Raya Hassan promotes the role of Tripoli SEZ in the reconstruction of Syria

The head of the General Board Committee of the Tripoli Special Economic Zone (SZE) Management Authority, Raya Hassan, underlined last week the zone’s expected contribution to the reconstruction of Syria after war and its motivation of the economic life in north Lebanon through the provision of hundreds of jobs for young people. Hassan was speaking during a meeting at the Order of Engineers in Tripoli on the first anniversary of the official appointment of the Zone Authority by the Cabinet which was convened under the banner ‘Opportunities and Challenges of the Special Economic Zone in Tripoli-2016. Hassan revealed that the current stage is witnessing a progress in construction work of removing the seawater embankments by the contracted company. However, she expressed reservations on the creation of new SEZ in other parts of the country. This, she explained, can have negative impacts on the main purpose of the construction of the Tripoli special zone. She also added that if other zones are established, the Lebanese government should design a unified policy to regulate them in order to prevent unwanted conflict of goals. Hassan said she expects the government to make available for the project the necessary budget that can help it counter competition from similar zones in the Arab region and the world. (As Safir, Al Mustaqbal, Al Diyar, May 25, 2016)