Syrian Minister of Trade admits to corruption of supply monitors
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – On Wednesday, Syrian Minister of Trade and Consumer Protection Amr Salem admitted to the corruption of some supply monitors.
“Personal efforts by observers regarding serious violations are not acceptable, and the ministry will work to accurately define these violations to prevent observers from blackmailing merchants and industrialists,” Salem told the pro-government al-Watan newspaper.
He called on industrialists to report any unfair business practices they may encounter, “and the industrialist does not cheat, and whoever cheats is not an industrialist and does not have an industrial record,” as he described.
“The ministry should not interfere in pricing except for materials that are of interest to the citizen and leave the market to competition,” Salem said during his meeting with the Chamber of Industry in Damascus and its countryside on Tuesday.
Salem claimed that he “does not believe in meetings or committees,” and work must be done to solve all problems and come up with solutions through the meeting itself.
Working groups of industrialists and traders are scheduled to meet with the Economic Committee and issue decisions directly to facilitate industrial and commercial work, according to the minister.
Salem called himself “the government’s ambassador of industrialists and merchants.”
He indicated that he is working to build a “real partnership” with industrialists and solve all the problems that hinder their work.
However, economic experts say that “the wheel of the Syrian economy will not turn in the midst of the crisis without finding a political solution, especially with the decline of all economic sectors.”
Many factors stand in the way of this solution, most notably the differences between the Syrian government and its supporters, and the opposition and its supporters over the new constitution and the nature of the political transition phase, according to specialists.