BEIRUT: Speaker Nabih Berri said on Sunday he will no longer keep silent over the issue of unpaid compensation for the victims of the summer 2006 war with Israel. The month-long war in 2006 saw Israeli warplanes destroy villages in south Lebanon and entire blocks in Beirut’s southern suburbs. The 34-day summer war killed about 1,200 people in Lebanon, most of them civilians, and about 160 in Israel, mostly soldiers.

Speaking to a delegation from the southern village of Qana, Berri said he wouldn’t remain silent on attempts to deprive those whose properties were damaged during the 2006 war from compensation.

“The people of the south will not forgive or give up their legal rights to receive compensation,” the speaker stressed.
Berri vowed to his visitors that the development of south Lebanon would remain a priority for his Development and Liberation parliamentary bloc and all southern MPs.

The speaker added that choosing not to make statements on the issue of the cabinet formation does not mean keeping silent on the “difficulties” faced by the Lebanese.

“Choosing not to make statements on the issue of the government does not at all mean refraining from speaking about demands on living conditions on the eve of the holy month of Ramadan and before the new academic year starts,” Berri told his visitors from Qana. – The Daily Star