Prime Minister Nawaf Salam received Democratic Gathering member MP Bilal Abdallah, the President of the Northern Iqlim Union of Municipalities Majed Trow, the President of the Southern Iqlim Union of Municipalities Youssef Khreiti, and the Director of the Crisis Cell in Iqlim al-Kharroub Yahya Alaeddine.
Following the meeting, MP Abdallah said:
“It was an honor today to visit Prime Minister Salam, where we briefed him on the work of the crisis cell in our region.
We presented to him the scale of the large displacement our region has witnessed since the beginning of the Israeli aggression, as our area has received nearly 100,000 displaced persons within a limited geographical space, which has placed significant pressure on municipalities and local capacities.
We also informed him of the developments and ongoing situation on the ground, the increasing needs day after day, and the efforts made by municipalities, unions of municipalities, and various teams to secure shelter centers and assistance, in addition to following up on the housing apartments file for displaced people. We stress that the need for support will be very significant in the coming phase.
We sensed the Prime Minister’s commitment to following up on this file with us, given its importance in supporting the resilience of our people in the region, especially as managing this issue receives considerable attention from him.
We also extended our appreciation to everyone working on this file, including the Minister of Interior and Municipalities Ahmad Al-Hajjar for his efforts in following up on administrative matters, and the Minister of Social Affairs Hanine El-Sayyed for the support she has provided, in addition to the efforts of the High Relief Commission, the South Council, and the associations and organizations that helped address some of the shortages in the region.
However, we still need more support and resources in order to fulfill our duties as required.
We also salute all those working on the ground, including ambulance teams, hospitals, primary healthcare services, and all civil society organizations assisting in following up on this humanitarian file.
We affirm that municipalities remain the first line of defense in facing this crisis, as they bear the greatest burden in daily follow-up on the ground. Therefore, we called for accelerating the payment of the dues and assistance required for municipalities by the Ministry of Finance so that they can continue performing their role.
In conclusion, we emphasize that our primary goal remains supporting the resilience of our people and ensuring basic social and health services until stability returns and everyone can go back to their normal lives.”
Prime Minister Salam also received the Australian Ambassador to Lebanon, Andrew Barnes, on a farewell visit marking the end of his diplomatic mission in Lebanon.
