Mr. Nicolas Boukather President of RDCL in an interview with Al Dyar newspaper:

• Urgent call to our nation’s leaders to save Lebanon, the Lebanese people, and the legitimate private sector.
• The economic impact of the war in numbers.
• Deep concern over the irreversible consequences of the ongoing war on Lebanon’s legal private sector.
• The private sector considers it urgent and existential that the war ends immediately.
• Despite numerous appeals & meetings to allow the use of “Starlink,” no positive response has been received.
• Legal private sector faces a major emergency: supporting its employees with secure housing for the displaced.
• Many companies are forced to relocate from the attacked areas.
• Losses have been accumulating steadily since the beginning of the year, estimating them at around $4 billion.
• In 2023 Lebanese economy represented about $20 billion in GDP which is only 35% of the 2019 level. The ongoing war will result in an additional economic contraction of more than 5% this year, threatening many jobs.
• Key sectors of Lebanese economy are already experiencing declines ranging from 40% to 90%.
• Attacks on private property highlight the importance of cooperation between the LAF ISF and private sector.
• Figures & negative factors exert additional economic & existential pressures on businesses.
• The balance of payments could turn negative if the war continues. This would have a major impact on BDL reserves, the value of LBP inflation & purchasing power.
• RDCL considers it crucial to take immediate action to stop the war, in addition to full implementation of international resolutions, & separating Lebanon from the ongoing regional conflicts.
• RDCL calls for the immediate opening of a parliamentary session to elect a president of the Republic capable of reassuring all Lebanese people, as well as the nomination of a reforms government.
• Any delay in these measures could lead to irreversible consequences for the country’s stability, security, and future.
• The responsibility is heavy and historic for all political forces to unite the Lebanese people at this crucial moment in the history of our nation.
• RDCL calls on international community to strengthen its support for LAF the only legitimate armed force capable of protecting and reassuring all citizens. It also calls for increased support to Lebanese state institutions to meet the urgent needs of the people across the country, both in terms of security and the economy and society.
• RDCL urges all parties to act without delay to achieve these vital goals and build a strong state capable of protecting its citizens as well as its legal private sector.

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