Youth and Sports Minister George Kallas met with a delegation from the Ministry of Youth and Sports that returned to Beirut yesterday, Monday. The delegation was headed by the Director of Sports, Mohamed Oueidat, and included the head of the Public Relations Department, Hassan Sharara, and the Minister's office director, Hussein Omar. Kallas listened to the delegation's summary of their participation in the 46th session of the Arab Ministers of Youth and Sports Council held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where they affirmed their support for Lebanon during its current crisis by endorsing its hosting of the event "Beirut, Capital of Arab Youth 2023."
The mechanism for transferring the amount decided for disbursement ($100,000) from the Arab Fund for Youth, Sports, and Scouting Activities to assist the Lebanese Ministry of Youth and Sports with the costs of this event was discussed. The event is expected to include an opening ceremony and four or five activities throughout the year. Oueidat, Sharara, and Omar explained to Minister Kallas that they held a series of side meetings, as per his directives, to explain the Lebanese situation and urge Arab brothers to support Lebanon.
The delegation held meetings with the Executive Office Chairman of the council, Egyptian Youth and Sports Minister Ashraf Sobhi, Vice Chairman and Jordanian Youth and Sports Minister Mohammed Salama Al-Nabulsi, and Iraqi Youth and Sports Minister Ahmed Mohammed Al-Mubarak, who promised "an imminent special Iraqi stand" with Lebanon. In the coming days, Kallas will make the necessary communications with the government presidency and the Ministry of Finance and will visit Cairo to follow up on the procedures related to the mechanism of transferring the allocated funding and to present the celebratory activities that will take place across all Lebanese regions.
