'Democratic Gathering' President Presides Over Large Beirut Meeting... Interior Minister: We Aim to Declare It Soon a Model City in Security

Beirut: Lebanese parliamentary figurehead Taimour Walid Jumblatt, head of the Democratic Meeting, sponsored a gathering organized by meeting member Faisal Al-Sayyig in honor of Beirut’s prominent figures at one of the city’s restaurants. Attendees included, alongside Jumblatt, Interior and Municipalities Minister Brigadier Ahmad Al-Hajjar, Public Works and Transport Minister Fayez Rasamni, Agriculture Minister Nizar Hani, and MPs Bilal Abdullah, Fouad Makhlouf, Adnan Trabelsi, and Ibrahim Manmana. Former MPs Muhammad Amin Itani and Atef Majdalani, former minister Muhammad Shaqir, Bank of Lebanon Deputy Governor Dr. Makram Bou Nassar, Beirut Governor Judge Marwan Aboud, Beirut Municipal Council President Ibrahim Zidan, former president Abdullah Darwish, members of the current and former municipal councils, Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) Vice President Zahir al-Ra’d, MP Jumblatt’s advisor Hussam Harb, PSP General Secretary Zafir Nasser, members of the leadership and commissioners’ councils, Beirut Interior Department Deputy Director Walid Aqil, agency staff, Beirut personalities, and invited guests.

In his speech, Al-Hajjar stated that this large gathering, marked by its notable Beirut presence, confirms that Beirut will remain a unifying home for all sons of the nation. “It is our duty to ensure security in Beirut and to strive to declare it soon a model city in terms of security. We will intensify measures and steps to address problems, including the traffic crisis,” he said, adding that “the Beirut Municipality can offer more,” and affirming “cooperation with it to enhance efforts toward the city’s revival.”

He also addressed Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s visit to Nabatieh accompanied by ministers, clarifying that it serves to underscore the South’s priority in the government’s agenda and its commitment to providing all resources to support the resilience of southerners.

In his remarks, Al-Sayyig affirmed “support for the option of negotiation as long as it leads to the liberation of land, the return of residents, the release of prisoners, and the recovery of deposited funds,” and viewed “Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s visit to the South as a clear signal of commitment to the land and sovereignty,” emphasizing “the necessity of the state’s presence in the South.”

For his part, Makhlouf praised Al-Hajjar’s efforts in supporting the Beirut Municipality and Beirut families, calling on the Federation of Beirut Families Associations and those committed to the capital to “turn the page on the past and work to embrace all families and advance Beirut.”