​Statement:

At the end of the session, Minister of Information Ziad Makari read the following statement:

 “The Council of Ministers held an extraordinary session this morning at Baabda Palace, headed by the President of the Republic. At the beginning of the session, President Aoun asked to observe a minute of silence for the victims of the boat, then offered his condolences to their families and wished recovery for the survivors, hoping to know the fate of the rest of the passengers who are being searched for.  President Aoun said: What happened is an accident that has hurt us all, and it must be dealt with from various aspects, and the judiciary should investigate the circumstances of the sinking of the boat, amid conflicting accounts about it, with the aim of clarifying the truth and putting an end to any contradictory interpretations or interpretations.

 President Aoun also drew attention to other security incidents in Tripoli and Beirut and an attack on Energy Minister Walid Fayyad, all of which are unacceptable and unjustified, calling for taking the necessary measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.

After deliberation, the Cabinet decided the following:

 1- Assigning the Higher Relief Commission to take all the necessary measures related to the matter to accompany the families of the victims and to transfer the necessary appropriations from the general budget reserve to the budget of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers - the Higher Relief Commission - on the basis of the twelve rule.

 2- Assigning the Ministry of Social Affairs to communicate with international bodies and organizations to explore the possibility of providing assistance in the health, humanitarian, and psychological fields to the victims and their families.

 3- Requesting the army command to conduct a transparent investigation into the circumstances of the accident, under the supervision of the competent judiciary, and requesting the army to intensify its search and rescue efforts for the missing in cooperation with the international emergency forces (UNIFIL).

 4- Requesting the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants and National Defense to communicate with international bodies to help secure the equipment and mechanisms needed to float the sunken boat.

 5- Assigning the Minister of Social Affairs to amend the conditions for benefiting from the emergency social safety net project and the poorest families project to enable the largest segment of the Lebanese to benefit from them.

6- Formation of a committee headed by the Deputy Prime Minister and the membership of the Ministers: Justice, Finance, Administrative Development Affairs, Interior and Municipalities, Social Affairs, Economy and Trade.

 7- A request to the Ministries of Interior, Municipalities and Finance to transfer Tripoli municipality dues from the Independent Municipal Fund.

 8- A request from the Ministry of Public Works and Transport to instruct whoever is required to register all marine boats with the Presidency of the concerned ports in accordance with the rules, within a maximum period of 3 months from its date, at the risk of confiscating all unregistered boats within this period, as required by the laws and regulations in force.

 The Council of Ministers also decided to approve the request of the Ministry of Social Affairs to pay the coverage of joint contracts with civil and religious associations for the year 2022.

 In addition, the Council condemned the attack on the Minister of Energy and Water, Walid Fayyad, and asked the security and judicial authorities to take the necessary measures to prosecute the perpetrators and impose penalties against them.

 The Council of Ministers also asked the security services to prevent attacks on people and property”.