Beirut: Prime Minister, Dr. Nawaf Salam, on Tuesday patronized an official ceremony laying the cornerstone for the Martyr late Prime Minister Rafik Hariri Public Garden Project, at Beirut's waterfront area, at the invitation of "Solidere".
According to National News Agency - Lebanon, attending the ceremony were Beirut MPs, former MP Bahia Hariri, President of the Hariri Foundation for Sustainable Human Development, representing former PM Saad Hariri, Mrs. Nazik Hariri's representative, her office director Ahmed Hijazi, President of the Council for Development and Reconstruction Mohammed Qabbani, President of the Beirut Municipal Council Ibrahim Zeidan and Council members, Solidere President Nasser Shamaa and Solidere members, as well as Beirut dignitaries, and political, municipal, social and cultural figures.
In his delivered speech, Premier Salam stated, 'Here, at Beirut's waterfront area, we lay the foundation stone for a public garden bearing the name of a man who loved Beirut and was loved by it: the martyr Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.'
Premier Salam added that laying the foundation stone for this public garden is a crucial step in the journey towards restoring the environmental and health balance that Beirut has lacked for many years, as well as a step in rebuilding the relationship between the citizen and the public spaces.
Salam also emphasized that the most distinctive feature of the master plan for this project is its sincere commitment to Lebanon's climate and natural systems.
Salam concluded by affirming that the initiative involves collaborative efforts among the government, municipality, Solidere, and the Council for Development and Reconstruction to reorganize Beirut's public spaces. Today's step will be followed by other steps across the capital's squares, streets, and sidewalks, to preserve the spirit, pulse, and beauty of the city.