Invited by the Lebanese Transportation Minister Ali Hamieh, foreign ambassadors accredited in Lebanon and correspondents of local, Arab and international media outlets toured on Monday Beirut airport.
The tour, attended also by the Lebanese ministers of Foreign Affairs, Information and Tourism, was aimed at refuting the false allegations and lies included in a report published on Sunday by the UK Telegraph.
The Telegraph had claimed that the airport is used to store missiles and various munitions.
The visit began at the airport’s cargo center, with the participation of the ambassadors of the European Union, Germany, Egypt, India, Pakistan, China, Japan, Korea, Cuba, Romania, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Jordan, Spain, Algeria and Nigeria.
Journalists were granted the opportunity to closely inspect and document the security measures in place along the nearly 17-kilometer-long perimeter.
They were permitted to take photographs and video footage from within the vehicles provided for the tour, offering an in-depth look at the comprehensive security protocols implemented at the airport.
Ministers Remarks
After the tour, Minister Hamieh thanked all the ambassadors and media outlets that participated in the tour, stressing that the required security measures at the airport are taken.
Hamieh maintained that Lebanon will sue the British paper after proving its claims are ridiculous, underling that its articles comes in the context of a psychological warfare against Lebanon.
For his part, the minister of tourism Walid Nassar affirmed that the movement of arrivals and departures and that their numbers are close to those registered last year.
The information minister Ziad Makari urged the Lebanese media outlets to verify their sources and assume their national responsibilities.
Minister Ali Hamieh on Sunday denied as ridiculous a report by the British daily the Telegraph, which claimed that weaponry is stored at Beirut International Airport.
In a press conference in Beirut, Hamieh called for an “open to all” inspection tour of the Beirut international airport site at 10 a.m. on Monday.
Source: Al-Manar English Website
