Berri: To give momentum to new mandate by opting for proportionality-based law

NNA - Speaker of the House, Nabih Berri, on Thursday called on Lebanese officials to give momentum to the new political mandate by means of advocating a modern electoral law that helps place Lebanon at the threshold of the future. "Due to the many crises, we have been able to move forward with huge parliamentary steps. At the onset of the Parliament's silver jubilee, we find ourselves faced with the pressing need to attain a lengthily awaited national achievement -- the endorsement of a modern electoral law based on proportionality," House Speaker Nabih Berri said in a word he gave earlier on Thursday during the launch of the Electronic Monitoring of the Parliament's activity. On another level, the lawmaker said that diplomatic contacts had been recently active to secure the implementation of International Security Resolution #1701 to halt Israeli breaches targeting Lebanese territorial waters. Touching on the simmering refugee crises, Berri reminded of the fact that Lebanon hosted two million refugees. "The solution lies in the return of Palestinian refugees to their homeland and the return of the other Arab brethrens to their countries as well," Berri said. He also expressed hope that Lebanon would soon weather all the existing political crises. "We aim to become a state that's void of under-table-agreements and marginalization of others," he added. ==================R.H.