The President of the Republic, Mr. Elias Al-Hrawi, received yesterday the ambassador of the Holy Father, Monseigneur Pablo Pointe, as well the President of the Phalanges Party, Dr. George Saadeh, and a delegation of the Bar association in the north, headed by its president, Mr George Tawq, who supported president Al-Hrawi's attitudes, aiming at reviewing corruption issues and files.
The president of the parliament, Mr. Nabih Berreh, said while receiving a delegation of chief Editors Union, he would raise the motion aiming at extending the period of the non-authorized media, immediately after the confidence vote, if deputies insisted on that, but before, he must put to vote the urging aspect of the motion, and if this aspect was agreed upon by deputies, the motion would immediately be discussed.
Berreh added that media law was a pride of the former parliament, but its implementation went totally wrong.
About Raafat Soleiman issue, President Berreh called for the Justice to have a word in.
The Minister of Information, Mr. Basem Essabeh, handled, while visiting the headquarters of the press Union, the media file declaring his mission was not simple, but would be easier when cooperating with the press Union.
The head of the Press Union, Mr. El-Baalbaki, insisted on giving the Ministry of Information the importance it deserved, concerning especially the budget of this Ministry.
Parliamentary sources also ascertained the president of the parliament, was going to postpone the session for discussing the governmental statement till next Saturday. The government is expected, through its president, Mr. Rafiq Al-Hariri, to read the statement, and deputies would have plenty of time to read it and discuss it thoroughly, before Saturday.
Furthermore, president Berreh met with the ambassadors of Tunisia, Mr. Mohammed Najib Hechaneh, Great Britain, Mr. David Ross Maclynan, Armenia, Mr. Brawnt Malkonyan, Chile, Mr Ifnasio Gonzalys Syrano, and Qatar, Mr Mohammed Ali Ennahimi, Berreh also received other deputies and ministers.
A palestinian delegation, headed by the president of the political bureau Mr. Farouq El-Qaddoumi, of the P.L.O, and including the palestinian minister of state for Jerusalem Affairs, Mr. Faysal El-Husseini, members of the central committee, Mr. Hani El-Hassan and Mr. Mohammed Jihad, the director of the political bureau of the P.L.O., Omar Echchakha, as well as other officials, visited yesterday first president Al-Hariri, then the secretary of State, Mr.Fares Bweiz.
After visiting Al-Hariri, El-Qaddoumi said discussions were about the peace process, hindered by Israel attitudes, the situation within the occupied territories, Jerusalem issue, as well as enforcing mutual relations between Lebanon and the Palestinian authority.
El-Qaddoumi also said that, if the peace process continued to be hindered, another "Intifada" was likely, and resistance would be the means of obtaining one's rights.
Then, the delegation went to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and had a meeting with the Lebanese secretary of state, Mr. Fares Bweiz, along with the general secretary of the Ministry, Mr. Zafer El-Hassan, and several other directors.
At the end of the meeting, Bweiz reaffirmed the Lebanese constant position of a comprehensive and just peace, which could not be reached but within a unified Arab vision and position.
El-Qaddoumi insisted, on the other hand, that the issues of colonization, Jerusalem and refugees required joint Arab efforts to settle them down. He also appreciated Lebanese and Syrian efforts concerning the peace process, and rejected the colonization of palestinian refugees in Lebanon.
The American ambassador in Beirut, Mr Richard Jones, met yesterday with the Prime Minister, Mr. Rafiq Al-Hariri, and discussed with him the measures taken to prepare the conference of Lebanon Friends.
Jones pointed, after the visit, that he handled with president Al-Hariri the agenda and program of the latter visit to Washington. He also said preparations were going on, and invitations sent by President Clinton to about 30 countries, and by the Secretary of State to his peers.
President Al-Hariri also received a delegation of the accounting bureau, headed by judge Afif El-Moqaddam, as well as the Minister of Transport, Mr. Omar Mesqawi, and deputies Rashid El-Khazen, Habib Hakim, Mansour Ghanem El-Bon, Adnan Araqgi and Nouhad Said.
* The Committee on following-up the media issue held yesterday a meeting, and called for all persons and bodies who participated in the Coral Beach National Symposium, to work together in order to have a free and democratic information in Lebanon.
* The Phalanges Party reaffirmed the necessity of taking into consideration, by the government, the Coral Beach National Symposium recommendations, and warned off the neglecting of Lebanese claims for freedom and social standards.
* The attorney general, judge Adnan Adoum, informed the Minister of Justice, Mr. Bahj Tabbarah of the results of investigations concerning the murder of Farid Musally, who along with Raafat Soleiman, are suspected of stealing public money and counterfeiting stamps.
* Representing the Prime Minister, Mr. Rafiq Al-Hariri, the minister of state for Financial Affairs, Mr .Fouad Assanyoura, inaugurated yesterday the symposium of establishing the Lebanese institution to guarantee the economic risks of small and medium companies loans, organized by the chamber of trade, and Industry in Beirut, in coordination with the Friedrich Eipert institution and the symposium on development studies.
* The subscription in treasury bonds diminished well in the issue of November 14th 1996, reaching the sum of 375,9 billion L.P. that is about 48,7% of the last issue.
The Lebanese team who took part in the European 13th championship of WAKO ( World Association of Kick-Boxing Organizations), organized by the Yugoslavian federation in coordination, with the Yugoslavian Ministry of sports, came back yesterday from Belgrade.
As usual, the Lebanese team made a precious victory in this sport, namely when Omar Aql won the Bronze medal for his weight, 60klg, allowing the national flag to be raised during the medal distribution ceremony.
The 10th period of the lebanese football series starts today and 4 games would be held at 14:15 this afternoon.
-Al-Aka-Aley v/s Achabiba-Mazraa (at Assafa stadium)
-Annejmeh v/s Arryada Waladab (at Saida local stadium)
-Racing v/s chabab assahel (at Bourj Hammoud local stadium)
-Assalam-Zgharta v/s Al-Homenmen (at Tripoli local stadium)
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