Tripoli in 'strategic' position for regional development

Tripoli is preparing for an economic resurgence with a number of planned development projects that aim to boost the city's role in the Lebanese economy and in Syria's reconstruction.

Tripoli "has a historic opportunity ahead", Prime Minister Saad Hariri said at the May 9th Development Conference organised by the Safadi Foundation under the title, "From Tripoli to all of Lebanon -- Progress and Development".

"This is why we are working to complete infrastructure projects, roads and highways to the west and east," he said. "Efforts are continuing to launch the Rene Mouawad Airport, the railway in the north and the special economic zone, develop the port and activate the [Rashid Karami International] Fair and the Lebanese University complex."

"All this work is based on a strategic vision for Tripoli's coming role in the reconstruction of Syria and Iraq," he said.

Encouraging trade, economic development

Raya Haffar el-Hassan, chairwoman-general manager of the Tripoli Special Economic Zone (TSEZ) and former Lebanese finance minister, welcomed the prime minister's focus on Tripoli.

"The government has been talking for a while about the development of infrastructure and services in Tripoli," she told Al-Mashareq.

Now the government is seriously considering plans for the economic development of Tripoli and northern Lebanon, including starting operations in the TSEZ, highway construction and reactivation of the railway system, linking the port of Tripoli to the Syrian border and the establishment of another free trade zone at the Rashid Karami International Fair.

The government is also considering a mechanism to encourage trade, industry and maritime transport and "everything that would contribute to the city regaining its role in the Lebanese economy and in the reconstruction of Syria", she said.

"With the completion of these projects, the city will regain its role, which has been neglected for 20 years," el-Hassan said.

Tripoli's resources "all constitute a logistical platform for the reconstruction of Syria and the region", she said.

Tripoli strategically located

President of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture in Tripoli and the North Tawfik Dabbousi also expressed hope for Tripoli's economic future.

"We know very well that the prime minister and his government are making efforts to restore Tripoli to its former status as a leverage for Lebanon's economy, so we want them and government institutions and the private sector to seriously administer the projects promised to the city," he told Al-Mashareq.

Tripoli has an abundance of resources required for all types of economic and commercial activity, Dabbousi said, adding that the city's location on the Mediterranean and its proximity to Syria help attract local and foreign investments.

"If the government completes the rehabilitation projects for the infrastructure and highways and reactivates the railway system and Rene Mouawad Airport, this would help not only Tripoli but also Lebanon [as a whole], Syria and the international community," he said.

"The Arab region, and Syria in particular, need Lebanon, which in turn needs Tripoli, its facilities and its residents' many and enormous qualifications," he said.

The projects currently being proposed come at a time when "Middle Eastern, Asian and Western delegations are arriving in the city to assess the potential of investment in order to use [Tripoli] as a logistical platform for the reconstruction of Syria", he said.

Reconstructing Syria

Tripoli "has long waited for the government's projects and it is time to start them before it is too late", said Khaldoun al-Sharif, former adviser to Prime Minister Najib Mikati.

The city can play a major role in the reconstruction of Syria because of its proximity to Homs and the Syrian coast, he said, adding that Syria's facilities are lacking.

"To this end, the work on the port and Special Economic Zone and building of infrastructure, roads and internet [networks] must be completed, and a railway must be built to link the port to the Syrian border," al-Sharif said.

The completion of these projects will help stimulate the Lebanese economy and primes Tripoli to contribute to the reconstruction of Syria, he said.

Lebanon should be prepared for Syria's reconstruction phase, which will start sooner or later, said Arab Economic News Editor-in-Chief Violette Ghazal Balaa.

"The responsibility of getting ready the logistics infrastructure that will turn Tripoli into a platform for international companies wishing to participate in the upcoming reconstruction of Syria falls to the city and its influential figures," she told Al-Mashareq.

"This will be an opportunity and challenge for the city, which has suffered greatly and incurred huge losses from rounds of violence that have deprived it of profits that would have improved its social and economic conditions," she said.

Moreover, the development of Tripoli will spur "economic growth in the north and all of Lebanon through the creation of hundreds of new jobs, which are needed by Tripoli's youth", Balaa said.