BEIRUT: Participants in a roundtable
discussing the fate of Lebanese who went missing during the 1975-1990 Civil War
called over the weekend for the merging of all draft laws dealing with the
issue of the missing and the disappeared.
Participants expressed fears that
passing the legislation might be difficult due to the lack of seriousness
displayed by some politicians. Speaking during the second and final day of
discussions organized by the International Center for Transitional Justice
Saturday at the Gefinor Rotana Hotel in Beirut, Metn MP Ghassan Moukhaiber
called for merging draft laws so as not to “give the impression that the
diversity of texts reflects confusion.”
The draft law (which has 31
articles) proposed by families of the victims calls for the establishment of an
Institute for Missing Persons, including a Bureau and a Public National
Commission among other things.
Another draft law on the same issue
is currently being proposed by Baabda MP Hikmat Deeb and two similar proposals
are being discussed within the government.
Even as he admitted the process
might be time consuming, Moukhaiber endorsed the establishment of a single body
to uncover the fate of 17,000 missing persons to keep efforts centralized.
Also speaking at the ICTJ event, the head of
UMAM Documentation and Research association warned that passing the legislation
might face difficulties as it opposes the interests of politicians.http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2012/Feb-27/164725-mp-draft-laws-on-missing-persons-should-be-merged.ashx#axzz1naY8As4a
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