Michel Edde, a supporter of a unified Lebanon, has passed away

Lawyer, businessman, newspaper man, five times minister and president of many associations, Michel Edde also ran for the position of President of the Republic... To say that Michel Edde’s life was rich and plentiful would be an understatement. To say that he always carried Lebanon close to his heart would be the same. Lebanon, with all its complications, its uniqueness and challenges, was his passion.

A man of immeasurable faith, he was also a man of culture: a passionate Francophone - he would even criticize the passivity of the French in this field - Michel Edde was endowed with sarcastic sense of humor and a deep well of commitment.

All this is reflected, as just one example, in his work as a minister, in his modernization of telecoms, in his work to preserve the architectural heritage of Beirut and in his fight against corruption in higher education. Lebanon lost a giant public figure. L'Orient-Le Jour has lost a Director who was always its supporter and backbone.

(This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour on the 3rd of November)