NNA - Information Minister, Walid Daouk, arrived Friday in Melbourne in Australia, where he is representing the President of the Republic, Michel Sleiman, in a series of meetings the Lebanese-Australian Commerce and Industry Chamber is bound to holding as of tomorrow.



Daouk, who's scheduled to return on Tuesday, will hold meetings with the Lebanese Diaspora and top Australian officials.



Speaking to the National News Agency correspondent upon arrival, the Minister said his visit, on behalf of the President, comes within the context of crystallizing Sleiman's Australia visit last year.



"The aim is to entrench the relations between the Lebanese residing in Lebanon and those living abroad," he stressed.



"I believe that the expatriates do understand Lebanon's political and security juncture and it is incurred upon us to talk them into the existing opportunities," he added.



In response to a question on the current gridlock in the country, Daouk pointed out at the present difficult and critical time. "Pertaining to the political situation, it is known that there is an elections law in effect and we must work on the level of the institutions as long as this law was not amended. This is why the elections supervision committee should be formed," he said.



On the extension of the mandate of security commands, Daouk said the security situation required the extension in order to shirk undesired reverberations.



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