Lebanese President Michel Suleiman last month praised support provided by Kuwait to Lebanon.

The Lebanese president had held a meeting with a delegation from the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED), headed by its Director General Abdulwahab Al-Bader, to discuss several projects financed by the Kuwait-based fund.

Indication was made by Suleiman to support given by KFAED in the economic, social, educational and development-related fields.

On his part, Al-Bader told reporters that he had given the president a report on projects being carried out by KFAED in Lebanon.

He also said that the aim of his visit was to initiate several projects in Lebanon for electricity, water and the infrastructure.

Kuwait has so far granted a total USD 300 million to Lebanon distributed through some 50 development-related projects.

KFAED launched development projects in Lebanon

Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) said last month it launched several development projects in Lebanon including Bab Al-Tabbana rehabilitation project in the northern city of Tripoli. Bab Al-Tabbana rehabilitation project cost USD three million out of the Kuwaiti USD 300 million aid package to Lebanon, KFAED Director General Abdul-Wahab Al-Badr said in a press conference in the presence of Charge D'Affaires of Kuwait Embassy in Beirut Tareq Al-Hamad, Director of the Kuwaiti Cultural Center Mrs. Mona Al-Gheis and KFAED residing representative Mohammad Sadeqi.

The Lebanese side was represented at press conference by envoy of Council for Development, Reconstruction (CDR) chairman Alan Al-Gisr, Chairman of Higher Relief Council (HRC) Maj.Gen. Yahya Ra'd and Chairman of the Lebanese Journalists Association (LJA) Mohammad Ba'labki.

"KFAED laid the foundation stones of five projects including the rehabilitation of Syria-Bab Al-Tabbana road costing USD three million and Okar power grid costing USD six million," Al-Badr revealed.

"The fund channeled USD for million to the drilling of water wells in Al-Beqa' in addition to USD four million to the rehabilitation of 14 hospitals in south Lebanon," he went on to say. During their visit to Lebanon, the delegation of the Kuwait-based KFAED, led by Al-Badr, laid the foundation stone of Haret Heriek School, in the southern outskirts of Beirut and sign a contract on funding the rehabilitation of Al-Hazemiya-Sofer road.

Meanwhile, Sadeqi took pride in the Kuwait's contributions to the reconstruction process in Lebanon particularly in humanitarian and social fields such as orphanages and charities.

"KFAED is funding a total of 50 infrastructure projects including sanitary drainage systems, water and power supply networks and roads building in 25 villages in south Lebanon," he revealed. Sadeqi put the total cost of the projects at USD 185 million besides the cost of compensations for those who were rendered homeless by the Israeli aggression in July, 2006.

"Eighty percent of the compensations have been covered by the fund," the KFAED official added. "KFAED has so far offered to Lebanon a total of USD 85 million out of the USD 115 million set aside for compensations for the victims of the Israeli aggression," he added. For his part, Ba'labki hailed the contributions of "sisterly Kuwait" which are being offered "without attached conditions." KFAED offered to Lebanon a total of 16 loans to fund the reconstruction process which costs up to USD 492 million.

KFAED lends Lebanon USD 76 million to build highway 

Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) signed last month a USD 76 million loan agreement with Lebanon to finance a portion of the construction of a highway linking the towns of Hazmiyeh and Sofar.

The agreement was signed by KFAED's director Abdulwahab al-Bader and Lebanon's chairman of the Growth and Development Council Nabil al-Jiser who said the highway, once completed, would alleviate traffic congestion in addition to linking Beirut with Mount Lebanon and Bekaa region and onto to the Syrian border and beyond with Arab neighboring countries.

This loan supplements a similar one -- for the amount of USD 37 million -- for the same highway project which KFAED provided to Lebanon at an earlier time, said al-Jiser, who expressed his country's appreciation to KFAED for its help in the highway project and in other projects it has been undertaking in that country.

Work on the Hazmiyeh-Sofar highway is expected to start next Spring and to last at least four years.

On his part al-Bader underscored the vitality of the highway project as it is going to be part of the so-called Intra-Arab Highway Project which is supposed to link Beirut with Damascus -- in its infant stage -- to thereafter develop into a massive project that would connect many Arab capitals toghether.

The Hazmiyeh-Sofar project will not only benefit Lebanon but also Kuwaiti tourists who customarily flock to that country in the summer time for vacation. These tourists will find the highway an easy way to get around, he said.

With the signing of the present loan, the number of loans offered by KFAED to Lebanon increases to 17 at a total value of USD 567 million, he said.