Seeking justice in Beirut blast: The LACC calls for international fact-finding committee

In response to the continued obstruction of the Lebanese judiciary in investigating the Beirut Port explosion, the Lebanese American Coordinating Committee (LACC) has reiterated its call to establish an international fact-finding committee. 

The committee stressed the legitimacy of the struggle by reformist and change-seeking sovereign forces, along with community forces, to pursue this direction.

LACC emphasized the significance of the recent statement of the Quintet Committee following its meeting in Qatar, affirming the necessity of implementing the Taif Agreement and United Nations resolutions relevant to Lebanon, asserting that this could pave the way for restoring sovereignty and implementing essential structural and sectoral reforms.

The statement further underscored the urgent need for electing a sovereign, reformist, and salvation-oriented president in the Lebanese Parliament while halting any attempt to disrupt the electoral process with practices unrelated to the constitution.

The committee also addressed the European Parliament's recent resolution regarding Lebanon's refugee issue, as it found it unjust to link the return of Syrian refugees to a political solution, as this poses a threat to Lebanon's identity and burdens due to the massive refugee crisis.

The statement read that on the eve of the third anniversary of the Beirut Port explosion and the obstacles faced by justice, Lebanon continues to grapple with a dangerous vacuum in the position of the presidency for eight months. 

This vacuum now extends to the governance of the Central Bank of Lebanon, as state institutions continue to deteriorate, and the effectiveness of the private sector is struck, all while liberties are under attack. 

These circumstances severely hinder all efforts to abide by the constitution, restore sovereignty, revive economic recovery, and implement structural and sectoral reforms, thereby threatening Lebanon's identity and existence, it asserted.

The LACC, comprised of Lebanese-American organizations, closely monitored and expressed deep concern about the challenges facing the Lebanese people at all levels.

The LACC reaffirmed its commitment to continue the struggle for the Lebanese cause without relenting while anticipating enhanced cooperation with the Lebanese-French Coordination Committee (Comité de Coordination Libano-Français) (CCLF) in Paris, France, and all the Lebanese diaspora in the same context.