Yesterday morning, the President of the Republic, Mr. Elias Al-Hrawi received in Baabda a parliamentary delegation of the German democratic party during a visit to Lebanon. The delegation is headed by deputy Christopher Shubel and includes four other deputies.
After the meeting, which was attended by the German ambassador in Beirut Mr. Wolfgang Ereck, Shubel declared the visit was to enhance the Lebanese-German relations, and that he agreed with President Al-Hrawi of reinforcing the European role in Lebanon as well as the whole region. Al-Hrawi was also joined by deputy Talal Irslan, along with Wiaam Wahhab, and deputies George Qassarji and Jack Joekhadaryan.
The Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir received yesterday a delegation of property owners in Wadi Abou Jamil and Zoqaq El-Blat. The owners complained of the abusive practices and actions taken by the Real Estate company which is evacuating building, houses as well as shops in order to build new ones, thus displacing whole families.
Sfeir also received the German bishop Andreas Merr, from the German-speaking evangelical community in Lebanon, and discussed with him evangelical achievements.
Yesterday, president Berreh worked on completing the on-going arrangements of the first parliamentary session to be held today, during which a president and vice-president, as well as members of the Bureau Body, would be elected.
Berreh received deputies Mahmoud Awad, Wajih Al-Baarini, Bassem Al-Sabeh, Rachid El-Khazen, Mosbah Al-Ahdab, Camil Ziadeh, Michel Moussa, Nazih Mansour,Mohammad Ali-Al-Mays, John Obeid and Akram Chahieb. Berreh then met with the oldest deputy Qabalan Isa El-Khoury, and headed, at 12:00 at noon, a meeting of the previous Bureau Body. After the meeting, he stated it was to ask the members if anyone of them would like to stand for the Body membership.
As for the election of the Parliamentary committees, Berreh said it would be postponed till after the constitution of the next government.
Berreh also announced that the President of the Republic might start tomorrow his consultations, in order to charge the would-be Prime Minister with constituting the new Cabinet. The entrusted prime Minister might then start his parliamentary consultation.
After only 24 hours of visiting Minister Walid Jounblat in Al-Mukhtara, the vice-president of the parliament, Mr. Elie El-Ferezli, visited yesterday president Rafiq Al-Hariri. El-Ferezli declared after the meeting that he would be Prime Minister.
He said the administrative issue was discussed with president Al-Hariri, who according to El-Ferezli, was ready to review this point.
The vice-president of the parliament also asked to separate administration from politics, and to stop corruption by reinforcing the role of the institutions such as the Civil Service Council and the disciplinary Council, which must be totally independent. Then deputy Elie El-Ferezli asked the concerned ministers to review the total hunting ban, since in all countries, some noxious bird species are hunted to help decrease their damage to nature and environment.
President Al-Hariri also received deputy Bassem Al-Sabeh and discussed with him various issues, especially planning and appropriating lands near Beirut International Airport.
The general secretary of the "Liberation and Development Bloc", deputy Ahmed Assoueid, held yesterday a press conference at the parliament building in which he delivered a statement issued by the bloc. The latter praised president Berreh achievements during the last four years, and decided to propose his name as president of the 1996 parliament. On the other hand, the bloc of Beirut Decision held yesterday also a meeting, headed by president Al-Hariri, and decided to support the election of president Berreh as president of the parliament, deputy Elie El-Ferezli as vice-president of the parliament, deputies Camil Ziadeh and Ayman Chokeir as the parliament secretaries, and deputies Jack Joekhadaryan, Abd Errahman Abd Errahman and Michel Moussa as the parliament representatives.
Furthermore, the Northern Matn Deputies Bloc held yesterday a meeting, headed by the Housing Secretary, Mr. Michel El-Murr, who declared at the end of the session that 4 issues were discussed.
First electing the president of the parliament, the bloc decided to nominate president Berreh for his post, second the presidential-parliamentary consultations to entrust the would-be Prime Minister. EL-Murr added that the assembled discussed stopping El-Matn quarries and Bourj Hammoud dump, which caused damages to people and environment.
On the sixth commemoration of the murder of Mr. Dany Chamoun, his wife Ingrid and their two sons, a mass was celebrated at 4:00 P.M. yesterday by bishop Boulos Matar, in Saint-Antony Church at the Sodico.The event was attended by the leader of the Liberal party, Mr Dory Chamoun, party members, along with eminent politicians. After the mass, Mr. Dory Chamoun delivered a speech in which he first commemorated his brother and his family. Then he talked about the general situation in the country, for none have thought the post-war period would be worse than war. He asked : What about Lebanon? its sons coexistence? its sovereignty? its independence? what about the social, economic and educational situations in the country? what about democracy and freedom? . Infact, everyone is still seeking his own private interest and problems are building up while officials declare everything is under control.
We are certain, chamoun added, that there is no independence nor sovereignty, as long as non-Lebanese armies occupy our land. They talk about unity and national consensus, while marginalizing on purpose the Christians. They help the enriched people double their fortunes, while needy people are living below the poverty line.
They are proud of the parliamentary regime, while neutralizing it . They pretend planning and modernization, and building the state institutions, while we all know they're destroying whatever is left of the State. He asked : would the innocent martyr's blood be the turning point into a new Lebanon?.
The Lebanese Football Federation completed arrangements concerning the press conference to be held on Thursday October 24th 1996, at 4:00 P.M. at Maryott Hotel, Al-Jenah, during which will be announced the campaign of proposing Lebanon as the hosting country of the 12th Asian Football Cup in the year 2000.
The motto chosen by the federation was Together... towards the Asian Cup-Lebanon 2000, which expresses the nation's unity and solidarity.
Invitations to attend the press conference were addressed by the federation to officials, club presidents, to the committees in the Mouhafazas, as well as all local arabic and foreign media, news agencies and international televisions.
The general secretary of the federation will announce the achievements as well as the on-going work, the plan of action and the media campaign.
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