President of the National Dialogue Party, MP Fouad Makhzoumi, visited Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, accompanied by Political Adviser Dr. Carol Zouein. They discussed the general situation in the country.
Following the meeting, Makhzoumi said that he had discussed with Speaker Berri the overall situation in Lebanon, particularly in light of Parliament’s beginning to address economic issues. He added, “There are two key issues that must be discussed. The first is maritime border demarcation, which is essential for the coming phase and for easing tensions in the region. The second is our economic problems.”
He noted that the government’s proposed plan to return depositors’ funds did not appear to be a viable initiative capable of safeguarding people’s rights. He stressed the need for Parliament to work toward developing ideas that would first resolve the issue of depositors’ funds, second restore confidence in the country and its banking system, and third find economic solutions, particularly as many Lebanese families have now fallen below the poverty line.
Makhzoumi added that Beirut faces two major problems: electricity and water. Regarding electricity, he explained that he and the Makhzoumi Foundation had personally sought to address part of the problem by installing solar-powered lighting on Beirut’s commercial and residential streets. However, the issue of providing electricity to homes remained unresolved. He noted that Speaker Berri had understood the concern and would call for a meeting of the Public Works Committee to discuss both water and electricity issues.
On the water issue, Makhzoumi explained that the water network was more than 50 years old and used asbestos, a material harmful to health. He added that the network was also deteriorating and lacked proper maintenance. The pipe and connection failures witnessed over the previous two weeks demonstrated that replacing individual connections and carrying out maintenance were not sufficient; a comprehensive rehabilitation of the entire network was necessary.
He noted that he had provided Beirut and Mount Lebanon Water Establishment with fiberglass pipes and fittings so they would be available in the event of any problem. “We requested Speaker Berri’s approval to convene the Public Works Committee to find a comprehensive and integrated solution to Beirut’s water problem, including operating the pumping stations that we had offered to power with solar energy. This would provide us with a complete solution rather than a partial one,” he concluded.
