Daily Post - Lebanese who fled to Israel in 2000 granted right to return, November 2nd 2011

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Parliament approved Wednesday a draft law granting nationals who fled to Israel in 2000 after the withdrawal by the Jewish state the right to return to their home country.

Among the decisions reached by the assembly was the approval of a draft law to set up a retirement fund for the Lebanese Doctors Syndicates in Beirut and Tripoli.

However, Prime Minister Najib Mikati opposed a draft law that would have granted compensation or a pension to Lebanese who were freed from Syrian prisons.

The assembly convened to discuss 22 items on its agenda as the legislative session began with heated debates and accusations from rival lawmakers.

Before the start of the legislative session, several lawmakers took to the dais to discuss several issues, including the controversial report alleging involvement of Syrian Embassy in the kidnapping of a number of Syrian dissidents.

The report has been discussed during sessions by the parliamentary Human Rights Committee.

Describing the case a humanitarian one, Progressive Socialist Party MP Akram Shehayeb said a serious investigation was needed to uncover the truth behind the kidnappings.

“There are families who are waiting for their [kidnapped] relatives. There is a humanitarian side to this … [which is that people] have the right to life. They were kidnapped either because of a political opinion, an opposing stance or for a history of struggle,” Shehayeb said during the first hour of the session.

He urged the creation of a joint parliamentary committee to seriously follow up on the matter in a bid to have clear answers on the matter.

“We know that there are no ghosts or UFOs that came down and kidnapped them but we know that the kidnappers have the expertise and the capability,” he added.

March 14 coalition MP Marwan Hamadeh also took the podium to discuss various security concerns, including the kidnapping of the Syrian dissidents the failure of the government to fund the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and the recent controversial incidents in Burj Hammoud.

“When Lebanese citizens or Arabs are kicked out because of their race or sect, then what is left of Lebanon’s chivalry, sanctity or its authenticity,” Hamadeh said, referring to alleged evictions of Kurds in the Burj Hammoud area because of their stances on the crisis in Syria.

Tensions between many Lebanese Armenians and Kurdish laborers in Burj Hammoud are the result of recent crime on the streets of the Beirut district, rather than developments in Syria, political and security sources told The Daily Star Sunday.

Hamadeh also asked Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri to protect the country from a possible collapse.

Lawmakers also discussed Tuesday's incident at Lebanese American University where partisans of former Prime Minister Saad Hariri's Future Movement clashed with student supporters of Berri's Amal Movement.

During the session, Hamadeh was involved in a verbal altercation with Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP Hasan Fadlallah, when the latter described Qoraitem, a Beirut neighborhood where former Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s residence is located, as a security zone.

Future Movement politicians Ghazi Yousef and Mohammad Qabbani accused Energy and Water Minister Jibran Bassil of violating the law and the Constitution in the implementation of the $1.2 billion electricity bill that was passed in Parliament in late September.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2011/Nov-02/152909-parliament-convenes-for-legislative-session.ashx#axzz1cYU7Z4LC