Daily Star - Iraqi premier to work on releasing Lebanese truckers - April 28, 2010

By Nafez Kawas
Daily Star correspondent

BEIRUT: Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki assured Premier Saad Hariri that he would work on releasing the 120 arrested Lebanese truck drivers, Information Minister Tarek Mitri told reporters at the end of a Cabinet session at the Grand Serail.
Some 120 Lebanese drivers of trucks carrying cement from the Lebanese National Cement firm “Al-Sabaa” were arrested in Iraq after a decision to ban the entrance of such vehicles.
Reports said bags with the firm’s stamp were found in sites hit by bombings in Iraq.
Mitri said Hariri briefed ministers on his visit to Egypt where he met Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and discussed with him the recent Israeli threats against Lebanon.
Mubarak stressed that his country’s stance was always supporting Lebanon in all fields.
Hariri stressed the need to ensure food safety, praising Agriculture Minister Hussein al- Hajj Hassan’s efforts in the field, and called for hastening the approval of the food-safety law.
The Cabinet formed a ministerial committee tasked with coordinating with administrations and taking appropriate measures to tackle problems relate to food safety.
“Concerning the demands raised by the General Labor Confederation (GLC), Hariri urged relevant ministers to discuss the demands with the GLC without politicization, especially that the government is united on this issue,” said Mitri.
The Cabinet was briefed on the complaint filed against Israel in the Security Council over Israel’s erection of a memorial status in the occupied Shebaa Farms as well as the Israeli complaint against MP Qassem Hashem, who headed a protest to remove the memorial.
The Cabinet reiterated its “firm” position regarding Israeli violations of Lebanon’s territories and sovereignty, voicing determination to follow up on the complaint.
Hariri also outlined to ministers his ongoing contacts aimed at rallying support against Israel’s recent threats against Lebanon after Israeli allegations that Syria had transferred Scud missiles to Hizbullah.