The prime minister Saad Hariri headed yesterday a meeting to discuss national industry, in the presence of industry minister, Wael Abu Faour. The latter confirmed after the meeting that the various decrees and directives issued earlier requiring all public departments and institutions to give preference to domestic products have not been executed. Abu Faour stressed that Hariri has pledged to give preference to Lebanese production in all bids and state procurements as an indirect way to support national industry and stimulate the creation jobs that will contribute to the social and economic development. Abu Faour also revealed that a circular by the prime minister will be released in a couple of days asking all public departments holding tenders and purchases to comply by above directive. On land export activity via Syrian territory, Abu Faour pointed to a real political snag impeding it, and mentioning the high cost of export. He said he officially requested the council of ministers to approve the allocated subsidies for industrial products similar to the sum earmarked earlier to agricultural exports. In the same vein, the board of the Lebanese Industrialists Association (LIA), chaired by Fadi Gemayel, discussed during an urgent meeting on March 17 the industrial situation in light of the delay in implementing the demands of local industrialists which negatively impacted the size of transactions. Following the meeting, participants decided to declare a state of industrial emergency, during a press conference on March 27. They also agreed to form a committee of MPs from the industry world and from LIA board to determine the priorities to be raised in the conference. (Al Diyar, An Nahar, March 19, 2019)