During a meeting with the International Press and Media Club, President Omar Karameh estimated the regional situation was too dangerous and that nothing would be expected from the present Israeli government, since its head, Mr. Benjamin Natanyaho was working according to his election program.
Karameh added that during the four last years, everything was done on the basis of peace. But even peace is now uncertain. As a result the economic crisis would increase.
He also regretted that politics in Lebanon were not the same anymore. There would be no change in the next cabinet, he announced, and president Al-Hariri must proceed as a Prime Minister, in order to carry on the responsibility of his deeds.
Furthermore, Karameh declared he would not attend the first parliamentary session, but would vote for president Berreh, if he had, for he was successful during the four years in leading legislations in the parliament.
Before leaving Washington to return back to lebanon, president Al-Hariri held, at the Four Seasons Hotel, a press conference attended by the Lebanese ambassador in the United States, Mr. Ryad Tabbara, the American ambassador in Lebanon, Mr. Richard Jones besides press correspondents.
Al-Hariri described his visit as positive and declared two issues were discussed, first to stop the ban which president clinton promised to review, and second the committee of Lebanon Friends. In fact, president Clinton would address the friendly countries to participate in this committee. The meeting will be held December 16th 1996 in Washington.
Then, answering the press reporters questions, president Al-Hariri declared the United States would help Lebanon directly in the reconstruction process and ready to give the Lebanese Army and police forces the required equipments.
As for the travelling ban, Al-Hariri stated it is for security reasons, and that the Lebanese government is ready to take more severe security measures especially in the airport.
About the new government in Lebanon, the Prime Minister declared there would be changes in it, since 49 new deputies entered the parliament.
In a radio-broadcasted interview, Al-Hariri said the American administration evaluated well the situation in Lebanon, especially in security matters. On the other hand, the prime Minister denied that Lebanon had linked reconstruction to peace, since the latter issue depended on other countries, like Syria Israel and other Arab concerned countries.
The lebanese ambassador in Washington, Mr. Ryad Tabbara, has held at 0:30 A.M, on Friday night a receiving ceremony, at the honour of president Al-Hariri and his wife and the Lebanese delegation at the Sheraton Hotel in Washington.
Minister Fouad Assanyoura, who accompanied president Al-Hariri in his visit to Washington, stated the prime Minister's meeting with president Clinton was very successful. The American president declared his total support to Lebanon's independence and the reconstruction process .
The vice-president of the parliament, Mr. Elie El-Ferezli visited Al-Mukhtara palace and met with Minister Walid Jounblat, besides deputies Akram Choheib and Ismail Sokaryya.
El-Ferezli declared the visit was to discuss important issues concerning the country, among which to separate politics from administration, the privatizing matter and the living and economic problems. He also stated that president Al-Hariri, in which he had confidence, would take into consideration reviewing the government social policy. El-Ferezli proposed president Al-Hariri for the next cabinet prime Minister's post. Jounblat has met also with a delegation from Domiet .
While receiving on Saturday evening, a delegation of the communist party leadership in the Bekaa, the Minister of Defence, Mr. Mohsen Dalloul declared that nominations corrupted the administration.
He added that the civil service council, the central inspection body and the disciplinary council were created to protect the administration from politics and now, we're back to the previous situation of corruption, bribes, etc.. Dalloul received a delegation of 300 drivers of school buses, who complained for stopping their work.
Upon a phone call between Minister Dalloul and the Home Secretary, Mr. Michel El-Murr, it was agreed to let the drivers work for ten days, in order to complete their files and give them licenses of transporting students.
Tomorrow, the new parliament will reelect president Nabih Berreh unopposed president of the 1996 parliament during a session to be headed by the oldest deputy, cheikh Qabalan Isa El-Khoury, who would be accompanied by the resigning Prime Minister, Mr. Rafiq Al-Hariri.
During this session, deputy Elie El-Ferezli will be also reelected as the vice-president of the parliament, then the members of the bureau body will also be elected, since some of the actual members might carry portfolios, especially deputies Michel Moussa and Akram Choheib.
The Liberation and Development bloc will hold, tomorrow morning a meeting to discuss proposing one of its members into the membership of the Bureau Body, instead of deputy Michel Moussa, who has great chances of becoming a Minister.
The session will be attended by the Prime Minister, diplomatic body, newspapers chief editors and heads of various orders. It will begin by the oldest deputy speech, then candidates would be announced, and the vote starts.
After the reelection, president Berreh will deliver a prepared speech about the next parliament task.As for the election of parliamentary committees members, it will probably be postponed till after the constitution of the government.
During the holy mass held yesterday in the patriarchal palace in Bkerkeh, the Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir delivered a sermon, in which he talked about poverty, since the last Thursday October 17th was the international day to eliminate poverty.
Sfeir declared there were about one billion people in the world living in absolute poverty. In Lebanon about one third of the population live in poverty, and this require special efforts by the private sector as well as the government, which could protect the Lebanese labour force from non-lebanese competition.
Afterwards, Sfeir met with the newly elected deputy, Nabil Al-Boustani, who discussed with the Patriarch the reasons which hindered the return of dislodged people.
Then, Sfeir received a delegation of Al-Fikr Allubnani Academy, headed by academician May El-Murr and Monseigneur Elias Rahhal . El Murr recommended the application of the Resolution number 520, which asks all non-Lebanese armies and militias to withdraw from lebanon.
The following results are from the second period of the Lebanese football championship :
1-Al-Homentmen v/s Annejmeh (2-1) (at Tripoli local stadium)
2-Al -Ansar v/s Racing (3-1) (at Jamal Abd Ennaser stadium , the Bekaa)
3-Al-Homentemen v/s Achabiba-Al-Mazraa (4-1) (at Bourj Hammoud local stadium)
4-Assalam-Zgharta v/s Al-Aka Al-Ahli-Aley (1-2) (at Assafa stadium)
5-Arryada waladab v/s Al-Hekmeh (1-0) (at Tripoli local stadium)
Al-Homentmen is ranked first with 6 points, then chabab Assahel (6 points) and Al-Ansar (6 points). It remains to say that not a goal had been scored till now against Chabab Assahel team.
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