The Lebanese prime minister has called on Turkish businessmen to invest in Lebanon.

Lebanon's Premier Saad Hariri said Monday that if there was a period for Turkish businessmen to invest in Lebanon, it was today.

Hariri met Turkish journalists who were in the Lebanese capital of Beirut for the Association of Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASCAME) meeting, and said stability had been ensured in Lebanon.

Turkish companies that were willing to invest in Lebanon would not face any problems, the prime minister also said.

Hariri also said that Turkey would be one of the first countries he would visit, and defined Turkey's Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan as the real friend of both his father Rafik Hariri and Lebanon.

A free trade agreement would be one of the topics he would take up during his visit to Turkey, Hariri said.

The premier said Lebanon had always seen Turkey's support in its hard times, and he would be accompanied by businessmen during his visit who would seek investment opportunities.

On tourism, Hariri said the next step might be to make Turkey a much more reasonable tourist destination for the Lebanese people, and to increase flights.

Hariri also said he thought that visa procedures should be lifted between the two countries, and pledged to deal with the issue as soon as his government won a vote of confidence at the parliament.

The Lebanese prime minister enumerated possible investment opportunities in his country as energy, telecom, mass transportation.

Also, Hariri said that he would work to launch ro-ro service between Beirut and the Turkish Mediterranean city of Mersin, and support any initiative to boost Turkish-Lebanese cooperation.

Hariri said he thought that Turkey assumed a positive regional role, and contributed to stability in the region.

The premier expressed gratitude about Turkey's position regarding Palestine.

Hariri also said realities should be voiced by people who have credibility and reliability.

Son of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri who was killed in February 2005, Saad Hariri, formed his government on November 9. The parliamentary elections were held in Lebanon in June.


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