REPORT: Cabinet approves construction of bridge on Jal el-Dib highway

A cabinet session was held Thursday at the Grand Serail under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Tammam Salam.

The cabinet decided to build a U-shaped bridge in the region of Jal el-Dib, as well as reconsidering the option of sanitary landfills in case the waste deportation was not approved.

After leaving the meeting, Interior Minister Nouhad Mashnouq said that the efforts are heading now to revive landfills plan.

 

For his part, Tourism Minister Michel Faraon said that Britain's Chinook Urban Mining International Company has until Friday to submit the necessary documents over the trash file; otherwise the concerned ministerial panel will have to study alternatives.

 

As for Minister of Telecommunication Boutros Harb, he noted that in case Britain's Chinook Urban Mining International Company turned out to be unable to deport the waste, the administrative ministerial committee that will convene on Saturday will take the legal procedures.

Prior to the session, Mashnouq said that the contract with the waste deportation company must be annulled, calling for resuming discussions to find another solution for the waste crisis.

He added that the issue of referring the case of former Minister Michel Samaha to the judicial council will not be tackled during today’s session.

For his part, Justice Minister Asharaf Rifi stressed the importance of Michel Samaha’s file, noting that he will keep on following up on it “until the Lebanese citizens can enjoy stability and security.”

In turn, Culture Minister Rony Areiji said that the cabinet should retake charge of the waste crisis file, after unveiling several defects in dealing with it.

Education Minister Elias Bou Saab pointed out that the Free Patriotic Movement had been right all along concerning the issue of the waste deportation.

“Neither the company, nor the destination of the deportation were known,” he said, noting that the time has come for waste crisis file to return to the ministerial committee with a participation from the Environment Ministry.

“There was nothing faster than signing the decree to allocate the USD 50 million without knowing where they are headed,” he stated.

Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil said that “it is not their job to find a solution for the waste crisis, but this is the responsibility of the Environment Ministry.”

In this regard, Industry Minister Hussein Hajj Hassan noted that “incinerators and landfills are the only solution for the crisis.”

In turn, Tourism Minister Michel Faraon pointed out that “70 tons of garbage are piled up in a parking area in the Karantina region,” adding that he will request a medical report on the health effects of this disaster.