Lebanese government approves next year's budget

In a special meeting held on Thursday, the Lebanese government approved the state's budget for 2002 estimated at 10 billion Lebanese pounds.

Following the meeting of the government the Lebanese minister of Finance Fuad al-Sanyoura said that the general budget is 9425 billion Lebanese pounds, noting that the imports are estimated at 5650 billion Lebanese pounds at a deficiency estimated at 40%.

Al-Sanyoura considered that this budget is one of the most important budgets so far approved and that its merit is in that it is less than previous budgets and the first budget to have a preliminary surplus of 725 billion Lebanese pounds.