Makkari: Electing a President Before the End of the Year as Soon as Possible

Media Minister in the caretaker government, Ziad Makkari, indicated today, Wednesday, after his meeting with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri at the second presidential palace in Ain al-Tineh, that "we discussed matters related to politics and the country and the process of electing a president. Of course, there was an emphasis on electing a president before the end of the year and as soon as possible." Makkari added: "I spoke with the president about the possibility of accelerating the discussion of the media law, which the Ministry of Media sent to the Administration and Justice Committee, and contacts were made with parliamentary circles. God willing, the discussion on this will start in Parliament, because, as you see, this matter reflects the political and social crisis we are going through in the country. We must look at what is happening on social media and how it interacts with all the events taking place in Lebanon. We certainly agree that media is a free platform, especially since it is a country of freedoms, and this matter is not up for discussion." He further added: "We also discussed the issue that occurred at Tele Liban, and I assured him that the Tele Liban screen has not closed and will not close, as long as we are present; this institution is the memory of Lebanon and is its present, and we hope it will be its future. We confirmed that the employees of Tele Liban will receive their full rights like those in the public sector." Berri also received the Japanese Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Kenji Yamada, and the accompanying delegation in the presence of the Japanese ambassador to Lebanon, Magoshi Masayuki, where they reviewed the general situation in Lebanon and the region and the bilateral relations between the two countries. Additionally, the Speaker of the Council met with Tirana Hassan, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch, accompanied by the organization's director for the Middle East, Lama Fakih.