Introduction

1. Over two months ago, we achieved, under the patronage of Lebanon's brothers and friends, a remarkable accord necessitated by an extraordinary era. It is an accord that brings us back to the Constitution, to the political process and to constitutional rules and customs as a means to practice our democratic system and resolve our problems through dialogue within our constitutional institutions.

2. An agreement was reached in Doha on banning the use of arms and violence regardless of differences and under any circumstances, to ensure adherence to the contract of national partnership founded on the Lebanese people's determination to live together in a democratic system, with security and military authority over Lebanese nationals and residents limited to the state. This represents a guarantee for the continuation of coexistence and civil peace for all Lebanese.

3. The Doha accord emphasized the parties' adherence to the principles of the Lebanese Constitution and the Taif Accord, and to call for a national dialogue headed by the president in partnership with the Arab League on strengthening the authority of the Lebanese state over its entire territory and its relation with the various factions in Lebanon so as to preserve the security of the state and its citizens.

4. An agreement was reached in Doha on the proportions of representation along with a commitment not to resign from it or obstruct its mission. Our government adheres to the implementation of this accord completely and clearly since it leads us to political stability and reform, and contributes to healing wounds and enabling the state to care for the citizens and preserve their rights. This commitment is a means to end economic stagnancy, face the local repercussions of international economic conditions, address our critical societal problems, combat unemployment and confront the problem of rising emigration rates among young people.

5. Therefore, the Lebanese people hope that our coalition within this government, the government of unifying national will, will lead us out of the crisis and away from the dangers of division, toward calm and open assembly and dialogue on the main patriotic choices that sustain Lebanon and preserve the freedom, security and rights of its citizens.

6. These are the choices, which secure unity and coexistence in Lebanon. They preserve its independence, sovereignty and characteristics of diversity, moderateness and openness, emphasize the meanings of belonging to it, and drive the Lebanese diaspora around the world to be attached to it and promote its credibility in the region and the world.

7. The government emphasizes its adherence to the principle of the state's unity and referential status in all matters concerning the country's public policy so as to preserve Lebanon and its national sovereignty and set its inclinations, decisions and obligations. This principle governs all paragraphs of the ministerial statement.

8. The government also emphasizes the inclinations, the call for dialogue and the adherence to the Constitution and the national charter as mentioned in the president's inaugural address.

Section One: General Policy

9. Our government assures that it will work on the implementation of all the paragraphs of the Taif Accord. It will seek to be worthy of its name, and will work for the sake of national unity, for winning back the support it has lost, and for restoring the trust of the Lebanese people in the state and its institutions.

10. The government's endeavors are based on its awareness that the significant events our country witnessed in the past few weeks and months, and the wounds and concerns incurred by the Lebanese as a result of these events, warn all of us to renounce violence, armed violence and the violence of threats, accusations of treason and incitement, as well as the exacerbation of partisanship and other hostile manifestations and emotions. We are also called to establish the values of tolerance, love and harmony, which are at the heart of Lebanon's mission.

11. The renunciation of violence increases the responsibility to appeal to the Constitution, laws, institutions, respect the rules of the Lebanese political system, deal with and talk to the other in the spirit of mutual respect and true partnership while seeking the public welfare and placing differences aside before they turn to estrangement or devastating struggles.

12. The Lebanese feel the perils their country faces, and they worry for their security and future considering that they suffer from the cumulated financial, economic and social effects of Lebanon's difficult years. They have a right to a government that openly addresses problems without any hesitation or delays and that reveals how it intends to do so urgently, free from delusions and empty promises that transcend the government's potentials in order to avert everything that affects economic growth and sustainable development.

13. Our government takes it upon itself to develop a realistic platform of action, to which we are committed to implementing, and which will be the basis whereby we will be held accountable before Parliament and the Lebanese public opinion. This program will focus on the priorities of the forthcoming period in the short term within the framework of public policies that include trends for the long term in various areas.

14. The government emphasizes that the preparation and the organization of the parliamentary elections, which will take place next spring, and which is among its top priorities, does not mean that the logic of struggle and competition in politics and electoral activities shall control its decisions and the work of ministers in it. On the contrary, enabling government utilities to operate efficiently, implementing the law and upholding the citizens' rights without discrimination or differentiation guarantees the organization of free and fair elections. It goes without saying that the government is committed to spreading security in all Lebanese areas and to fulfill all other duties allowing the Lebanese people to choose their representatives freely.

15. The government is also committed to organizing parliamentary elections on time and according to the new law that will be ratified by the Parliament in accordance with the Doha agreement regarding the division of electoral constituencies and based on the reform proposals drawn up in the draft submitted by the National Commission on Electoral Law Reform.

16. The security situation in Lebanon still requires the government to increase efforts to defend the Lebanese in their present and future from assassinations and terrorism, and to ensure civil peace free from all forms of violence. In order for it to perform this duty, all political parties have to abide by what they have agreed upon and pledged to uphold, and have to respond honestly to the right of the Lebanese to a secure and stable life, as well as to the state's right to spread its sovereignty over the entire Lebanese territory so as to prevent these areas from becoming a safe haven for fugitives of the law. The government will also work on controlling all kinds of crimes and ending the firing phenomenon no matter what the occasion or the demonstration were. It will prosecute the committers and punish them.

17. It is the government's duty and obligation to the Lebanese people not to pass over any chance for peace and security, and to put an end to the string of itinerant bombings and tensions, regardless of their causes or pretexts, which threaten civil peace and undermine national unity. Security is a right the Lebanese people should enjoy regardless of their different political, sectarian and regional affiliations, as well as a condition for the emergence of an able state and the pursuit of a democratic life. According to the basics of coexistence in one nation, security cannot be the object of bargaining or a commodity for political extortion. The adherence of all political forces to what they agreed upon in Doha regarding the preservation of peace and security is a test of their sincerity before the Lebanese people, the Arabs and the international community.

18. It is the government's duty and obligation to the Lebanese people not to allow terrorism to endanger Lebanon's stability. It is incumbent upon the government to make every effort to prevent terrorist groups from using some Lebanese to fuel their activities. In the past year, terrorists have attacked the Lebanese Army and the Internal Security Forces. The armed forces were forced to face them promptly, and many fell as major sacrifices were made defending Lebanon and the Lebanese. The Lebanese gathered behind the security forces, and above all the army, which won the trust and admiration of the people. The army has thus confronted the Israeli enemy and terrorism that has nothing to do either with the Palestinian cause or with the values of Islam.

19. Today, we must strengthen trust in and political support for the legitimate armed forces so that they perform their duty and assure the Lebanese that they are protecting their right to security and preserving them from an aggression. The government is thus committed to continuing its support of the army and security forces, providing the best resources so that these forces may carry out their mandated national duties according to the laws and based on the decisions and guidelines of the political authority.

20. On the Arab level, our government will work on improving relations with our brothers, strengthen our bonds to them, and emphasize our faith in the necessity of joint Arab action within the Arab League. The government stresses Arab solidarity in defending our nationalist issues, foremost among them Palestine, and in preserving our shared interests. The government renews its commitment to the Arab peace initiative, which was adopted by the Beirut Arab Summit in 2002. The government is keen to emphasize its gratitude for the political and economic support of the Arabs. Lebanon is looking forward to the continuation of this support as it is a source of strength for it, noting that an undefeatable Lebanon is a source of strength for all Arabs, and any weakness plaguing it extends to them as well.

21. The government emphasizes Lebanon's attachment to its national and Arab rights in the face of Israel and its invasions, and stresses Arab solidarity regardless of the policy of axes, for the sake of Lebanon's interest and that of all Arabs. The Lebanese do not accept the custody of any external power and refuse to be tools of regional and international players in their power struggles. Indeed, rather than a stage, Lebanon as a stable, coexistence-oriented country is a nation, a natural right to all its citizens and an Arab/international necessity.

22. The Lebanese government hopes to establish the best relations ever with its sister, Syria, based on mutual respect for the sovereignty and independence of the two countries, trust, equality and deep bonds of brotherhood. A normal relationship between two independent fellow countries cannot be pursued through hostility or dependency. Therefore, the government will work on clearing relations of their shortcomings and drawing on past experiences to preserve common interests. All political parties represented in this government who took part in the 2006 national dialogue shall take part in this endeavor. They have emphasized the necessity of establishing these relations based on the rules laid out in the Taif Accord and on fixing their shortcomings by not considering Syria a threat to Lebanon's security or having Lebanon represent a threat to the security of Syria, while ensuring the security of the two countries' citizens and controlling both sides of the border between the two countries. They also called for establishing friendly, confidence-based relations by establishing diplomatic ties on the level of embassies. The government commits to the implementation of all these decisions and emphasizes the necessity of delineating the Lebanese-Syrian border.

23. The government commits to following up on the issue of missing Lebanese nationals and detainees in Syria, and is determined to do everything required in order to resolve it as soon as possible. Discovering the fate of those people, transparently and truthfully, and securing either their release or the return of their bodies is one of the gateways for normalizing and consolidating Syrian-Lebanese relations, so that this issue does not corrupt the atmosphere the government is attempting to promote in its relationship with its sister Syria. The government shall have recourse to the joint judicial committee tasked with examining this case as well as various other political and legal measures, including the conclusion of a relevant Lebanese-Syrian agreement, in order to put an end to this issue, which is so painful for many Lebanese families. The government will also pursue Lebanon's adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Protection of All Persons from Forced Disappearance.

24. In light of the state's responsibility to protect Lebanon's sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity according to the constitution, the government emphasizes the following:

First: The right of Lebanon's people, army and Resistance to liberate the Shebaa Farms, the Kfar Shouba Hills and the Lebanese part of Ghajar, or recover them and defend Lebanon and its territorial waters in the face of any enemy using all legal and possible means.

Second: The government's commitment to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 and all its provisions.

Third: To work toward developing a comprehensive national strategy for the protection and defense of Lebanon as will be agreed upon in the upcoming dialogue proposed by the president of the Lebanese Republic and the Arab League, after the government is subjected to the confidence vote in Parliament.

25. National duty compels us to continue defending our rights, especially in regards to our complete sovereignty over all Lebanese territories, leading to a truce according to what was stipulated in the Taif Accord. The government shall continue demanding that the international community implement all provisions of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, including the enactment of a permanent cease-fire. The government will also seek to secure Israel's withdrawal from the Lebanese part of Ghajar, the Shebaa Farms and the Kfar Shouba Hills, and to return these lands under Lebanese sovereignty, including the possibility of placing them temporarily under UN custody.

26. Out of respect for international law and for what was agreed upon in the national dialogue, the government confirms its commitment to the International Tribunal to look into the assassination of martyr Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and his companions, as well as other assassinations, in order to bring the criminals to justice and deter them without seeking revenge or politicization.

27. Lebanon, a founding member of the United Nations that abides by its conventions, is attached to the principles of international law and UN resolutions pertaining to the Palestinian people's national rights, including Resolution 194 that concerns the General Assembly. In this context, the government emphsizes its commitment to the provisions of the Constitution, and reiterates its call for the Palestinians' right to return to their homes and its adamant rejection of the Palestinians' naturalization in Lebanon. The government shall develop a political and diplomatic action plan in order to achieve this right, in addition to the concepts and ideas promoting the Lebanese position against naturalization. Meanwhile, the government holds the international community as a whole responsible for the fact that the Palestinians have yet to return to their homeland.

28. Based on the Document of National Understanding, which stipulated that the state's sovereignty should extend over all Lebanese territories and that the Palestinian brothers residing in Lebanon need to respect the state's authority and laws, the government shall act in accordance with the unanimous decision of the national dialogue body in order to put an end to the existence of Palestinian weapons outside the camps and tackle the issue of security and weapons while emphasizing the state's responsibility and commitment to the protection of Palestinian camps against any aggression. The Lebanese government shall cooperate with the representatives of Palestinian factions and Arab parties involved in order to reach the requested solution so as to preserve the security of Lebanese nationals and the Palestinians alike.

29. On another level, the Lebanese government shall continue making efforts in order to address the humanitarian and social issues to which the Palestinians in Lebanon are confronted, both within and outside the camps. This includes all measures aimed at promoting Lebanon's stance against [the Palestinians'] naturalization and in accordance with the right of resident Palestinians to a decent life. In this framework, the government shall continue working on the development of policies that alleviate economic burdens and other issues that have a negative impact on Lebanon while striving to increase the Arab and international support in this field. Furthermore, the government shall continue calling on the international community to take on its full responsibilities in this respect, and pursuing all efforts needed in order to rebuild the Nahr al-Bared camp so that it is once again habitable under the Lebanese state's sponsorship.

30. Concerning the follow up of the disappearance of Imam Moussa Sadr and his two companions, Sheikh Mohammad Yaacoub and journalist Abbas Badreddine in Libya, which is a major patriotic issue, the Lebanese government shall make strenuous efforts on all levels to reveal their fate and punish those responsible for their kidnapping, as well as those who executed it and who are involved in it. The government emphasizes the need for the competent judicial authorities to do their job and take the measures stipulated by the Lebanese laws.

Section Two: Priorities of the

government's action:

31. Implementation of foreign policy.

Lebanon's foreign policy stems from the unanimous national will and the duty to defend Lebanon's rights, interests and characteristics, and the responsibility of restoring its active role in the Arab world and the international community.

This policy is also based on Lebanon's commitment to the Charter of the Arab League and the United Nations and its concern about joint Arab action and international cooperation.

The government will take pains to reinforce Lebanon's Arab and international role in various domains, through an active presence and participation in the activities of Arab and international organizations.

In this context, the government will endeavor to gain wider support for the election of Lebanon as a nonpermanent member in the UN Security Council for the years 2010 and 2011. The government will work hard to develop its relations with the European Union, on the basis of the partnership agreement, neighborly policy, and the Mediterranean Union.

The government will strengthen the capacities of Lebanese diplomacy, through training and modernizing the working methods, so it fulfills its role to the best in developing the economic, political and cultural relations with the world, defending Lebanon's causes and interests, and enhancing its presence in international and regional forums as well as in the media.

32. Expatriates' rights

The government is committed to working toward strengthening the relations of Lebanon with its citizens spread all over the world. It invites them and their families to adhere to their belonging to Lebanon and thus encourages them to register their information in Lebanese embassies and official circles to preserve their right to Lebanese citizenship.

The government shall work toward gathering the Lebanese people from all over the world away from the divisions and sensitivities and makes use of their energies to defend the issues of Lebanon between the peoples and in the States where they reside.

The government will facilitate the exercise of Lebanese nonresident electoral rights, through the provision of appropriate measures.

33. Strengthening the judiciary

The government considers that the principle of separating between the legislative, executive and judiciary powers, the rule of cooperation and balance between them, which governs our constitutional and political system, is an essential element in the democratic parliamentary system adopted by Lebanon. The government is committed to working toward maintaining the independence of the judiciary, and is keen to effectuate all the necessary reforms that the integrity of the judicial body of work and the upgrade of its effectiveness require. It shall heal the wounds that affected him during all the past long years.

The government will work toward providing judges and litigants with all the constitutional and legal guarantees so as to enhance the trust of Lebanon, its brothers and friends in the Constitution.

The government stresses the need to preserve the Constitution, and the necessity of putting aside all the political interferences. It is committed to speeding up the modernization of the judicial annex at the level of legislation, techniques and legal information, as an implementation of studies and proposed projects.

The government will work toward strengthening human resources in terms of efficiency, and will increase the number of judges and their assistants in order to enable the judicial body to decide issues referred to it as quickly as required. It will also work on readying the palaces of Justice, courts and offices.

The government is committed to accelerating the formation of the new constitutional council, by the selection of half of the Parliament members as stipulated in the law. The government will work toward fortifying this large institution that was established after the Taif Agreement.

The government will also work on accompanying the international tribunal for Lebanon in the framework of cooperation with the United Nations.

34. The Government - in line with the (constitutional) oath speech, which stressed the need to return our sons who fled to Israel - will work persistently to resolve this issue. It will provide necessary climates and possible facilities to secure their return, in what harmonizes with the laws and takes into account the circumstances of each one of them.

35. The issue of missing Lebanese

The Lebanese government considers that the missing Lebanese issue is nationalist and humanitarian, and will give the necessary attention and care to uncover their fate, so as to promote national reconciliation in this area and put an end to the tragedies of this issue within the framework of tolerance and love.

36. Consideration of some naturalization cases

The government shall continue pursuing the administrative organs and judicial commissions in order to scrutinize and verify the statuses of the persons who had received Lebanese citizenship illegally or by violating the law. These are the cases exclusively identified by the decision of the State Consultative Council concerning the naturalization decree. The government is keen to keep this issue in the legal scope to prevent politicizing it or giving it dimensions and interpretations that takes it out of its suitable framework.

37. Aid to victims of Israeli aggression

The government will prepare a bill to be sent to the Parliament in order to secure financial sources that can complete the payment of aid to the victims of the Israeli aggression in 2006 and which have not been provided by donations from donor states.

38. Assistance to those affected by security incidents

The government is committed to helping those affected by security incidents in some parts of Lebanon, particularly those affected in the city of Tripoli.

39. The Central Fund for the Displaced and the Council of the South

As an implementation of what came in the national reconciliation document and according with the political consensus and Lebanese will and in order to complete the reconciliation and ensuring the return of the displaced, the government will work toward securing the necessary credits to enable the fund to complete its task in preparation for canceling the Fund after closing this file once and for all.

The government will also secure the necessary credits to complete the payment of the compensations and the meritorious commitments. The government will also work toward the implementation of projects undertaken by the Council of the South until its cancellation.

In order to realize this target, the government shall implement the law that provides for the issuance of treasury bonds, estimated at $500 million to finance the completion of the Fund for the Displaced and the Council of the South as soon as the financial markets allow this issue, knowing that the government would continue its quest to obtain financial support from Arab countries.

40. The state' role and the effectiveness of institutions

Achieving the goals of reform that the Lebanese people aspire to, rely primarily on the success of the dtate in carrying out essential reforms. These reforms include modernizing legislation, regulations, administrative work, selecting efficient elements, intensifying preparation and training of personnel in departments and public institutions, popularization of mechanization and training the users of the machines in order to improve the access of citizens to public services that offer the state. Also, this requires modernizing and developing control bodies and strengthening its institutional capacity so as to improve the performance levels and prevent wastage of energy and resources.

The government, as a result of all these necessities shall work on anything that has to do with:

First: Fighting against corruption and bribery. It shall work on creating the foundations of modern accountability and oversight, and will follow the work of officials in government departments and institutions and hold them responsible depending on their performance.

Second: Developing policies on how to reform the use of available human resources and adopting new characterization and classification for public offices.

Third: Developing orientations operations that lead to a radical reform of the public institutions and reviewing the continuity and the role of some of them.

Fourth: Deepening the areas of cooperation between the Government departments and organizations and the institutions of civil society and private sector within the scope of regionalism development, including activating the role of municipalities in this area.

Fifth: Speeding up the formation of the Economic and Social Council and activating its role as a framework for cooperation between the various components of Lebanese society and productive sectors.

Sixth: Working toward developing a comprehensive vision about the expanded administrative decentralization that takes into account the imperatives of balanced development and local participation in the unity of the land, the people and the institutions, and preparing the necessary draft laws.

41. The Democracy of Merit

The government undertakes to "raise the efficiency level of public administrations and government institutions and develop their human capacities. It will adopt a democratic policy of merit, and reward it on the basis of performance and not on the basis of loyalty and belonging."

In addition, the government is committed to "adopting reform policies to benefit from available human resources and adopting new characterization and classification for public offices."

Within the framework of efforts to modernize the means and methods of appointing senior staff at the main centers, the government will adopt, where possible, a scientific and transparent manner based on open competition, to determine who owns the necessary specifications. This manner is a prelude to the selection of candidates who have the competence and eligibility for a number of vacant posts in the First category positions at the administrations and official institutions. The Government had referred to the parliament a bill that aims to amend the manner of appointing first-grade employees on the basis of democratic merit knowing that the government is committed to the principle of equal sharing as provided for in Article 95 of the Constitution.

42. General Orientations of Economic, Financial and Social policies

The government is aware that the period of its mandate is constitutionally limited, which limits its ability to conduct a comprehensive treatment for all the raised issues. However, the financial, economic, social and living conditions in the country are the main concern of the citizens and the government. Therefore, the government will mainly focus on finding a serious treatment for these issues and will follow-up work on developing sector policies so as to facilitate its work and the work of the governments to come. These pressing issues are becoming more important in light of the repeated crisis in financial markets that the global economy is facing, the sharp fluctuations in currency rates and the high commodity prices, particularly oil, food, raw materials and the repercussions of all this on the price levels in Lebanon. These violent and external shocks increase the financial and economical suffering of Lebanon on the level of the growth rates and the accumulation of the public debt and the many reasons that contributed to that, as well as the missed opportunities to benefit from oil surpluses in the region over the past decades, especially during the last three years.

The efforts of the government, on the level of economic and social policies, will focus on three major sections:

First: to achieve economic growth rates that can return Lebanon to the path of sustainable growth and can restore some of its missing prosperity. And also to attract direct Arab and foreign investments that contribute to creating new job opportunities and improving the living situation of the citizens, promoting the development of public finances of the state and reducing the public-debt ratio to the magnitude of macroeconomic steady pace.

Second: To improve the effectiveness of social services provided by the state to all citizens and to develop social assistance programs affecting marginalized and most in need categories. Moreover, the government will work toward strengthening social protection system, and will follow up the implementation of the Social Security Institute reform projects.

Third: the commitment to the policy of economic reform made by Lebanon to the Conference to Support Lebanon (Paris - III) and to implement it in the form of programs and policies and sector reforms, taking into account local and international, economic and financial updated variables. The government will also take into account the necessity of amending the deadlines that Lebanon had committed so as to fit with the exceptional circumstances experienced by Lebanon over the past two years.

The government also stresses, in its economic and social objectives on adhering to the following general principles:

First: Restoring trust, at home and abroad, in the future of the Lebanese economy and its confidence credibility.

Second: Adopting active policies for balanced and sustainable development, and implementing social policies that protect marginalized groups, and act to combat poverty, ignorance and illness.

Third: Following up work with the private sector to build a modern economy, the basic target of which is to encourage productive sectors that are able to adapt to technological changes and global economic, and are capable of competing equally, and working to involve all political forces and economic bodies and civil society organizations, including youth organizations in the process of economic and social reform.

Fourth: Stressing the importance of Lebanon joining the Arab economy through the government's commitment to a policy that aims to deepen and strengthen economic ties with Arab states and economic integration with it.

Fifth: The continued constructive dialogue with the international comm unity, the international institutions and the friendly countries for continued support for Lebanon and its economy.

Sixth: Working toward strengthening Lebanon's cooperation with the European Union, deepening the economic integration and strengthening political and cultural relations with it, in the framework of Barcelona process, the partnership agreement signed between the two parties and through active participation in the Barcelona Process-Mediterranean Union. The government will also seek to accelerate the integration of Lebanon into the World Trade Organization and the application of laws concerning intellectual property protection and combating piracy.

Seventh: Developing institutional mechanisms to follow up the implementation of these reforms in order to ensure the level of advanced operational effectiveness and transparency and accountability. Therefore, it will work on activating the work of the specialized ministerial committees tasked with implementing these reforms.

Eighth: Following-up cooperation with the International Monetary Fund under the "urgent assistance for post-conflict," contributing to enhancing the credibility of Lebanon's economic and confidence.

Elsewhere, given the consequences of social and living conditions that the Lebanese people are suffering from at this time because of global inflationary pressures, the government will immediately issue a decree to increase the minimum wage in the private sector and to present a bill to the Parliament in order to approve increases to all workers in departments and public sector institutions, as well as announcing an increase for retirees from the public sector to support their steadfastness toward the high price of many goods and services. The government will work on achieving these steps depending on its treasury bonds capabilities, in order to avoid additional inflationary pressures that affect negatively the real interests of the citizens and the national economy.