BEIRUT: Head of
the Beirut Merchants Association Nicolas Chammas said Friday that the
commercial sector in Lebanon has been suffering in the past few months
due to several factors including the absence of the government, the Arab
turmoil and the decrease in the dollar exchange rate.
His comments came
during his visit to former Lebanese President Amin Gemayel, head of the
Kataeb (Phalange) Party, accompanied by a delegation of the
association’s council members. The visit was an opportunity to discuss
the merchants’ problems resulting from the current political crisis and
the Lebanese state’s failure to pay enough attention to local economic
affairs, especially that there are 200,000 merchants in Lebanon
disregarded by the state and its institutions. Chammas said that Gemayel
urges the government to give enough attention to the needs of
merchants, which is likely to have a positive impact on the Lebanese
economy.