Kleiat airport in Akkar still a political hostage

Agricultural cooperatives, associations, farmers and exporters in Akkar, have reiterated their demand for the opening of the Kleiat Airport, as an air shipping facility that could contribute to resolving the crisis of exports and addressing the difficulties in marketing of thousands of tons of agricultural and animal products. These demands come at a time when the Cabinet is busy working on finding alternative routes for exporting and discussing the mechanism of implementation of the recent decision to support maritime transport. The launching and operation of the said airport is an old aspiration sought by Akkar residents as it would stimulate development and services in this endemically impoverished region. The opening of the Kleiat airport will go hand in hand with the setting up of free economic zone that could host light industries, economic and banking enterprises which in turn are bound to attract investments and create thousands of jobs for the local population. To this effect, the unified committees for the reopening of Rene Moawwad Airport in Kleiat appealed once more to all political parties to exert serious efforts to this end. Hamed Zakaria, a follow-up committee member pointed that the obstacles are not technical but purely political adding that successive governments were unable to agree on that decision. Finally, he revealed that the Committees will soon undertake an advocacy action directed towards the Serail in order to press for their demand. (As Safir, 11 July 2015)