MPs of the Bcharre District, Strida Tawk Geagea, and Melhem Tawk, express their gratitude to all those who made an effort to attend the final farewell of the martyrs Malik and Haitham Tawk from outside the Bcharre area, including deputies, officials, spiritual and civic figures.
They also thank their families in Bcharri and all the villages and towns in the district for their commitment, refraining from firing shots, and extensive participation in the funeral.
In response to the decision issued on 03/07/2023 by Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, numbered 86/2023, which forms a committee to study the issue of property boundary disputes and water conflicts in multiple real estate areas, including the deputies of the Bcharri District, Strida Tawk Geagea, and Melhem Tawk, confirm the following:
Firstly, the decision above blatantly violates the principle of separation of powers stipulated in the preamble of the Lebanese Constitution, as the consideration of property disputes falls under the jurisdiction of the judicial authority and not the political authority.
The mentioned decision is also contrary to Article 3 of the Constitution, which does not allow the modification of administrative regions except by law. Thus, deviating from this article and granting the committee administrative jurisdiction, headed by a minister, to decide on property disputes is outside the government's authority, whether it is a legitimate government or a caretaker government.
Secondly, regarding the issue of "Qornat al-Shahidayn," we believe that Prime Minister Mikati, with this decision, is reverting the matter back to square one, even though it has gone through many years of legal proceedings and reached the final stage, the decision stage after Bcharri Municipality and the other party presented their arguments, documents, and evidence before the competent judicial authorities.
If the intention behind the Prime Minister's decision is to expedite the resolution of the matter under the weight of the heinous crime that occurred on our land and claimed the lives of the martyrs Malik and Haitham Tawk, the repercussions of this decision will lead to opposite results.
Therefore, we urge him to reconsider it immediately and request the Minister of Justice to take the necessary steps to expedite the decision by the judicial authorities.
Thirdly, we request Prime Minister Mikati, exercising his powers as the head of the government, to exert strong efforts in accelerating the investigation process into the crime of "Qornat al-Shahidayn" and to ask the military and security authorities to reveal the truth behind the killing of the martyrs Malik and Haitham Tawk, identify the perpetrators, facilitators, and instigators of this crime, and bring them all to justice to receive the harshest penalties.
Later on, the media office of Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati issued a statement that said:
"The Prime Minister, from his responsible position, in light of the serious security developments that have occurred in the Qornat al-Sawda area, as well as the recurring disputes in multiple areas due to property disagreements that sometimes take on sectarian dimensions, has decided to activate the work of the committee formed since 2010 to study how to benefit from the waters of Qornat al-Sawda.
The committee will also address the issue of property boundaries, meaning that its scope of work includes studying water distribution and how to utilize it in disputed areas, as well as developing a plan for environmental protection and identifying protected areas.
The formation of the committee in the manner it was done was based on the nature of its tasks, which are not limited to the property aspect only as mentioned above. Furthermore, the presence of a representative from the Ministry of Justice among the committee members serves to preserve the essential role of the judiciary in this context. It should be noted that the slow progress in completing the delineation work can be compensated for by temporary solutions proposed by the committee while awaiting the final decision by the competent judiciary. It is also worth mentioning that the Supreme Judicial Council referred in its statement issued yesterday to a series of judicial decisions that have been made, yet the disputes continue, indicating that the resolution is not solely limited to the judicial aspect.
However, in light of the objections and debates that have arisen, Mikati contacted the Chairman of the Committee, Caretaker Minister of Interior and Municipalities Bassem Mawlawi, and requested him to postpone the committee's meeting, thereby suspending its work.
Additionally, he contacted Caretaker Minister of Justice Henri Khoury and requested him to follow up on the file with the Supreme Judicial Council to expedite the resolution of relevant judicial cases."