relationship. we just signed a trade. cord for the post dregs that. were we rolled over our association agreement with the e.u. we rolled it over bilaterally with britain but we opened some windows for further opening subsequently when the implementation phase of the withdrawal agreement with the e.u. is over so we have many tracks on which we're working and i think we have a promising what could be a promising relationship in terms of trade investments services. along with of course cultural and political relationship quite a bit on culturally to change between the 2 countries in the document what cultural into change you want between lebanon and really well you know u.k. universities are becoming increasingly attractive for the lebanese students so we need to take stock of that and we need to work also on their access access of these

students on the opportunities they might find post graduation and the and the u.k. market so are you worried before the deal was finally signed off because lebanon is no member of the rebel if you yes do you think there could have been a problem yes that's why we rolled over this i mean we signed this agreement last september. in case there were there was not a deal between the u.k. and the e.u. that i agree monk would have entered into force at the end of january and would have taken over the bilateral trade relationship so on the side we are we are safe we managed to provide certainty and visibility for the private sector and both in both countries but now since we have a deal between the u.k. and the e.u. this bilateral agreement with lebanon with her into force at the end of the implement. ation face i'm sure as embassador you know how media in britain portrays

your country especially recently that it's a riot torn place that is on the edge of total breakdown what if you thought of the reporting of what's happening in your country there were allegations of corrupt pictures of from beirut exaggerating the demonstrations well as you know we live in a post truth universe but this does not mean that we do not come on make challenges which should be addressed. without over a magnifying them and the and the media but obviously we have challenges we have a protest movement with a which we are keen to have the best working relationship and to engage with the words a new phase and the in the history of our country a phase of reform a phase of rejuvenation of the potential which we know we all know and our

international partners also know that the potential exists and the and the lebanese economy lebanon is an important country in the region that somehow they and 3.2 they live on and that has always been a platform. be it and the financial sector and culture and media free press it's a democratic country freedom of opinion freedom of speech so on this this is these all stings we need to take stock of and we need to focus on the words economic model that gun compete in the region on the global scale of course another aspect of lebanon that is promoted arguably here in nato we need a country that will leave you is that hezbollah is a political party in your country is a 3rd largest party and they had the e.u. announced economic sanctions on his what is lebanon make of that and how does that affect the trade deal because. if there's

a company in lebanon that happens to have a member of the political party from this well that party how does that affect the trade deal there's no mention of sanctions on lebanese entities not we're not a country under under sanctions of course one when the e.u. and the u.k. as recently as last month they took. a sanctioning measure on hezbollah we voiced our this agreement with labeling hezbollah as a terrorist organization because it's a prism of political party and our political system it has members of parliament and the previous government that has. ministers directly affiliated to all the structure of hezbollah and the current government but the remains an important political party and lebanon so we've always thought our our concern with it is a measured on of it as well as

a sovereign unilateral measure that really disagree with but. we are keen not to not to make it an obstacle towards furthering our bilateral relations so if i'm a businessman in britain i want to do some business with an entity in lebanon and that company happens to have someone who is a member of a political party as well and in lebanon they're subject to sanctions or does this rollover trade deal trump the these sanctions we are keen that this issue does not. or does not affect the clean and transparent business structure and lebanon the banking sector as one of the most compliant and the the word i don't think any british businessman or company is running a risk of course that is a political. consideration as i said we disagree with but practically i

think we are on the right track on for making sure that this does not the business climate and the ban on that act of most of the lebanese market to the. international foreign investors because another thing worrying investors may be the fact that israeli jets are crossing your airspace all the time there was bombing of syria this week by these really have who is is how safe is it there and can lebanon do anything to sculpt the violations of your airspace well you know we live in a region where political risk is elevated and all the. all the countries of the of the region starting from the mediterranean to to the arabian sea. i think the and best working and the middle east at large would have to take account

of political risk premium that is elevated but as they say and vestment book a bill or a no risk no profit. on the specific. concern that you raised of course we have been under a regular and continuous over floods violations to our space. by sea and sometimes by by land we always make sure to denounce that under reported to the united nations and any sovereign country. to defund. it sturdy and that speak will as you know this is international law well has british involvement in trying to overthrow the government of neighboring syria affected your country. well this serious crisis. as very complex and

complicated of course the syrian war in general has inflicted. very britain do close on on the lebanon. yes it's no secret that britain has been on that announces that regularly but the syrian conflict in general has affected heavily our economy actually prior to the syria crisis and 2010 our growth was close to 7 percent and starting from 2011 when the syria war started we started when the ending towards now we are near or. 0.5 percent so that is a clear causal effects between the syrian war and john a syrian conflict and the economic deterioration and lebanon as you know syria is our main across all towards the arab or most of our products were.

exported through through syria to syria and through syria and the other dimension as the syrian refugee crisis which also has a major impact on the lebanese economy what do you tell the foreign office here about the britons continued desire to see the overthrow of bashar al assad in fact i understand that for isis suspects arrested in lebanon in the past week so there was a spillover as well of his name is groups would you tell the foreign office here well what we tell everyone is that. there should be 1st a political process this is a conflict that cannot be resolved by military means and words like overthrow or proper regimes are our of data that i think everyone needs to look for the political process we have luckily you and process we have a united. security council resolution and i think everyone should respect that

allow the syrians themselves to find their way through towards a peaceful resolution of the scribes which ariens of course because if you watch british media mainstream media able to tell you that what the russians are doing in the ad lib is appalling and i saw this killing his own people the main syrians who are in now who are concentrated of course in the. you know that in syria our official stance this association we don't they sides and syria having said that as we take sides with our national interest we have national interest and and lebanon which dictate that syria. remains becomes include. a terrorist free country. able to

control. of course democratic syria and inclusive governance and that's what we aim to see and i think that's what the yuan process as about saw we are we are hopeful that this you and process will yield and i think also there should be some that is you know london to national favoring dynamics will help the syrians come together and reach. a compromise a master i'll still be there more than lebanese ambassador to london rami mortada after this short break. thank. god for the people. you know we. thank. you.

now you want to. know. donald trump might appear showy and shallow but he has once again defied his critics this time by securing his impeachment acquittal what is it about the 45th president of the united states that makes people love and hate him.

welcome back i'm still here in the lebanese embassy in london with ambassador rami what other presidents have told me this this program that britain would have no part to play in the rebuilding infrastructure contracts for syria post war is a different will lebanon be involved in any of the rebuilding syrian lebanese companies. well of course we're a neighboring country our infrastructure. compatible with syria and the reconstruction but i think all this will come subsequent to some sort of

political solution i could already see the building actually the rebuilding of but of syria but doesn't this pose another problem because if there were these companies are involved in rebuilding of syria after the war. syria is under british sanction so again lebanese businesses subject themselves to british retaliation economic retaliation for its relationships with syria with iran you know that's why i say. needs a comprehensive compromise which involves everyone looking for $11.00 situation i think what we're going to witnessing in the in the region. crises that cannot be resolved militarily that's for sure whether you're talking about syria yemen or the british girl says in fairness that it's. only could always grounds that it is now waging war is everywhere rather than military to

serve you know british troops that they will admit to being in syria and they're supportive to the process are on but that's a good start i think everyone should give chance to the to the you and force because that's how international crises are all resolved and always having in mind the pillars of the rule based international orders which is none and their freedoms and domestic affairs witches allowing the population of the country to the side for the political fate of. the country and respecting the legitimate government that's also another pillar of the rule based international order go higher i know you're a diplomat as you know going to tell me whether you think britain did violate the let's go to the peace agreement that birth johnson certainly seems to be encouraged by the deal of the century you host of course 200000 palestinians maybe up to that

but not sure what the numbers on are palestinian refugees half a 1000000 are actually there with varying figures and i'm just wondering what you thought of the deal of the century which has been welcomed by the british government. well we judge on a on a plan or on a deal based on the on the better meters i mean a right of return isn't on the table so you there's nothing about the realities and that's why it so we have the so-called terms of reference i think i knew process and not. just cruise in a total vacuum you need some terms of reference based on which you would judge and says any text or any plan or any vision the terms of reference are known they have been there for the last 50 years. and more. you and security council resolutions. again of the rule based

international order one like was ashamed of that it is by by force and the right of return which has. rights but there's and should find and to national legitimacy since 1949 through the famous general assembly resolution 194 so when we take that into account and we try to. look at the plan based on these but i meters we do not find them would then the plan which makes us say that this is not the plan that goes with international legitimacy ok with that is it difficult being ambassador here because not only did britain welcome the trump plan and britain supported the assassination of the iranian general kazim so many. saying that the united states has the right to do that or all these policies is going to wrench to lebanon's position. what i understood from the british position

on the peace plan as that they welcomed the announcement of the plan. without subscribing to the substance to the content of the plan and i think what they're go there to. going to say it's not for me to to state the british position but that's what i heard and what i read is that they welcomed an american involvement in the in the peace process but with regards to substance it's up to the parties to decide through direct negotiations that's the british position you want to bring us for our position it's a common position which has been all saudis and clear iterated by the league of arab states which has the commitments for these but i meters the terms of reference i spoke about me and the move away of the terms of reference i think would

totally cripple the peace process or what remains of it so i think the most constructive approach is to recommit ourselves to international legitimacy. that's the way to safeguard our national peace and security well as i said boris johnson did claim that the united states had the right to kill and assassinate because i'm sure the money the iranian general how does it affect lebanon these policies these are we the reputed drum war on iran well obviously on this we think that there is need for deescalation and luckily we managed and january to to deescalate and to to reach what is miller to israel all what they say rein in yes but i'm talking specifically between the americans and iran now what remains is as

engagement as dialogue because i think this. crisis cannot be resolved by military means and i mean military action could only complicate the prob. i'm further destabilize the region so if we go over lebanese british relations of britain takes the united states is certainly seen to be more pro-drug than other e.u. nations well among friends there are always disagreements we do not see eye to eye on everything obviously. but i think we are on from from both sides we are committed. to. pursue dialogue. they are committed to the stability of lebanon. i think stability of lebanon as a major component of regional stability and vice versa what is the scale of the syrian

refugee crisis in lebanon. well obviously it's a it's a big challenge for the for the economy on the whole the source you socio economic fabric. as i said the coast was estimated by the world bank back in 2016 of $17000000000.00 so you could imagine how much they cost currently. having said this. we do recognize that the syrians are in a hardship we never questioned our open borders policy until their numbers became more than than the our country could could accommodate so we put some criteria for for admission. currently we are watching closely the situation and syria. do we i think we call for to seize and the

opening for a safe and voluntary. because most of syria is stabilized so as long as the return as safe. voluntary i don't see a reason why this should not be and cottage what remains is obviously providing them back in syria with the economic viability currently with the with the economic challenges that the lebanon as is witnessing. the syrian refugee file is gaining more visibility in the and the national debate and lebanon i personally do not belong to a school of thought that likes to scapegoat the syrian refugees for for all the economic hardships but this does not mean that the impact has not been of very big magnitude on the on the national economy because britain gives aid it says to

help refugees in the vulnerable in syria russia says the white helmet which is financed by britain is a terrorist group ring. would you make well on aid i think we're still kind of stuck with the humanitarian aid phase. and by definition humanitarian aid is for an emergency whereas the syria crisis has been going on for 9 years. saw you cannot you cannot sustain humanitarian aid modes for for 9 years i think by now while working for. repatriation as i said safe and voluntarily but the relation for at least some of the refugees to syria this is one track and battle i think we have to and to a new phase in terms of assistance which is development assistance. because

military i mean the humanitarian assistance does not do the job anymore and does not get to the the quickly to the host communities all balled the programs devised for humanitarian assistance involve also some some host communities within the next only benny's citizen but nothing as as benefiting the lebanese economy do you think british bombing of syria exacerbated the refugee crisis in syria emotionally and the military action in syria makes. syria further secure. causes. complicates the refugee crisis britain said it taught syria a lesson about chemical weapons use of you know other whistle blowers refuting the allegations but britain certainly didn't agree that it was going to exacerbate the refugee crisis well it's evident that the only military action.

against the refugee crisis that's that's a fact of life of course if you are saying that the refugee crisis also had an impact on the lebanese economy. some of the protesters on the streets of beirut say it's a neo liberal economic system in lebanon that increased inequality in lebanon do you think the new cabinet that's been formed is going to focus on issues of inequality when when i say that the syrian refugees they exacerbated the economic hardship and lebanon i don't mean that they are responsible for all the come on make difficulties that that we're witnessing prior to 2 to syria to the syrian crisis we had economic vulnerabilities. in our economy but as i said we were having 78 percent growth of g.d.p. per year. so the syrian the future is are definitely one component of the economic hardships was saying but there are others now on the new cabinet

a government that needs to focus that wants to focus that committed actually to focus on the reform process on. out to the protest movement to address the legitimate aspirations to reconnect with our international partners for for seeking prosperity for the for the country you know that we have and tonight. format which is the international support group which are our international partners we will the government will reach out to someone with a plan with a viable concrete. plan with benchmarks for implementation doesn't mean just western bankers i don't know from the city of london going over to design he cannot make reforms because none of this will be

a homegrown plan i mean we live benny's we have contributed to the prosperity of the countries of the region and at large so we don't we don't like experts it will be definitely homegrown now if there is a need for interaction with any. expertise abroad we will not shy away from from that but essentially it would be a homegrown plan. they can stock of what has been done before and what has been lagging down. so obviously they will start delivering on to gain the confidence of the protesters and then haynes mutual confidence also with our international partners regional and international partners to pass to thank you thank you for the show we're back on monday i had to leave new hampshire primaries let's hope that in iowa.

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