Merchants, farmers report losses after Syria pullout

Many Lebanese shopkeepers are complaining that, more than a year after the withdrawal of Syrian troops from the country, sales have fallen noticeably, especially in border towns. “I had a better life when Syrian soldiers were still in Lebanon, because they constituted half of my customer-base,” said Abu Ali Dandash, a shop owner in the city of Baalbek, located about 25km away from the Syrian-Lebanese border. “They would stop here for sandwiches and food, among other things. But now, the numbers of Syrians who come here have seen a major drop.” Disgruntled shopkeepers say that recent tension between the two countries has negatively affected the flow of commercial traffic, and point to tighter security measures and controls on the borders. Shopkeepers and merchants in border areas, as well as fruit and vegetables farmers, complain that their number of clients has fallen drastically since the Syrian troop withdrawal in April 2005. Dandash pointed out that supply, as well as demand, had been deeply affected. “I used to be able to get merchandise from Syria for cheaper prices and sell them in Lebanon, while Syrian merchants would come and buy my stocks to sell in Syria,” he said. “This all stopped because of the tension between our countries.” According to the Syrian-Lebanese Higher Council, which monitors agreements and relations between Damascus and Beirut, imports from Syria to Lebanon fell 17 percent in the first half of 2005 compared to the same period in 2004. While Syria had been the number-one exporter to Lebanon in 2003, it had fallen to third place by 2005. Following the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005, there was a wave of resentment against the Syrian military presence in Lebanon, with several Lebanese politicians accusing Syria of standing behind the killing. Damascus, however, has consistently denied the allegation. Tension came to a head last spring, when two UN Security Council Resolutions – 1559 and 1595 – led to the withdrawal of the Syrian military, initially deployed in 1976 to officially halt Lebanon’s civil war. Mahmoud from the village of Taalbaya, who wished to provide his first name only, said that Syrian soldiers in the Bekaa used to regularly buy his vegetables. “Now, I have to take my cart from one place to another, looking for someone to buy my produce,” he said. “In the meantime, most of my crops wither and become inedible because I don't have money to store them properly.” Mahmoud went on to say that stiff foreign competition – in combination with the recent sales losses – was severely affecting local industry. “We face competition on our own products. If we grow potatoes, imported Egyptian potatoes sell for less; the same goes for Jordanian watermelons and tomatoes,” he said. “Our government taxes us, but not the foreign merchandise. At least the Syrians used to buy from us.” Like most Lebanese who were hit by the Syrian pullout Mahmoud would agree with Dandash who had said, “I am not asking that Syrian soldiers come back here, but for our government to fix the situation.” According to Agriculture Minister Talal Sahili, a recently approved trade agreement is at least partially responsible for the dilemma. “The Lebanese government signed the Arab Facilitation Agreement in 2005, which lifted all customs barriers between Arab countries,” Sahili told IRIN. This, he explained, triggered the flow of several products from the Arab world into Lebanon at cheaper prices, “resulting in severe competition with Lebanese products”. Sahili went on to explain that the agriculture ministry “doesn't have a budget to subsidise farmers' products … the only body that can assist them is the Higher Relief Commission, to which farmers must file their complaints”. Normally, the government-appointed Commission offers compensation to victims of accidents and natural disasters. LH/SZ/AM