Lebanese Republic 
Handover between the new minister Raoul Nehme and the former minister Mansour Bteish
A handover ceremony took place today at Ministry of Economy and Trade between the newly appointed Minister Raoul Nehme and the caretaker Minister Mansour Bteish in the presence of Director General of Economy and Trade Alia Abbas, the departments’ heads at the Directorate, the Director General of Cereals and Sugar Beets by delegation Nadine Aoun and the Director General of Cereal storage silos in Beirut Port Assaad Haddad in addition to group of the Ministry’s employees.
The caretaker Minister Mansour Bteish inaugurated the ceremony stating the following: “you are receiving the Ministry during this very crucial situation that our country is witnessing on the economic level. In fairness, a heavy burden lies on your shoulders because people suppose that the Ministry of Economy and Trade makes and executes the country’s economic policies; while the powers and duties of the Ministry do not consist in taking crucial decisions in the economic trends and decisive financial and monetary policies falling on the government.”
Minister Bteish also added: “However, you will receive a Ministry on contact with the citizens’ daily concerns by the intermediate of the Consumer Protection Directorate to whom I seize the opportunity to thank all its inspectors and its director for their dedication to duty during the toughest days. You received a Ministry where all efforts are exerted to develop and protect the intellectual property and we had already started the automation process. In addition, the Ministry is also entitled to protect and support the national production. I was honored trying to do so by imposing a specific duty on some imports of luxury and taking anti-dumping measures for 18 industrial products whereof similar Lebanese products are being manufactured.
You are receiving a ministry which oversees the consumers’ food security; that is why we worked hard toward developing the law of the Directorate of Cereals and Sugar Beets to be more appropriate to the country’s needs. It is a ministry on direct contact with the insurance contact. In this regard, you surely know its development and expansion possibilities and opportunities as well as its integration with the financial sector. Furthermore, Minister Bteish stated: “I have cooperated with a dedicated team to whom I want to extend my thanks to all of them, from the Director General to all the Ministry’s staff. Your Excellency, I hand you series of drafted laws and decrees, among them the competition law, prepared in order to promote the free economy and combat monopolies”.
At the end, Minister Bteish said to Minister Nehme: “I received this Ministry within a government of national consensus betting on its success; however it was brought down by the protests in the street. As for you, you are assuming your duties among these protests and I wish nothing for you and the new government but reaching a national consensus where all Lebanese can gather around the interest of both their country and economy for our unity is the pillar of “constructing the Lebanese house’ and I wish you nothing but the best.”
On his turn, the newly appointed Minister Raoul Nehme stated: “First of all, I would like to thank their Excellencies, President of the Republic General Michel Aoun and the Prime Minister Hassan Diab for their trust in addition to his Excellency and friend Mansour Bteish as well as the Ministry’s team for all their efforts exerted in this regard.”
Minister Nehme added:” As you know, we are facing a critical economic, financial and social crisis, thus requiring cooperation between all parties to manage it with all available capabilities and on high speed because we are out of time and consequently, the delay cost is too high.”
He also stated that “our mid-term goal consists in ensuring the basic needs for all Lebanese, managing the pressing and urgent issues and then, to implement an integral economic plan in order to build a productive and sustainable economy”.
Minister Nehme concluded: “I urge all the Lebanese, mainly the popular movement and the media, to give us a grace period of 100 days and then let them hold us accountable for our achievements that we may accomplish or we may not as it is usually the case all over the world. Time for words is over.”
