Caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab received on Friday at the Grand Serail a delegation of the Beirut Port Blast Martyrs' Families Committee, in the presence of the Minister of Social Affairs and Tourism Ramzi Musharrafieh, the Secretary-General of the Higher Relief Commission, Major General Mohammad Khair, and the PM’s advisors, Khodor Taleb and Hussein Kaafarani.
The delegation included Kayan Tlais, Youssef Al-Mawla, Mohammad Zahed, Ibrahim Hoteit, Mohi Al-Din Al-Ladkani, Nabih Tarabay, Carlos Merhi, Tatiana Hasrouti, Fatima Harb and Mahdi Zahreddine.
PM Diab offered his condolences to the families of the martyrs, reaffirming that he will always stand by their side, and stressing that judicial investigations are taking their normal course, after all administrative measures were taken, immediately after the explosion, as promised by the government.
He also informed the delegation that he had signed a bill for considering those who were martyred during the explosion as LAF martyrs, and for grating right-holders compensation and retirement pensions that are usually given to the family of a soldier who falls during the performance of his duty; persons who differed a total or partial disability as a result of the explosion will also benefit, for life, from healthcare benefit allowances provided by the National Social Security Fund.
After the meeting, Hoteit spoke on behalf of the delegation, saying: "We met Premier Hassan Diab and spoke out about our concerns and worries, briefing him about our rightful demand, which is to equate our martyrs with the LAF martyrs. For the first time, we feel that we are in front of a statesman who was fully responsive to our demands with a great sense of sympathy and humanity. He informed us that he has signed a bill to grant compensation and retirement pensions for the families of those who were martyred in the Beirut Port blast, and that he referred it to the Parliament. We will be meeting with Speaker Nabih Berri in the coming days, requesting him to sign this decree”.