Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri tweeted today on the loss of Lebanese Engineer Samir Al-Khatib, saying: “With the passing of Engineer Samir Al-Khatib, I lost a great friend, and Lebanon lost a man whose fingerprints are attested by the various Lebanese regions. I ask God Almighty in this holy month to rest his soul in His vast gardens and to grant his family patience and solace…We belong to Allah and to Him we shall return.”
Source: National News Agency – Lebanon
The patriarchal media office in Bkirki announced in a statement this afternoon, that the Maronite Patriarchate cannot adhere to “the sudden decision to delay daylight saving time for a month, issued by Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, which is an improvised decision without any consultation with the rest of the Lebanese components, and without any regard for international standards, causing confusion and damages at home and abroad.” The statement indicated that these reasons prevent the Maronite Patriarchate and its affiliated dioceses and institutions from abiding by the government’s decision, and therefore, they are committed to moving the clock forward by one hour tonight at midnight, Saturday-Sunday, March 25-26, 2023.
Source: National News Agency – Lebanon
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed by phone today, the possibility of Russia supplying building materials to Turkey for the reconstruction of infrastructure and housing there after the February 6 earthquake, according to “Russia Today” news agency. This came in a statement published by the Kremlin on its website, adding, “The Turkish president once again thanked his Russian counterpart sincerely for the assistance provided by Russia to overcome the repercussions of the earthquake, including the deployment of a Russian field hospital in Hatay province.” It was also agreed to provide building materials from Russia to be used during the reconstruction work in the affected areas, according to the statement. Earlier, Erdogan stated that 650,000 buildings are scheduled to be constructed in the disaster-affected areas, and this major work will be completed within a year.
Source: National News Agency – Lebanon
Prime Minister Najib Mikati issued a statement this afternoon, in which he announced the cancellation of the cabinet session that was scheduled for upcoming Monday. He said: “The process of electing the President of the Republic constitutes the priority required to complete the convening of the constitutional institutions and restore full order to the Lebanese state. This matter, which we stress in all our stances, meetings, and encounters, is shouldered by the deputies who are required to elect the president and not to hesitate in carrying out this constitutional duty.” “However, it seems that some are trying to divert attention from obstructing the election process or failing to secure the consensus required to complete this election, by targetting the government once again, while it strives to ensure the continuity of the work of public utilities and to address basic issues as much as possible and as capabilities allow,” MIkati added. He regretted that instead of taking international stances and warnings about the seriousness of the situation into account and uniting to complete the required resolutions, and activating emergency meetings to discuss how to get out of the crises mentioned by the International Monetary Fund, we are witnessing an attempt to drag the country into a sectarian division to fuel conflicts, “and to give a purely administrative procedure an obnoxious sectarian turn.” “In view of these new circumstances and because we bear the constitutional responsibility with patriotic conviction, but without allowing us to be dragged into suicide or into something that does not resemble our convictions, for all these reasons, we announce the cancellation of the cabinet session that was scheduled for Monday,” Mikati declared. “The deputies and the concerned political and spiritual leaders have the responsibility of electing a new president and forming a new government. Let each party bear its responsibility,” he concluded.
Source: National News Agency – Lebanon
An official in the Turkish Ministry of Interior revealed that it was not possible to determine the identities of 1,297 people who died in the February 6 earthquake in southeastern Turkey, where more than 50,000 people lost their lives in the earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria, whose epicenter was the city of Kahramanmaras, according to “Russia Today” news agency. The head of the Public Security Department at the General Directorate of Security, Vedat Morgan, confirmed, during his presentation of information about the losses after the earthquake to the parliamentary fact-finding committee, that “170 teams and 461 individuals were assigned to work in the region in order to determine the identities of the victims.” Morgan added, “The identities of 3,755 citizens who lost their lives in the earthquake were identified through fingerprints and 275 through photos.” “We currently have 1,297 citizens whose DNA and fingerprint samples we took, and whom we could not identify. Studies are still ongoing,” he said.
Source: National News Agency – Lebanon
Prime Minister Najib Mikati called for “electing a president for the republic and bringing in a specialized team that can receive this load, deal with it, and get the country out of its ordeals,” stressing that he “is unwilling to return to the Grand Serail, contrary to what some people believe.” In response to a question about postponing daylight savings time until April, he said: “It saddens me that the matter has gone in this direction, and what has been decided has been decided.” He also stressed that he “is determined to save the academic year.” Mikati denied the political and media distorting statements about the International Monetary Fund Mission Chief, Ernesto Rigo’s declaring that there was a failure on part of the government in the reform process, saying: “What happened is the opposite. Mr. Rigo seemed to understand what the government did in this regard.”
Source: National News Agency – Lebanon
