| Friday, 03 April 2009 | |
The World Lebanese Cultural Union’s World Council was held in its regular session in the Marriott Hotel in New York City over two days at 21 and 22 of March 2009 under the presidency of the World President Elie Hakme and in the presence of representatives of all Diaspora regions to talk and follow-up with the implementation of the decisions of previous meetings, and issued at the end of its meeting the following recommendations: - Support the national positions of the President of the Republic General Michel Sleiman and his wise guidance and support his initiatives in the aim of activating the role of national institutions and to support the demands of the Lebanese Diaspora in terms of restoration of nationality and the rights of full citizenship, as well as to his sponsorship of all the processes of dialogue, including the Diaspora. - Celebrate the golden jubilee of the WLCU on the 24th of October 09 in Mexico, as a gesture of loyalty for the first founders of the WLCU project in Mexico in 1959. The holding of the 16th World Conference should be at the 24th of October maximum, to elect a new World Council according to the internal and basic regulations of the WLCU, with the possibility of holding the 50th jubilee of the Union and the World Conference in Lebanon if it was agreed to do so. - Participation in the International Festival of the Lebanese Emigrant during the summer of 2009. - Participation in Miss Lebanon Emigrant 2009 for the 2nd year, organized by the Miss Lebanon Committee. - Activating the “My home is yours” (Bayti Baytak) project organized by the WLCU World Council of Youth of Lebanese descent which aim to hosting mutually of the youth coming from abroad in their homes to activate the communication with each other across the countries and continents. - Launching for Campaigns to encourage the emigrants to invest in Lebanon to provide work for the Lebanese who are leaving the countries affected by the economic crisis returning to their home country. - Invitation to attend a new world council in Vancouver at the end of May 2009 in the occasion of the unveiling of the memorial monument of the 125 years birthday anniversary of Gibran Khalil Gibran. The meeting was attended by the WLCU former presidents Anwar Curi, Bechara Bechara, Anis Karabet, the President of the WLCU Senate Michel Doueihi and members of the senate Michel Syriani and Antonio Chahine, the Dean of the WLCU Eid Chedrawi, the Secretary General Georges Abi Raad and his deputy Dr. Nicolas Nakhlé Kahwaji, the Vice Presidents Edward Nahhas, Antoine Menassa and Dr. Toufic Sleiman, the President of the Regional Council of North America Elias Kassab and the former President of the council George Murr, the President of the Lebanon Office Toni Kaddissi, the regional secretaries general: Ibrahim Dagher from North America, Alberto Shaker from Latin America, Roger Hani from Europe and Pierre el Hage from Africa, in addition to the presidents of the national councils, of the states councils and of some chapters as following: Alejandro Kuri(Mexico), Michel Syriani (Brazil),Lally and Veronica Chaker (Uruguay), Fadi El Rahi, Rita Helou, Saiid Yazbeck, William Barakat, Jack Habib and Maroun Abou Ghosn (United Kingdom), Hanane Dagher, Roland Dick, Najib Asfar, Michel Kasouf and Ibrahim Elias (Canada), Mahassen Hanna, David Abi Chaker, Mike Hilal, Qozhaya El Rahi, Miled Sassine, Susan Nahhas, Farid Makarem, Aida Nicolao and Raymonda Dallul(United States), in addition to the president of the hosting chapter John Abi Habib and his deputy Francois Abi Neeman and their assistants. The Secretary General read during the meeting several letters received from the officials who were unable to travel, including the World Vice President for Africa Chakib Rammal, the World Vice President for Australia Dani Geagea, the President of The Cultural and Heritage Affairs Committee Antoine Ghanem, Naji Doumit from California and Guy Younes from Ireland . The attendees discussed during the meeting several subjects such as: follow up the WLCU campaigns to urge the emigrants to register their marriages and their children born abroad to prevent the loss of the Lebanese nationality, follow up the Lebanese Emigrants who lost this nationality to help them in preparing their files for retrieval, follow up the Learning Arabic & Lebanese project to the Lebanese origins speaking other languages, the establishment of a second campaign to vote for the Cave of Jeita in the competition of the most beautiful natural site in the world, the creation of new financial resources to cover the cost of the cultural & emigrant projects of the WLCU via the godfathers program and the preparation for ceremonies for this purpose. The attendees also hosted the president of the International Festival of the Lebanese Emigrant’s Committee Fadi Bou Dagher who presented the details of the festival’s program which runs from 9 to 19 July, 2009 in Lebanon. The hosting Chapter organized a gala dinner which was attended by more than 400 people. This chapter invited the Lebanese Diaspora to meet the WLCU President and its world council, where the President Hakme honored Monsignor Maroun Asmar and Mr. Raymond Safi by giving them the WLCU Platinum award in recognition for their efforts over the years in the service of the new emigrants and in the establishing of the WLCU Chapter in the sixties. The WLCU World President made a speech in which he stated: Therefore, we are invited to support the consensus Presidency which is the head of the state and its institutions and responsible of the Constitution and its application; and we firmly demand that all the decisions and choices be in its hand in times of peace as in war. Then, the Secretary General Georges Abi Raad made a speech in which he praised the significant role of the mother in the Diaspora in maintaining the Lebanese language and culture; he also talked about the WLCU achievements in its first fifty years. Mr. John Abi-Habib stated the speech of the hosting chapter. The ceremony was attended by Consul of Lebanon Antoine Azzam, Bishop Gregory Mansour, a U.S. senator and representatives of the Lebanese embassy. The ceremony included a signing of the book “Negotiate like a Phoenician” written by a Lebanese descent. In addition, the Dabkeh group of the Boston’s Chapter came especially to this ceremony and presented several folkloric dances. The World Council meeting was preceded by the North American regional meeting, which was held over two days in the host of the New York city chapter and in the presence of representatives of 20 chapters of the WLCU from the United States and Canada; during this meeting the subject discussed were the same as the world council meeting and how to activate them in the chapters of theses 2 countries in addition to the project of this geographical area through all the cultural, social, heritage and charities aspects in addition to internal organizational matters. |