اخبار لبنان – وطن نيوز
اخبار لبنان 24 – اخبار لبنان مباشر
W6nnews.com ==== وطن === تاريخ النشر – 2026-01-30 22:23:00
In its session held this afternoon at Baabda Palace, chaired by the President of the Republic, General Joseph Aoun, and in the presence of the Prime Minister, Judge Nawaf Salam, and the ministers, the Council of Ministers approved most of the items on its agenda, most notably the agreement between Lebanon and Syria regarding the transfer of convicted persons from the country of issuance of the sentence to the country of the detainee’s nationality, and approval of the reconstruction methodology. The Council also approved a series of appointments, including the appointment of the President and Director General, members of the National Solid Waste Management Authority, and Brigadier General Imad Khuraish as Director General of Defense. During the session, President Aoun considered that “approving the budget in the House of Representatives within the constitutional deadline is an exceptional matter, praising the efforts of ministers and representatives in this field. He considered that “public sector employees deserve everything they demand,” but we must not drift into populism, and this does not mean neglecting the rights of all public sector employees, including members of the armed forces, and everything possible must be provided within the available capabilities until the necessary studies are completed, which we hope will be completed by the end of next month. Aoun praised the agreements concluded with Arab countries, including Egypt and Jordan, while many agreements are expected to be concluded with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia soon. He also thanked the State of Qatar, which always stands by Lebanon, and the aid it announced, asking “the relevant departments and ministries to accelerate procedures in this area to benefit from the momentum of countries wishing to provide assistance.” President Salam, for his part, presented the results of the meetings he held during his participation in the World Economic Forum in Davos, and referred to his meeting with the Director of the International Monetary Fund. International Representative Kristalina Georgieva, who “expressed her appreciation for the government’s work to improve the monetary and economic conditions in Lebanon, and for the reform policies it is pursuing.” President Salam affirmed “the interest of some international companies in investing in the field of infrastructure in Lebanon, which indicates the return of Lebanon as an attractive country for investors.” He pointed out, on the other hand, that “Lebanon succeeded, within a year, in facilitating the return of about five hundred and ten thousand displaced Syrians to their country, thanks to the tripartite cooperation between Lebanon and Syria, And the High Commissioner for Refugees.” President Aoun had met with President Salam before the session was held, and discussed with him the items on its agenda. Minister Morcos After the session ended, the Minister of Information, lawyer Dr. Paul Morcos, the rapporteur, said: “The Council of Ministers held its session this afternoon at Baabda Palace, headed by His Excellency the President of the Republic and in the presence of His Excellency the Prime Minister and ladies and gentlemen of the ministers, in the absence of His Excellency the Minister of Economy. At the beginning of the session, His Excellency the President congratulated the Council of Ministers on the House of Representatives’ approval of the budget yesterday, considering that it reflects a great effort made by the ministers and representatives to refer it to Parliament within the constitutional time limit and also approve it within the constitutional time limit, which is an exceptional matter, and he praised For the efforts of all the ministers in this field, especially the Minister of Finance, who explained the terms of the budget and defended it in the Parliament, and also stressed the preservation of people’s rights and the necessity of working according to the numbers. His Excellency the President stressed the achievement achieved through the budget surplus, with concern for the state’s finances and the benefits it faces, considering that public sector employees deserve everything they demand, but we must not drift into populism, and the issue of the 2018 rank and salary series is still present in the debate. Our minds and the financial problems it caused because they were drawn up without studies and actual numbers, but this does not mean neglecting the rights of all workers in the public sector, including members of the armed forces, and everything possible must be provided within the available capabilities until the necessary studies are completed, which we hope will be completed by the end of next month. Then His Excellency the President spoke about the meetings he held, during which he was informed that the National Social Security Fund now covers about 90 percent of the health bills of the insured, and that it is also now able to issue liability releases. Electronically, this is an achievement in itself, and he hopes that other ministries will work to accelerate work with electronic applications. He pointed out that the Audit Bureau has completed the severance of the accounts for the budgets until the year 2021, hoping to sign next year’s budget with the severance of the accounts for the year 2025, indicating that within a short period work will be done to complete the severance of the accounts for the previous period, and this is evidence that things are on the right track. His Excellency the President touched on the centenary of the Lebanese constitution within a month. Next May, it is one of the oldest constitutions, but unfortunately its provisions are not being fully implemented, and there are many shortcomings in this area, including, for example: the issuance of the administrative decentralization law, the personal status law, balanced development, the abolition of political sectarianism, the establishment of the Senate, and others. His Excellency added: There are gaps in practice, and a constitutional committee has been assigned to work for about a year to study the gaps contained and how to reach solutions around them, in the hope that it will complete its study. This will happen during the next few months. His Excellency the President thanked His Excellency the President for the committees working to complete agreements with Arab countries, including Egypt and Jordan, while many agreements are expected to be concluded with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia soon. He also thanked the State of Qatar, which stands by Lebanon permanently, and the aid it announced, asking the concerned departments and ministries to speed up procedures in this area to take advantage of the momentum of countries wishing to provide assistance. His Excellency the President presented the complaints received about breaches of security and exposure to buses. Shared transportation by some private transportation owners and the necessity of instructing the security services to address the situation, and complaints about forged cards in the name of the Ministry of Social Affairs that allow their holders, who claim to have special needs, to import cars without customs duties, and put an end to it quickly. His Excellency the President regretted what is being published in some media outlets about the issue of the return of displaced Syrians and inflating the numbers of arrivals without going through Public Security, while the reality, after the security and military services conducted their investigations, does not indicate this. Then President Salam spoke and presented to His Excellency the President and the ministers the results of his participation with the Ministers of Finance and Economy in the World Economic Forum in Davos, and the meetings they held there, and then his meeting in Paris with President Emmanuel Macron. He referred to a group of meetings he held in Davos with officials from major international companies, to discuss cooperation in the field of investment in Lebanon. Many companies have expressed their interest in investing in the field of infrastructure, which indicates the return of Lebanon as an attractive country for investors. In this field, the President noted the government’s work to update the previous law related to partnership and privatization, and its approval in the House of Representatives. The President added that he also held a group of meetings with a number of officials from international organizations, starting with the High Commissioner for Refugees, where emphasis was placed on the importance of Lebanon’s cooperation with the Commission, especially since with the new authorities in Syria, we were able in the last year to facilitate the return of about five hundred and ten thousand displaced Syrians to Lebanon. Their country, while some still doubt what has been achieved in this field. His country stressed that it is very important to highlight the success in this file, which would not have been achieved without the tripartite cooperation between Lebanon, Syria, and the Commission, after the fall of the previous regime in Syria, and the disappearance of the negative perception towards the work of the Commission in Lebanon. He said: We should also not forget the commendable Qatari contribution in facilitating the return of the displaced, through the project to rehabilitate the areas in northern Syria, and invest in them, to encourage the displaced to return to their land and settle in it. As the President pointed out, The meeting he held with the head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, who stressed the office’s readiness to help Lebanon confront any emergency that may occur in the region. Finally, his country referred to the meeting with the Director of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, where the steps that Lebanon is taking to improve the monetary and economic conditions were presented, and Mrs. Georgieva expressed her appreciation for the government’s work in this field and for the reform policies it is pursuing, the latest of which is its preparation of the financial order and restoration project. Deposits, or what is known as the “Financial Gap” draft law. During the meeting, it was emphasized that negotiations with the Fund would continue, in order to reach a program with it, as stipulated in the government’s ministerial statement. Then the Council of Ministers moved to study the agenda items, and approved most of them, including: – Approval of the agreement between the Lebanese Republic and the Syrian Arab Republic on the transfer of convicted persons from the country of issuance of the sentence to the country of the detainee’s nationality, and authorizing the Deputy Prime Minister to sign it. – Appointing the President and Director General and members of the National Solid Waste Management Authority as follows: Next: Marwan George Rizkallah, President and General Manager, Amal Jurdi, Bilal Nasser, Khader Fakih, Zeina Tohme, Hamad Kaafrani, part-time members. – Approval of the reconstruction methodology according to the following: First, directing the launch of the first work package for the buildings that need to be structurally restored. Second, in parallel, the process of surveying and auditing the damages is completed according to what was stated in Resolution No. 4 dated, 12/7/2024, and the concerned authorities submit their reports to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers. Third, and based on these reports, the committee charged with following up on the reconstruction file in accordance with Resolution 36, dated 5/14/2025, completes the work to complete the arrangement of the types of intervention required according to the size of the surveyed damages. Fourth, according to the availability of funds, whether from external or internal sources, the necessary amounts will be moved to cover possible interventions within the amount of available funding. For example, and based on Based on the data of the initial surveys that determine the cost of treatment according to the type of damage, and after starting the structural reinforcement, it is possible to begin partial reconstruction of the buildings that were partially destroyed. And then the restoration of buildings and units that are slightly to moderately damaged, and the complete reconstruction of buildings that are completely destroyed, and those that may need total demolition, then reconstruction. Fifth, with regard to the border villages that are severely damaged and are still exposed to Israeli attacks, which prevent the return of residents, or directing some reconstruction interventions immediately, the government can mobilize the necessary funding at least to pay shelter allowances. Sixth, update the data regarding the displaced who are still in shelter centers, And giving them priority, whether in the event of paying required assistance or paying housing allowances. Seventh, any affected person can submit a request in parallel to the General Housing Corporation. Eighth, the concerned departments begin receiving requests for assistance, according to the mechanism approved by the Council of Ministers. Ninth, a unit called the Emergency Risks Unit is established in the Council of Ministers, and this unit creates a digital platform to track requests for assistance and their path. – Also returning to the decisions of the Council of Ministers, the appointment of Mrs. Rasha Abu Ghazaleh, Vice President of the Council of Ministers. South. – Regarding the issue of assigning the Council for Development and Reconstruction to contract with NICE Company to carry out preliminary rehabilitation and maintenance work to start operating the Qlayaat Airport, the decision on it was postponed until next week to complete the research. – Approval of the Ministry of the Environment’s presentation of the integrated national strategy for solid waste management in Lebanon, as it was presented by those concerned with it in a light show, of plans, strategies and numbers. – Approval of the request of the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities to second Brigadier General Imad Khuraish from the army to the Ministry and appoint him as Director General of Civil Defense. Minister Morcos responded to journalists’ questions and asked: What about Qlayaat Airport? He replied: “As I said, research into this matter will be completed next week, to complete the necessary documents and papers.” He was asked: Are there any assurances to the families of the Lebanese army martyrs and to the Lebanese detainees that the trials will be expedited, after the decision the government took today regarding the Syrian detainees? He answered: “The concern of the government, led by His Excellency the President and the Minister of Justice, is to work on this demand.” What is right, in addition to many parallel matters that are being worked on, including the issue of the forcibly disappeared and obtaining information about them, the issue of borders and their control, and other files. There is not this spirit of negligence, and the concern is preserving dignity and restoring rights, but there are international agreements, which the Council discussed after they were the subject of international negotiations, and made it clear that they are the completion of the prison period and not the release of prisoners, and there are similar agreements with other countries that Lebanon signed and tried to The government and whoever negotiated, are strict at times and differentiated at other times regarding some of its provisions in the Lebanese interest. Work is being done on the file of detainees who have not yet been tried, and all of this leads to reducing overcrowding in Lebanese prisons. This is a mutual issue, as the agreement is bilateral, meaning that we will benefit from it as Lebanese at any time, and this also allows us to exchange with Syria. There is a reality that we must address, and this is what the negotiator of this agreement did in the best way.” Question: Does this agreement need time for implementation? He answered: “The government’s Deputy Prime Minister has been assigned to work on this matter.” Question: There has been confusion with the Lebanese detainees who are suffering from slowness in their trials. He answered: “This issue was raised in addition to other topics, so when this agreement was discussed, it took a long time because the research went into these and other matters, details, and other issues in order for them all to be completed. One face after another in order to preserve the Lebanese interest and build bilateral relations with Syria based on mutual cooperation in several fields. He was asked: On the issue of reconstruction, is there money available or is there a wait for aid related to reform and weapons exclusivity? He answered: “Today we approved a methodology that was practical and we added many points to it, in order to facilitate the issue of disbursing funds within transparent and clear criteria, because transparency was an important milestone. As soon as the funds are available, regardless of their source, there will be a way to spend them. He was asked: Why do you tell the people of the South that there is a methodology and not a mechanism, and is this plan actually implementable in the near term? He answered: “The naming was with the aim of giving the plan the possible practical dimension. People want to spend the money, and we must ensure that the financial amounts are spent as soon as they are available in a correct manner. This matter is subject to development and any flexibility is introduced into the methodology while preserving the required principles and transparency.”
