Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri arrived Wednesday in Jordan and immediately went into talks with his counterpart Ali Abu Ragheb on Middle East peace, preparations for next month's Arab summit and bilateral ties, reported AFP.
Hariri flew into Marka military airport on the outskirts of Amman where he was greeted by Abu Ragheb who whisked him into a motorcade for a round of official talks at the prime minister's office, said the agency.
The Lebanese official is due to meet later in the day with King Abdullah II to pursue discussions and will be the monarch's guest at a private dinner.
Before starting the visit Hariri told the official Petra news agency on Tuesday that talks will focus on "the peace process and the challenges facing our nation" after the election of hawk Ariel Sharon as Israel's prime minister.
“We in Lebanon have painful memories with Sharon, but despite these painful memories, we still believe that peace is a strategic choice and we will deal according to it," Hariri added.
He said that if Sharon respects international legitimacy and Security Council's resolutions, his past will not be an obstacle in front of peace and the future.
Officials told the Jordan Times newspaper that preparations for the convening of an Arab summit in Amman on March 27 will also be at the center of talks.
The preparations for the summit were also discussed during the King’s meetings with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat Tuesday.
The two premiers were also due to discuss plans to launch a one-billion-dollar regional scheme for the transport and sale of natural gas between Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, said the paper.
The four countries signed the deal in late January to import gas from Egypt to Lebanon, Syria and Jordan for sale and eventually resold to Turkey and other European countries.
Hariri and Abu Ragheb will examine if the gas should be transported through pipelines across the Mediterranean to Lebanon as initially proposed or to Jordan to cut costs, according to the paper.
The Lebanese premier was in Paris Tuesday in a bid to overcome the country’s economic crisis.
He said that the World Bank, European Commission and Mediterranean Development Agency have promised to provide Lebanon with 500 million euros ($458 million) to back the government’s financial policy and privatization program, reported the Daily Star newspaper.
Hariri told journalists in Paris that Lebanese officials would meet the agencies at a later date to fix details of the aid, which would be 70 percent loan and 30 percent grant.
“There has been a pledge of 500 million euros. France will play a major role in organizing this meeting,” he said.
He made the comments after a two-hour meeting at the Elysee Palace with French President Jacques Chirac, EC President Romano Prodi, and World Bank president James Wolfensohn, said the paper.
The World Bank has pledged $750 million to Lebanon for 12 development projects since 1993. Some $400 million of the loans have not been disbursed yet, Wolfensohn said.
Lebanon’s state debt stands at $25 billion, representing 147 percent of GDP. Debt-servicing payments account for 44 percent of the $6.6 billion budget for 2001 and exceed revenues, said the Daily Star – Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
