Day: June 4, 2023

Progressive Socialist Party Chief, Walid Jumblatt, and the head of the ‘Democratic Gathering’, MP Taymour Jumblatt, held a coordination meeting with a delegation of ‘1948 Arabs’ from the occupied Palestinian territories, led by activist Saeed Nafaa, in the city of Larnaca in Cyprus, with the participation of MP Wael Abu Faour, former Minister Ghazi Al-Aridi and Mrs. Nora Jumblatt. Discussions centered on ways to enhance communication and cooperation in various fields and to emphasize the Arab identity of all segments of the Palestinian people. In his address during the meeting, Jumblatt said: “After a long period of interruption for subjective and objective reasons, and the outbreak of the revolution of the Arab peoples – I do not like the term ‘Arab Spring’ being an orientalist expression by the West, for the Arab people want their freedom and dignity as they are occupied by the regimes, just as Palestine is occupied by the Zionists – today we returned to communication, and what is important is having more of this communication, because today we have learned a lot about the well-known Arab community from inside occupied Palestine, and we want to continue with you on the basis of the Arab-Islamic national heritage, knowing that we are facing huge problems just like you…’ Jumblatt touched in his word on the number of detainees inside the occupation prisons, and what the Zionist institutions are doing, stressing at the same time “the importance of ongoing commitment to the Palestinian cause and the full rights of the Palestinian people,” expressing his belief in this context that the so-called two-state solution has failed. He considered that “things are heading towards more extremism in Israel…so we have to expect the worst…The danger is looming over all the people of the interior, not just the Druze Arabs, and the few moderate elites in Israeli society no longer exist.” Jumblatt also shed light in his word on the conditions of the Druze Unitarians in Lebanon, referring to the establishment of the Institute of Monotheistic Sciences in Abey, in an attempt to reach the Higher Institute of Monotheistic Sciences which was in the past the project of his late father, Mentor Kamal Jumblatt, when he established the ‘Irfan Al-Tawhid Foundation’ with Sheikh Ali Zeineddine.

Source: National News Agency – Lebanon

MP Michel Moawad announced, during a press conference this evening, that he has withdrawn his candidacy for the presidency, saying: “I decided to contribute to reaching this intersection that led to the nomination of Jihad Azour, and we shall relentlessly continue our battle.”

Source: National News Agency – Lebanon

MP Mark Daou announced, in a press conference held this evening, the opposition’s nomination of former minister Jihad Azour for the presidency, saying: “He is the candidate capable of protecting Lebanon from collapse and domination.” Daou called on the Speaker of the House to call for a session immediately to elect a presiodent through successive rounds.

Source: National News Agency – Lebanon

The Minister of Culture, Dr. Labana Mashouh discussed on Sunday with her Lebanese counterpart Muhammad Wissam Al-Mortada, ways to activate cultural cooperation between the two countries and the need to develop an executive program for this purpose.

Mashouh underlined the importance to spread culture that would support common identity and values and advance the future of children of the two countries, especially there are many historical and geographical commonalities between the two countries.

Mashouh voiced hope that the joint efforts to promote cultural relations would success to serve the interest of both countries.

For his part, the Lebanese Minister of Culture referred to values, and literary and archaeological heritage which the two countries have them, highlighting the importance of cooperation in fighting the cultural and media war facing the two countries.

The Lebanese Minister invited Mashouh to visit Lebanon to discuss the implementation of cultural cooperation steps.

Source: Syrian Arab News Agency

On a journey entitled ‘A tribute to the countries that offered help to Syria in response to the devastating earthquake’, the world-renowned Syrian traveler Khalifa al-Hussein set out Sunday to travel on foot from the General Sports Federation in Damascus for the Iranian Capital of Tehran, passing through Iraq.

“This journey is a tribute to the countries that offered help and assistance to Syria during th earthquake catastrophe,” Khalifa al-Hussein stated to SANA.

He expected the journey to take 75 days and hailed the support provided by the General Sports Federation to facilitate all the logistical matters needed.

“I am accompanied by Fakhr al-Din Qabawah, a player for the Syrian national rugby team,” he said. “Though it is Qabawah’s first experience, he has the ambition to continue travelling till he reaches the global journeys,” he added.

Khalifa al-Hussein, 61 years old, set out his first journey in 1994 from the Syrian Deir Ezzor to the city of Al-Qardaha, then travelled to all Arab and European countries with different slogans which conveyed the message of love and peace from Syria to the world.

Source: Syrian Arab News Agency

The Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus in Busra al-Sham in southern Syria is considered one of the ancient roofed church building in the world.

The church was built in 407 according to Busra calendar for 512 AD,

and it is located in the north of the Nabatean Gate and south of Monastery of Monk Bahira.

Speaking to SANA reporter, Anas Mikdad, who has PhD in Archaeology, said that the General Directorate of Antiquities and Museums, in cooperation with the Italian mission from Ravenna University, have removed the modern houses next to the church to showing the church’ structure and highlighting the hidden aspects of architecture and decorations in it.

The church has a round geometric shape as many churches were built in the same way, such as Apamea, Seleucia, and Resafa, and Byzantine cathedral in Aleppo, Church of St. George in Izraa in 515 AD and Church of St. John the Baptis in Jerash in 531 AD, Mikdad said.

The Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus has 3 doors on all sides with windows , covered with marble and oil paintings ,some of which still exist , in addition to picture of Virgin Mary with her extended hands surrounded by angels, He indicated.

Mikdad noted that excavations that took place inside the church have showed the mosaic floor decorated with unique geometric drawings, while its western façade is wonderfully decorated with its arches,

columns, and decorations.

He added that most of it remained until the nineteenth century, extending in a rectangular form 9 meters wide, and 26 meters long.

It is noteworthy that the General Directorate of Antiquities and Museums worked to restore and remove modern buildings to show its beauty in 1970.

Source: Syrian Arab News Agency

An official source in the Ministry of Energy announced that, as a precautionary measure, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will extend its voluntary cut of 500 thousand barrels per day until the end of December 2024, in coordination with some countries participating in the OPEC Plus agreement.

This voluntary reduction from the required production level as agreed upon at the thirty-fifth ministerial meeting of OPEC Plus on June 4, 2023.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

The Speaker of the Shura Council, Sheikh Dr. Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al Al-Sheikh, held an official session of talks in Riyadh, with the Speaker of the House of the People of Somalia, Adan Mohamed Nur, during his current visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Speaker of the Shura Council welcomed the Speaker of the House of the People of the Federal Parliament of Somalia and his accompanying delegation, stressing the importance of working to strengthen bilateral relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Federal Republic of Somalia, especially the parliamentary relations between the Shura Council and the Somali Parliament.

For his part, the Somali Speaker of House of the People expressed his thanks and gratitude for the invitation of the Shura Council Speaker to visit the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He also stressed the Somali Parliament’s keenness to strengthen the bilateral relations with the Shura Council. He also stated that he valued the humanitarian efforts provided by the Kingdom to the Federal Republic of Somalia through King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief).

During the session, the two sides stressed the importance of coordination and cooperation on various issues of common interest, in addition to strengthening parliamentary cooperation through the exchange of bilateral visits to serve the two countries’ common interests. The two sides also discussed a number of issues of common interest between them in various fields.

Source: Saudi Press Agency

The efforts of the national cadres are concerted to serve the pilgrims benefiting from the Makkah Route Initiative in the Kingdom of Morocco, as the second flight of the initiative left today for Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah.

The Ministry of Interior implements the initiative in cooperation with several entities, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, the General Directorate of Passports, the General Authority of Civil Aviation, the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority, the Saudi Data and AI Authority (SDAIA), the Pilgrim Experience Program and Elm Company.

The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) met with a number of Saudi cadres working on the initiative at Mohammed V International Airport in Casablanca, where they affirmed that this initiative reflects the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s interest in serving the pilgrims and facilitating the performance of their rituals with ease and comfort.

The Supervisor of the Makkah Route Initiative team in the Kingdom of Morocco, Major Bedah Al-Qahtani, said that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had harnessed all its capabilities to support this initiative in the Kingdom of Morocco and several countries, which comes to serve the pilgrims through the latest technical equipment, and qualified cadres, to complete the entry procedures for pilgrims with ease and comfort.

Source: Saudi Press Agency