Lebanon, of course, has to do its share to help strengthen this relationship. There are many things that we are working on in cooperation with the American government through the embassy in Beirut. We are committed to removing any obstacle that could hinder or slow the improvement of this relationship. All of these make Lebanon a distinctive place for investment in the region. I think that Arab leaders in general, and those concerned with the Middle East crisis in particular, are ready to cooperate with President Bush to reach a just and comprehensive peace.
Peace is essential to Lebanon.
In spite of this, we do not think that our debts are related to peace, as the debts are the result of public finances. Because of interest rates, the country was in deficit and indebted when we took over power. Public spending reached half the deficit, and the infrastructure was completely destroyed. Salaries were extremely low, and the security forces were disbanded-they were absent on the ground and not ready to be operational. What has been spent on infrastructure has been recuperated through the increase in revenues.