would continue "protecting the state's rights for the people" and "the people's rights for the state."
He expressed his optimism about the future, in addition to the Lebanese stand toward the latest regional efforts to achieve peace.
Lebanon is undergoing a severe economic crisis, but according to the Daily Star on Wednesday, the half-year budget deficit slipped to 43.45 percent, or $1.15 billion, from 52.07 percent, or $1.6 billion, compared with the same period last year, citing the finance ministry.
The ministry said the low deficit in the first six months of this year was attributed to larger revenues from taxes. Total revenues until the end of June reached $1.5 billion compared to $1.47 billion in the same period last year. As a result, the primary surplus, excluding the cost of debt servicing, climbed slightly to $263.2 million from $260 million in the same period last year – Albawaba.com
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