Beirut 8th November 2023
States that seek stability and sustainable growth usually build their policies on the bedrock of economic interests. These interests are based on the principle that the economy cannot be removed from politics and politics cannot be separated from principles.
That is why the Lebanese Private Sector Network believes that neutrality is the optimal strategic option that is conducive to protecting Lebanon and its economy from involvement in conflicts or from siding with any particular axis.
Lebanese communities have aligned with foreign powers at various occasions in the past and traded sovereignty in exchange for narrow domestic advantages. Lebanon has gained nothing but calamity and destruction as a result. These actions have prevented Lebanon from assuming its historic role as a bridge between East and West in economic, political, and cultural arenas.
The economic and social crises of the past few years seriously threaten the sustainability of the private sector. This can only be saved by radical political reforms that protect Lebanon from regional conflicts in the interest of security and political stability thereby paving the way for the reestablishment of sound economic relations and boosting much needed trade with countries recognized by the Lebanese state.
The economy will not thrive unless the situation in the country creates a favorable climate to encourage international trade and to attract foreign investment. This requires internal stability and consistent good relations with trade partners around the world.
The required neutrality, defined primarily as a non-alignment position, is a national strategy that is at the heart of the Lebanese Constitution which states that no legitimacy can be ascribed to any authority that contradicts the national “Mithaq” or Charter, which itself is built on the affirmation that Lebanon would align neither with the West nor with the East. This is a fundamental principle underlying the establishment of the Lebanese state.
Non-alignment must not be conceived as the victory of any party over the other or conversely as a defeat. It is the success of all its components that will save Lebanon from an inevitable collapse.
We would like to stress that neutrality does not mean disengagement of Lebanon from Arab consensus on major causes. Neutrality is precisely what was incorporated in the preamble of the Lebanese Constitution and the National Accords explicitly stating that “Lebanon is a free nation, sovereign and independent, a definitive national home for all its citizens, unified in its land, people and institutions within its internationally recognized borders set in the Constitution. Lebanon is Arab in identity and belonging and is an active founding member of both the Arab League and the United Nations; it abides by international charters and the International Declaration of Human Rights.”
Neutrality certainly does not mean that we do not stand in solidarity with victims of conflicts. In fact, we must continue to exercise all possible humanitarian and diplomatic efforts in their defense and in promoting their rights through legal and international channels.
What Lebanon’s neutrality means is its commitment to the binding decisions of international institutions and the Arab League with the additional objective of circumventing the negative consequences of regional tensions and crises to best serve its national interests, its national unity, civil peace, and the requirements of its troubled economy.
Unfortunately, Lebanon of late has come to embody the antithesis of an investor friendly ecosystem able to nurture commercial activities. Should the expansion of the current war on the Gaza Strip engulf Lebanon, it will have catastrophic and long-lasting effects on the country and on its already struggling economy. It will put an end to all the efforts that have been deployed by the private sector to redress the situation, albeit partially.
Therefore, the Lebanese Private Sector Network calls on all those in positions of authority to assume their responsibility and exercise self-restraint, and to deploy every effort to contain the current clashes to prevent Lebanon from being dragged into a destructive war.
We call on elected officials to support the principle of neutrality, advocate for its implementation, apply the Constitution, and abide by United Nations Security Council resolutions – particularly 1559, 1680 and 1701.