Four Lebanese ministers present at Damascus International Fair 

The ministers of industry, agriculture, tourism and public works were present at the Damascus International Fair which opened yesterday in its 60th edition until September 15. Ghazi Zeitar, agriculture minister, stressed, according to An Nahar, that the participation of the Lebanese ministers in the exhibition which is the largest economic, social, cultural and art event in Syria, was official and not in their personal capacity. The Lebanese pavilion hosted some 60 companies from the construction, industry, technology and engineering sectors. On the sideline of the opening event, industry minister Hussein Haj Hassan, met his Syrian counterpart, Samer Khalil, and discussed with him the border crossings. Khalil maintained that currently there is no reason to reopen Nassib Crossing on the borders with Jordan, based on a feasibility that showed no big value added to made-in-Syria products as a result of its restoration, maintaining that the subject needs further study. Haj Hassan, on the other hand, said the crossing is essential for Lebanese exporters and traders, regardless of their political views who want to see reconstruction in Syria, as well as Customs agents who have interest in activating transit transactions via the border crossings, noting that it was expected during the Fair to hold talks between the Lebanese and Syrian sides to reopen Naseeb crossing (c.f: https://bit.ly/2M8Nme0) . Meanwhile, a broad meeting was held between the four ministers, the secretary general of the Syrian Lebanese Higher Council, Nasri Khoury, and the Syrian internal trade minister, Abdallah Maghrebi, to discuss economic relations and ways to develop cooperation at all levels. (An Nahar, Al Diyar, September 7, 2018)