Miqati Says Lebanese Banks Respect International Will

Prime Minister Najib Miqati stressed on Tuesday that the cabinet is keen on protecting the Lebanese banking sector from any harm.

He said at a press conference in New York that “we’re following all the required measures… The Lebanese banks can’t carry out any action that might provoke the international community.”

The PM revealed that he will call for a meeting with Central Bank governor (Riyad Salameh) and the Association of Lebanese Banks to confirm this issue.

Miqati stressed that “Central Bank governor and Secretary of State (Hillary) Clinton said that there are no objections to (the operations of) any Lebanese bank.”

Asked about the reasons behind tackling this issue, he said “there are Lebanese banks that are active in Syria, and some fear that they might be used to transfer money and carry out transactions that might affect the decisions made on Syria.”

Miqati noted that there is no dispute over “deposits made by Syrian individuals in Lebanese banks… No one discussed this issue with us.”