President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, met Education Minister, Abbas AL-Halaby, today at Baabda Palace:

Statement:

After the meeting, Minister Al-Halaby made the following statement:

“I was honoured to meet His Excellency, President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, at the beginning of this year. I wished him blessed holidays, and that the New Year would be a good beginning for Lebanon and the Lebanese.

The situation is difficult and delicate, but in all the debates and confrontations there remains a light space, which together we can use to discuss the possibilities of saving our country. It is our responsibility to address the situation by giving priority to the public interest over our differences, no matter how deep they may be.

Hence, I believe that it is necessary to transcend all considerations and go to a comprehensive dialogue on all controversial topics and headlines, without this being a substitute for the Parliament, the Ministers and all constitutional institutions.

I found the President of the Republic very sad about the situation that the country has reached, and he affirmed that he will spare no effort to get out of the crisis, and that he is aware of his responsibilities, and will exercise them. The President will continue to move in a different direction to find solutions that will reduce the suffering of the people”.

Questions & Answers:

Question: What about the demand from several schools and parents to postpone the return to schools for around two weeks?

Answer: “If students stay at home, will the pandemic stop? Even in countries which complain of a significant increase in the number of infections and COVID outbreak, schools didn’t close doors. This is because schools are safe areas where students always wear masks throughout the day, whereas students will not put masks at home or when meeting their friends. There are measures which we will discuss with the Health Minister, and we will announce several practical measures which will reassure students, parents, members of the educational staff and school administrations”.

MP Hussein:

The President received MP, Mustafa Hussein, and addressed with him general affairs, government developments, parliamentary elections in addition to social, health and humanitarian needs of Akkar.

MP Hussein stated that the President reviewed the Army Command decision to prevent fishermen in Abdah from going out in the sea to catch fish. Hussein hoped that this decision be reconsidered since fishing is the only source of livelihood from which these fishermen live.

For his part, the President promised to follow-up the issue with concerned authorities.

Former Rahme:

President Aoun met former MP Emile Rahme, and discussed with him general affairs.

After the meeting, Rahme said: “At the beginning of this year, I wished His Excellency the President happy holidays, and that the New Year would be a good beginning for Lebanon and the Lebanese”.

“The situation is difficult and delicate, but in all the debates and confrontations, there remains a light space, which we can together use to discuss the possibilities of saving our country, and it is our responsibility to address the situation by giving priority to the public interest over our differences, no matter how deep these debates are” Rahme continued.

“Hence, I believe that it is necessary to transcend all considerations and go to a comprehensive dialogue on all controversial topics and headlines, without this being a substitute for the Parliament, the Council of Ministers, or any constitutional institution” Rahme continued.

Rahme also revealed that he “Found the President of the Republic very painfully affected by the situation that the country has reached, and he stressed that he will spare no effort to get out of the crisis, and that he is aware of his responsibilities, and will exercise them, and will continue to move in a different direction to find solutions that will reduce people’s suffering”.

Finally, Rahme indicated that President Aoun asked him about the circumstances of the theft of the ancient house of the poet Khalil Mutran in Baalbek, and condemned this action.

President Aoun also emphasized that the security services must prosecute and punish the perpetrators.

Source: National News Agency