Today, Prime Minister Najib Mikati received the Commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), General Arnaldo Lazaro, at the Serail. They discussed the current security situation in the south, the implementation of Resolution 1701, and the ongoing coordination between UNIFIL and the army.
Minister of Displaced Persons
President Mikati held a meeting with Minister of Displaced Persons Issam Sharafeddine, who announced after the meeting: "Thanks to efforts with the Syrian leadership and specifically with the Syrian Minister of Defense, around ninety percent of new Syrian displacement in the northern region has been halted. We are following up on this issue at the ministry, and hopefully, the file of displaced persons will be placed on the agenda for the next Cabinet session."
Court of Accounts
President Mikati, in the presence of the Secretary-General of the Council of Ministers, Judge Mahmoud Makiyeh, received the President of the Court of Accounts, Judge Mohammad Badran, along with a delegation. Judge Badran presented to President Mikati the accounts settlement reports for 2001-2002 and a special report concerning the Ministry of Telecommunications.
Bou Faour
President Mikati met with MP Wael Bou Faour, and they discussed the general situation during the meeting.
Union of Used Car Importers
President Mikati received a joint delegation from the "Union of Used Car Importers," headed by President Walid Francis, and the Union of Owners of Used Cars, headed by President Eli Qazzi. They presented the problems faced by this sector regarding the vehicle registration process at the relevant authority. After the meeting, President Francis stated: "We presented to President Mikati the issues we are facing in the vehicle registration authority, where we have more than 1200 cars that we have been unable to register. We pay the cost of the car abroad, pay customs fees, and cannot register them because the work at the authority is stalled due to employees' strikes and the limited number of staff available, as well as the arbitrariness in completing transactions. Thus, we came to inform President Mikati about the problem we are facing in order to resolve it."
