Salameh and Morcos receive families of Aug. 4 victims

BEIRUT — Less than two weeks before the commemoration of the fifth anniversary of the Beirut port explosion, a delegation of victims' families was received by Lebanese Culture Minister Ghassan Salameh, followed by Information Minister Paul Morcos.

Minister Salameh welcomed the delegation at his office in the National Library. They were accompanied by members of the awareness campaign "Al-Chahed al-Samet" (the silent witness), a representative of the indictments chamber, as well as a group of engineers and associations working to preserve heritage and cultural structures. Advisory architect Jad Tabet was also present.

The families of the Aug. 4 victims plan to hold a press conference on Wednesday at 12 p.m. at the Press Club in the Palm Center building, to announce and promote the commemorative and protest march for Aug 4.

The meeting with the Culture Minister focused on the consequences of the port tragedy, the victims' families' right to know the truth, and the need to hold those responsible accountable. The delegation reiterated their request for the Beirut port grain silos to be preserved as a memorial, as a witness to the catastrophe — regardless of future judicial decisions.

Salameh stated that he had been following the issue for some time with all relevant parties and had conducted numerous consultations with heritage experts to assess reports on the condition of the silos. He expressed hope that a decision would be reached before Aug. 4, the fifth anniversary of the explosion.

The victims’ families delegation was also received by Information Minister Paul Morcos. During the meeting, delegation spokesperson Cecile Roukoz called for the launch of a national media campaign involving all Lebanese TV stations. The aim is to commemorate the Aug. 4 explosion and honor the victims, according to the state-run National News Agency (NNA). She also stressed the "urgent need to deliver justice to the victims and their families," urging the government and institutions to increase their support for the cause.

The Beirut port explosion, which killed nearly 250 people and destroyed a large part of the capital on Aug. 4, 2020, will be commemorated next month. Those responsible for the blast — made worse by the presence of a large quantity of stored ammonium nitrate — have yet to face trial.

The latest development: former Public Prosecutor at the Court of Cassation, Judge Ghassan Oueidate, failed to appear on Monday for a scheduled interrogation before investigating judge Tarek Bitar, who had summoned him as part of the ongoing investigation