Sleiman calls on Mansour to hand over a protest letter to Syria

Lebanese President Michel Sleiman voiced discontent on Monday over the violation of border sovereignty, the detonation of a house in Mashari al-Qaa as well as the shelling of border towns, particularly along the northern Lebanese border with Syria.      

In this context, Sleiman called on Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour to hand over a protest letter to Syrian ambassador to Lebanon Ali Abdul Karim Ali who in turn would relay it to Syrian authorities.     

The president also urged the Army Command and concerned authorities to coordinate investigations in order to avoid the repetition of such violations.     

On an economic note, Sleiman pointed to the importance of the public sector calling it “the pillar of the state”. He added that related protests and demonstrations that are taking place are futile seemingly since all pay scales are currently under study.      

Sleiman called on civil servants to back down on the decision to protest, leaving room for improvement.   

Subsequently, the president met with Social Affairs Minister Wael Abou Faour and Health Minister Ali Hassan Khalil with whom he discussed the general situation as well as the national dialogue scheduled for Tuesday.      

For his part, Iranian Ambassador Ghazanfar Ruken Abadi relayed a letter to Sleiman from President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, congratulating him on Lebanon’s “victory over the Israeli aggression in July 2006”.    

On a separate note, Public Prosecutor Judge Said Mirza paid Sleiman a farewell visit since he has reached the age of retirement.