NNA - Prime Minister Nawaf Salam chaired a meeting at the Grand Serail this afternoon, attended by: Ministers of Finance Yassin Jaber, Defense Major General Michel Mnassah, Foreign Affairs & Emigrants Youssef Rajji, Interior & Municipalities Brigadier General Ahmad al-Hajjar, Justice Adel Nassar, Public Works & Transport Fayez Rasamni, as well as the Secretary General of the Council of Ministers Presidency, Judge Mahmoud Makkieh, and Secretary General of the Supreme Defense Council, Major General Mohammad al-Mustafa.
The meeting was devoted to discussing the events that occurred on the airport road yesterday evening.
On emerging, Justice Minister Nassar said: “The Prime Minister called on the concerned ministers to hold a consultative meeting in light of what happened yesterday on the airport road, whereby the Lebanese state’s adherence to all principles of public liberties was confirmed, including freedom of expression and demonstration. This is stipulated in the preamble to the Constitution and the Human Rights Charter, and this will not change.”
He added: "There is an emphasis on preventing attacks on public property and freedom of movement, and there is also a condemnation of attacks on UNIFIL, and taking all measures to ensure that these incidents will not be repeated."
Nassar assured that the necessary prosecutions will take place, drawing the attention of all citizens that "the law will be applied and any attack on public property or freedom of movement will result in prosecution."
He added, "All necessary measures were discussed to prevent what happened from re-occurring, and there is ongoing follow-up on the issue."
For his part, Public Works Minister Rasamni said that the latest developments were tackled during the meeting, confirming that "the safety of the airport and passengers is a red line," adding, "We were forced to take the necessary measures to protect them, and we are trying to address the issue."
He continued, "There are a number of Lebanese people in Iran, and we have been trying for 48 hours to return them in a dignified manner to Lebanon. Middle East Airlines, graciously, decided to send three planes to secure their return, but the official Iranian authorities did not provide the needed permits." He explained that the required permissions were not obtained today as well, affirming the readiness of the state to bear all the expenses so that the Lebanese can return, even if through neighboring countries, specifically via Baghdad.
"We are following up on the matter on a daily basis, and the Lebanese ambassador in Tehran is following up on the issue. Any Lebanese who wishes to return to Lebanon can contact the Lebanese embassy to secure the return expenses," Rasamni reassured.
He also disclosed that Lebanon's Foreign Minister has requested a meeting with the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon to address the issue diplomatically and find solutions to this problem as soon as possible.
Responding to inquiries about what happened in the past few days, Rasamni explained that the issue is related to airport security, disclosing that there are European sanctions that could affect the course of operations at Beirut Airport and the safety of passengers. "Therefore, we will take any decision related to the security and safety of the airport, and we have taken the appropriate decisions to safeguard the airport from any attack," he asserted.
=========R.Sh.
