BEIRUT, Mar 12 (NNN-NNA) – Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, said yesterday that, Lebanon will prevent drug trafficking to Gulf countries, in order to ease Lebanon’s strained ties with them, because of the problem.
Lebanon is committed to protecting its security and the security of brotherly and friendly countries, by preventing the exporting of any prohibited items to “our brothers who have never abandoned Lebanon,” Mikati was quoted as saying in a statement, released by the Lebanese Council of Ministers.
“At the forefront of these countries is the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” he added.
Mikati’s remarks came, during a roundtable discussion, organised by the Lebanese government, in cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), to discuss activating supply chain security in Lebanon, as part of the government’s plan to combat drug trafficking and smuggling through ports.
Mikati said, by examining the exported and imported containers and ensuring that they are safe, Lebanon will be able to restore the full movement of its exports, especially fruits and vegetables, to the Arab markets, namely the Gulf countries.
Cristina Albertin, the UNODC regional representative in the Middle East and North Africa, said, the Container Control Programme of UNODC, seeks to build the capacities of member states, to improve their ability to manage risks, maintain supply chain security and facilitate trade at seaports, airports and border crossings, to prevent cross-border crime and smuggling of illegal goods across borders.
Lebanon’s relations with Saudi Arabia were strained, after the kingdom decided on Oct 29, 2021, to ban all Lebanese imports, following an incident in which the Saudi customs found 5.3 million captagon pills hidden inside pomegranates imported from Lebanon.– NNN-NNA