Today, Tuesday, Prime Minister Najib Mikati chaired a ministerial, security, and judicial meeting devoted to discussing the issue of Syrian prisoners and convicts. The meeting included Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Abdullah Bou Habib, Justice Judge Henry Khoury, Interior and Municipalities Judge Bassam Mawlawi, Attorney General at the Court of Cassation Judge Jamal Al-Hajjar, General Director of General Security Major General Elias Bissri, Secretary-General of the Supreme Defense Council Major General Mohammed Mustafa, Head of Information Branch at Internal Security Forces Brigadier General Khaled Hamoud, Operations Director at the Army Brigadier General Jean Nahra, and Head of Information Affairs Office in General Security Brigadier General Youssef Al-Madour.
After the meeting, the Minister of Justice stated: "Everyone is aware of the issue of prisons in Lebanon, the overcrowding that exists, and the presence of Syrian convicts and detainees who have not been sentenced. Therefore, today's meeting was dedicated to studying the possibility of resolving the issue of Syrian prisoners and convicts. Indeed, the problem cannot be solved except through communication with the Syrian state. Accordingly, based on the consultations and discussions that took place during the meeting, it is only natural to assign Major General Bissri to undertake this task and explore how to implement the work to resolve the issue of prisoners and detainees. This certainly requires a study of each case and understanding its scope, as the issue cannot be addressed through a singular operation; on the contrary, we start from Lebanese laws, distinguishing between those who have legal residency and those who do not. Naturally, we cannot treat both groups the same way, as the Syrian displacement has not and will not stop, so we must organize this displacement according to the applicable Lebanese laws."
He added: "As I mentioned, the issue requires communication with the Syrian authorities, and we hope to reach a result that alleviates the congestion of prisoners within Lebanese prisons, as everyone knows that there are very serious crimes. Therefore, we must resolve this issue through exploring the possibility of handing over the Syrian detainees in Lebanon to the Syrian authorities, and we hope that this matter will conclude positively."
### Meeting with the Head of Beirut Bar Association
President Mikati also received the Head of the Beirut Bar Association, Fadi Al-Masri, who stated after the meeting: "We were honored to meet President Mikati to follow up on files we raised with him and the Bar Association Council after our election." He added, "The meeting was an opportunity to address national affairs, and we know how closely President Mikati follows them. As a Bar Association, we continue to emphasize their importance, considering them essential and pivotal to the revival of Lebanon, the most important of which is the necessity of electing a President of the Republic and stopping the obstruction, whether at the level of the presidency or the presidencies, and the symbol of national unity and constitutional protection, which also affects the legislative and executive powers, and unfortunately, the judicial authority and the operation of public administrations. I urged the President, who also confirmed the necessity of working intensively to reach elections and restore order to the functioning of institutions."
He continued: "We discussed the issue of depositors and the return of their funds, which is of great concern to us as a Bar Association. I briefed President Mikati on the seminar we organized in this regard and announced our work program, putting him in the picture. We spoke about the necessity and how to work on protecting Lebanon and restoring public financial regulation."
### Meeting with the Head of the Association of Banks
President Mikati received the Head of the Association of Banks, Salim Sfeir, at the head of a delegation from the association. He also met with MP Ahmed Al-Khair, as well as the General Father of the Lebanese Maronite Order, Father Hadi Mahfoud, along with General Managers, Father Michel Abou Taqa and Father Tony Fakhri.
