Prime Minister Nawaf Salam during the opening session of a three-day conference organized at the Lawyer's House in Beirut. (Credit: Philippe Hage Boutros/L'Orient Today.)
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has suggested that one aspect of the reforms Lebanon must implement should turn Beirut into an "arbitration hub." This would involve bolstering the country's ability to promote this alternative dispute resolution method, typically carried out by private entities when permitted or not prohibited by law.
This resolution method, procedurally lighter than traditional justice, can be applied when all parties agree to it. It can involve parties from the same country, international entities, or even states.
Salam made these remarks during the inaugural session of a three-day conference organized by the Lebanese Arbitration and Mediation Center (LAMC) at the House of Lawyers in Beirut. The center is attached to the Beirut Bar Association and presided over by Nagib Hage-Chahine. Justice Minister Adel Nassar, Information Minister Paul Morcos, and Beirut Bar President Fadi Makari participated in the session.
"Making Beirut an arbitration hub will reaffirm the city's enduring identity as a nurturer of laws," declared Salam, referencing the ancient Roman law school it housed, considered one of the Roman Empire's most prestigious. On a more pragmatic note, the former judge of the International Court of Justice noted that developing arbitration in Lebanon would, in the long run, create a "more attractive environment for investors."
According to him, this reform will involve modernizing legislation and strengthening Lebanon’s capacities in the field to "align with international standards." It must also accompany other fundamental reforms the country needs to undertake, including restructuring its banking sector, judicial system, "restoring the exclusive monopoly of the Lebanese state over all arms," and ensuring the "final cessation of Israeli occupation in South Lebanon, in violation of international law," among other objectives.
