37. In their closing statements, the Commission Chairman, the Commission Secretary, the FAO Representative in the Republic of Lebanon and Dr. M.Hosny EL-Lakany, who addressed the audience on behalf of the Director-General of FAO, all thanked the Government of the Republic of Lebanon for having hosted the Commission and for the excellent arrangements that had contributed to the meeting’s success. The speakers also commended the interpreters and translators for their work. The Secretary of the Commission made a special mention of the Lebanese NGO that had provided valuable assistance in the organization of the session and emphasized that FAO greatly encouraged this type of collaboration. The Commission welcomed to the meeting His Excellency Ali Hassan Khalil, Minister for Agriculture of the Republic of Lebanon, who closed the session with a statement emphasizing the importance of forests to the region. His Excellency commended the good standard of debate and work of the Commission and the high level of participation by countries which reflected the growing awareness of the importance of the Commission and of forests and their roles in countries of the region. His Excellency concluded by thanking FAO for the various aspects of technical support it had extended to Lebanon, including to the forestry sector.
