Finance Minister Yassine Jaber revealed important details on Friday regarding the planned Lebanese ministerial visit to Baghdad.
During a meeting with Iraq’s Chargé d’Affaires Mohammad Reda al-Husseini, Jaber revealed that the visit, originally scheduled for last month, had been postponed.
The visit will address sensitive bilateral issues, notably to secure fuel deliveries critical for Lebanon’s state-owned electric company, Électricité du Liban (EDL), as well as other vital projects and pending economic agreements.
According to Jaber, discussions will focus on signing a double taxation agreement between Lebanon and Iraq, completing the extension of the Iraqi oil pipeline to Tripoli, and establishing a strategic communication cable linking the two countries.
Regarding Iraq’s financial claims against the Lebanese state, Jaber confirmed that the funds were now available. Lebanon is waiting for the Iraqi Central Bank to finalize the implementation of a platform that will enable the effective transfer of these funds. This system will also facilitate access by Iraqi businessmen and citizens to these resources and simplify bilateral travel.
Jaber also met with several public administration directors to review working conditions in the public sector and explore salary adjustment possibilities amid the country’s difficult economic situation.
He affirmed that the Ministry was finalizing studies aimed at improving civil servants’ conditions within a broader reform vision of the public sector, regarded as a fundamental pillar of the state.
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