The Vice President of the Lebanese Government Mr Issam Fares received the president of the team work for Lebanon to join the WTO, the French Ambassador Laurence Dubois Destresie accompanied by the minister of economy and trade Mr. Marwan Hamade.

They discussed of the steps that should be made to join the organization and what has been accomplished till now. Mr Fares explained what are the steps followed to modify laws and modernize them so as to facilitate the integration. After the meeting, the Ambassador Mr. Destresie said:
The meeting was profitable and important as the organization is interested in Lebanon’s situation; Lebanon is now in a decisive stage concerning its integration to the WTO. Indeed a lot has been done and the law texts that rule this process are ready.

I believe that The Vice President of the Lebanese Government as well as the government are concerned by this integration and that they are going to participate in the efforts made to change the laws as fast as possible as to speed up the process. Lebanon will then have its permanent place in this organization like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Russia and all the other countries of the Middle.East.

As for Mr. Hamade, he declared:
In the meeting with Mr. Fares we insisted on this huge job that he is accomplishing concerning the modernization of the laws that will allow Lebanon of integrating the WTO. What is strange, is that Lebanon a country that opened itself to globalization before it happened and who was open to trade before the others is now outside that organization that now counts 148 countries. We are working with his Excellency on ending these law texts that are now in the hands of the governmental commission and on sending them to the parliament to be ratified.