Syria earthquake: Lebanon sends ministerial delegation to Damascus

Following widespread dissatisfaction with the attitude, which appeared ambiguous, several measures were taken in line with the exceptional circumstance, including the conversion of Lebanon's air and sea facilities into a "crossing bridge" to support the Syrian people, in violation of the Caesar Act's sanctions and the general situation that has existed between both countries since the war on Syria.

A ministerial delegation will arrive in Damascus on Wednesday morning to hold a series of meetings with Syrian officials.

The delegation is headed by caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib and includes: 

- Public Works Minister Ali Hamieh

- Minister of Social Affairs Hector Hajjar

- Agriculture Minister Abbas Hajj Hassan

- Secretary-General of the High Relief Commission, Major General Mohammad Khair

- Director of Medical Care Directorate at the Ministry of Public Health Joseph El Helou

However, to show support for Syria, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati agreed to form the delegation after discussing it with Hamieh and Bou Habib on Tuesday.

The Lebanese delegation will meet the Syrian foreign minister, Faisal Mekdad, and the rest of the details of the agenda were left to the Syrian side, with efforts to arrange a meeting with President Bashar Al-Assad or the Syrian Prime Minister who is following up on rescue operations outside Damascus.

In the meantime, Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport and the Beirut Port became open from Tuesday to the planes and ships of international companies claiming that humanitarian aid cannot be delivered to the ports and airports of Syria. 

This was based on a decision taken by Hamieh, who was assigned by the cabinet to communicate with the Syrian side and coordinate to provide the required assistance.

The decision further said that companies and organizations intending to use Lebanese ports would be excluded from customs taxes imposed on cargo and transit fees during their overland passage to Syria to ease the logistical path for anyone wishing to assist the Syrian people.

Efforts to set up a meeting between the Lebanese delegation, President Al-Assad

The decision came as a complementary step to the Lebanese mission dispatched to Syria on Tuesday morning at the request of the cabinet to help with humanitarian aid efforts there while making sure that it is comparable to the mission that flew to Turkey in terms of size and composition. It was made up of a team from the Red Cross, Civil Defense, and the Beirut Fire Brigade, as well as 15 members of the Lebanese Army Engineering Regiment.

However, many sources claimed that "the disaster that occurred in Syria was not evident at first, due to the world media's focus on Turkey," adding that Hamieh informed the PM about the situation after meeting the Syrian Health Minister Hassan Al-Ghobash on Monday at Beirut airport.

Simultaneously, Bou Habib met Tuesday with representatives of international organizations working in Lebanon and provided them with a copy of the Syrian needs.

He also confirmed Lebanon's readiness to provide all necessary ports for the delivery of this aid to Syria and to "exempt entry visas for members of missions working in the field of relief that want to go from their countries to Syria through Beirut Airport."

 

Syria needs substantial assistance

Al-Akhbar learned that Syrian officials assured those concerned in Lebanon that Syria does not need ambulances, firefighters, paramedics, and rescue workers, which are available to various Lebanese parties willing and ready to help, because "the equipment is well available in Syria, and the human crews are present."

Thus, the Syrian state needs heavy machinery and giant cranes, with a capacity of 50 to 200 tons, to move and lift the roofs of collapsed buildings without destroying them to search beneath for survivors.

 

Only industrialized nations or those always in danger from earthquakes and other natural disasters can offer this assistance.

Such large cranes are not available in Lebanon, and if they are, they are few and owned by institutions involved in contracting and construction that are wary of US penalties, particularly the Caesar Act, should the machinery enter Syrian territory.

Therefore, there hasn't been any practical Lebanese assistance for Syria until now, and those still alive are waiting to be rescued from under the rubble in a race against time.