Beirut, Dec 18
The World Bank is ready to take part in Lebanon's reconstruction after the Hezbollah-Israeli conflict comes to an end, a senior official from the World Bank said.
Jean-Christophe Carret, the World Bank's country director for the Middle East Department, expressed the bank's intention to collaborate with the Lebanese government on the country's reconstruction, news agency reported quoting Lebanon's National News Agency.
Carret made the remarks during a meeting with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, during which they discussed reconstruction projects and programmes, including debris removal, infrastructure rebuilding, and the rehabilitation of industrial and agricultural facilities.
Berri praised the "World Bank's desire and readiness to respond and engage with Lebanon in rebuilding and addressing the consequences of the Israeli aggression."
He also inquired about the details of the plan that the World Bank is preparing, stressing that "this plan must include land reclamation and securing loans for farmers, industrialists, and small business owners to enable them to rise again within a period not exceeding the end of this year."
According to the World Bank, the physical damages and economic losses from the Hezbollah-Israel conflict in Lebanon are estimated at $8.5 billion.