Suleiman: Combating Poverty is State’s Duty

President Michel Suleiman stressed on Monday that social justice is a state duty, adding that it is no longer acceptable that unethical politics serve the economy.

He said during the launch of a program to support poor families in Lebanon: “The state is obligated to combat poverty.”

“It is no longer acceptable in our world for the economy to serve the politicians,” he continued.

“We have paid dearly for the division in our country and the state is obligated to bolster stability especially given the critical developments of the Arab world,” the president said.

“It is time for us to tackle the people’s living conditions,” Suleiman stressed.

“We are seeking to introduce reform in public policies and invest in the environment,” he added.

“We should also implement the complete operation to drill for oil, abide by the petroleum law, and establish the necessary infrastructure that will increase trust in Lebanon and allow it to resolve the problem of its public debt,” Suleiman noted.