SAWT BEIRUT INTERNATIONAL

| 29 March 2024, Friday |

President discusses army affairs, maritime borders demarcation with Minister Sleem

President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, met Energy Minister, Walid Fayyad, today at Baabda Palace.

The electricity plan and methods to complete it in light of the discussions which took place in the Cabinet were discussed in the meeting.

The Energy Minister indicated that he briefed President Aoun on the results of the on-going contacts with the World Bank to finance electricity and gas import from Egypt, Syria and Jordan. Minister Fayyad also stated his remarks on the draft budget.

President Aoun received National Defense Minister, Maurice Sleem, and deliberated with him Army rights in terms of social contributions.

The demarcation of southern maritime borders, in light of the coming visit of the US envoy, Amos Hochstein, in the next two days, was also addressed.

The Defense Minister clarified that he also discussed administrative issues related to the needs of the Army, especially contracts and logistical needs.

 

The President received Head of the Maronite League, former MP Nehmatullah Abi Nasr, and addressed with him general affairs.

Abi Nasr said that he briefed the President on the lawsuit filed by the League before the State Shura Council to invalidate the decision issued by the Labor Ministry in decision No.96/1 (Dated 25/11/2021) regarding the professions which should be restricted to Lebanese citizens only.

In addition, Abi Nasr said that he wished the President to work on issuing implementing decrees to implement Law No. 50/17 issued on 7/9/2017 and published in the Official Gazette on 9/14/2017 with its compelling reasons and to establish the Kesrouan Al-Fotouh Jbeil Governorate.

Abi Nasr pointed out that the reasons for the law stated: that balanced development can only be achieved by applying administrative decentralization to activate the role of citizens in managing their local affairs, including the expanded administrative exclusivity that facilitates citizens’ access to administrative services. Accordingly, a new governorate must be established in Mount Lebanon, centred in Jounieh and including the districts of Kesrouan Al Fotouh and Jbeil, and it includes all the official administrative, judicial, educational, health, security and financial departments and institutions, and others that make up the rest of the governorates, similar to the governorate of Nabatiyeh in the south, Baalbek-Hermel governorate in the Bekaa and Akkar governorate in the north.

Moreover, Abi Nasr stressed that there is no reason not to issue implementing and executive decrees for the governorate of Kesrouan Al-Fotouh, Jbeil, and mentioned that he had previously submitted the relevant draft law in May 2003, and it took 14 years for its approval, while five years have passed since the law was issued without decrees being issued.

Finally, Abi Nasr wished that what would be required for implementation would be monitored in the budget if necessary, pointing out that President Aoun promised to follow up on this issue. —-Presidency Press Office