Deputy Zaher El-Khatib visited yesterday the president of the parliament, Mr. Nabih Berreh, and gave him a suggestion of law aiming at expanding the delay granted to the non-authorized audio-visual media coming to term on November 30th 1996, till April 30th 1997.
After the meeting, El Khatib declared president Berreh wanted a radical solution to organize the media law, in a way which guarantees its good implementation.
According to El-Khatib, Berreh refused that only high officials possessed authorized media.
El-khatib added that the present suggestion was set by a group of deputies, to prevent the harm which would occur to the audio-visual institutions as well as to their staff . He also pointed that discussions were on with president Berreh to review to issue and settle it radically.
El-Khatib noted that president Al-Hariri television Future Television was broadcasting by means of satellite, without authorization, and even without observing the rules of satellite broadcasting, as adopted by the government. The Future Television satellite broadcasting is actually made through two channels Future International and Golden Channel, a result of partnership between the Prime Minister and Arab financers.
Then, El-Khatib stated that this suggestion meant amending article 50, to review the issue as a whole, because the implementation of media law occurred in an abusive way.
Here is the suggestion presented by deputy Zaher El-Khatib to president Nabih Berreh:
Unique Article:
1-The period granted by the Cabinet decision on September 17th 1996, to the non-authorized audio-visual media, ending on November 30th 1996 would be expanded to April 30th 1997
2-These same audio-visual media would be allowed to broadcast news and political programs, live as well as indirectly, according to local laws and rules.
3-Within a month, from the date this law would be in effect, rectified documents and new documents concerning the fusion of institutions should be set before the Ministry of Information, and then presented to the National Council of Audio-visual Media, under condition that the cabinet settles the matter down before Mars 30th 1997.
Major Reasons
Since decisions taken by the cabinet concerning authorizing the audio-visual mass media had raised questions about media freedom ,
Since the parliament was responsible of the good implementation of law , since the period granted by the Council of Minister would come to term on November 30th 1996 ,
Since this Council offered the possibility of rectifying presented documents, we present a suggestion of law, which includes expanding the period of non-authorized media till April 30th 1997, in order to rectify documents, and to present documents concerning the fusion of several institutions, as well as to allow broadcasting news and political programs.
The Bureau body of the parliament held yesterday a meeting, headed by president Nabih Berreh, and attended by his deputy, Mr. Elie El-Ferzli, as well as deputies Agob Joekhadaryan, Camil Zyadeh, Ayman Chokeir, Michel Moussa, Abd Errahman Abd Errahman, and the acting general secretary of the parliament, Mr Adnan Daher.
After the meeting the body sources declared the session for reading the governmental statement would be held next Tuesday, and resumed on Saturday November 23rd to discuss the statement, before voting the confidence motion, which might continue on Monday and Tuesday November 25th and 26th, since about 50 deputies would deliver speechs.
The same sources noted that the session for electing parliamentary committees would occur next Thursday, and the general secretariat of the parliament would prepare lists including all candidates, while each deputy would have to write 17 names.
The Ministry of Culture and High Education was handed over yesterday by Minister Michel Eddeh to Minister Fawzi Hobeich. Eddeh noted that a lot of work was ahead of the new Minister, who will proceed and develop what he (Eddeh) had started.
Minister Hobeich, on the other hand, pointed during a speech he delivered, that Lebanon should remain a country of civilization, for it has a pioneer role to play in the region. Furthermore, he was looking forward to a new renaissance, which would accompanies and matches the reconstruction process, adding he would examine all issues thoroughly before taking any decision.
The former Minister, Mr. Ali El-Khalil, handed yesterday the Ministry of Emigrants over to the new Minister, Mr Talal Erslan. El-khalil noted that this was one of the most important Ministries , for it dealt with the majority of Lebanese people. Infact, the Lebanese emigrants throughout the 5 continents are three times the number of Lebanese people within the country.
Erslan then stated that this Ministry was a new one, and it faced in an earlier period, a lot of problems, but Minister Ali-El-Khalil contributed efficiently to make it function through institutions. He added he would coordinate with Lebanese emigrants in cultural, scientific, technical and social fields, which won't be easy, since millions of lebanese people lived abroad.
The Ministry of Information was handed yesterday over by Minister Farid Moukary, to Minister Bassem Essabeh. Moukary thanked, during his speech, all those who worked to develop official media broadcasting, hoping the renewal process would proceed, till the Radio of Lebanon would become the first radio of the country, as well as the Lebanese television, and the National News Agency. Then, Minister Essabeh thanked Minister Moukari, pointing out that the progress must go on in a democratic way, reflecting the Lebanese social and political facts. Essabeh also reaffirmed that Lebanon couldn't exist without freedom, which in turn, took roots in the media , however media couldn't be free if anarchical, for anarchy was the contrast of freedom.
* About 50 people were taken to hospitals yesterday in Baalbeck region, after suffering of poisoning symptoms. It seemed that most of them had bought and eaten meat from Abou El-Hesen butchery, in Annabi Othman village. Another 14 persons have also shown poisoning symptoms in three villages of the west Bekaa, after eating biscuits. Police forces in the Bekaa confiscated all quantities of this biscuits, arrested some of the shop owners, and sealed their shops.
* Deputy Merwan Fares met yesterday with a delegation of the Lebanese University employees league, and discussed with them the social standard of the University staff members .
* The Minister of National Education, Youth and Sports, Mr. Jean Obeid held yesterday a meeting with the teachers bureau, including its private and public sectors, and discussed with them their claims, reason of the warning strike they've already decided.
* The Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs, Mr. Hagop Demergyan discussed with the board of directors of the Insurance Companies Association, imposing the municipal charge of 6% of the payment, on all reinsurance contracts.
* Upon an invitation by the executive board of the union of (Al-chamandar) farmers in Lebanon, an agricultural reunion was held in the headquarters of the general federation of agricultural unions in Lebanon, located in Chtoura, the meeting was attended by representatives of agricultural associations and unions in the Bekaa, as well as by farmers, and aimed at examining the bad situation of agriculture, and the suffering of farmers during this period.
* The general director of investment and maintenance of telecommunications, Mr. Abd El-Menhem Yousef, declared the service office was collecting, starting on November 11th 1996 and till January 4th 1997, payments of international phone calls for August and September 1996 and payments of domestic phone calls for the third season of 1996.
The delegation of the Asian Football Federation ended a four days visit to Lebanon. The delegation checked enterprises, stadiums and hotels . The Lebanese Football Federation proposed to host the 12th Asian Cup in the year 2000.
During a press conference, the head of the delegation, Mr. Abdallah Hamza declared the present stadiums didn't fit to host the Asian Cup, if the number of playing teams became 16 instead of 12, in 2000. The executive committee of the Asian football Federation will chose, on January 21st 1997, the hosting country, among South Korea, China, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Lebanon.
Furthermore, the delegation visited president Al-Hariri who reaffirmed the government will support the Lebanese football federation decision.
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