by Daily Star:By Joseph Haboush

President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Saad Hariri signed a decree Thursday in front of
an audience of over 1,000 members of the Lebanese diaspora with the aim
of encouraging them to reclaim their Lebanese citizenship.
The decree was signed as part of the fourth annual Lebanese Diaspora
Energy Conference, hosted by the Foreign Ministry. At the Cabinet
meeting following the event, Aoun, Hariri and Interior Minister Nouhad
Machnouk officially granted Nazih Mikhael Khazzaka Lebanese citizenship,
the first diaspora member to gain a passport under Law 441, passed in
2015. Speaking at the event held at the Beirut International Exhibition and Leisure Center, Aoun told conference attendees, “You belong to a small nation
on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea whose geographical footprint
doesn’t even allow for its name to be written completely across a map.” Aoun rhetorically asked, “What is greater than returning to the motherland to which you belong?” The
President went on to say it is the duty of the diaspora to help rebuild
Lebanon. “Just as it is your duty to be loyal to the nations that took
you in and granted you a better life, and which you helped build … it
is also your duty to be loyal to your motherland that calls on you to
also help build it,” Aoun said.

Also at the conference, Foreign
Minister Gebran Bassil renewed calls for a number of parliamentary seats
to be allocated for the diaspora. “It is your right to have MPs that
represent you and that is why we are fighting to have six seats in our
Parliament [for you], one for each continent. … Stay Lebanese,” Bassil
said. Some members of the Lebanese diaspora were visiting the
country for the first time to attend the conference. A group of around
10 Argentines of Lebanese origin sat together, with one woman telling
The Daily Star this was her first time in the country. “After attending
the LDE conference in Sao Paulo [last year], I decided to come to this
year’s conference in Beirut,” she said.

Among
the keynote speakers were former Dominican Republic presidential
candidate Luis Abinader. The current front-runner for the island
nation’s 2020 presidential elections told the audience that between
80,000 and 100,000 Dominicans are descendants of Lebanese immigrants
“who have successfully integrated into the Dominican society.” Former
United States congressman Nick Rahall spoke of his pride at being
Lebanese, saying, “Khalil Gibran was so correct when he penned the
words, ‘He who denies his heritage, has no heritage.’ My heritage is
Lebanon.” Rahall described the Lebanese diaspora as “the beating
heart that pumps the blood of life to the entire world.” He also made
reassurances of America’s commitment to Lebanon, saying, “We continue to
believe strongly in a sovereign, free and independent Lebanon.”

Son
of slain Lebanese President Rene Moawad, Michel, told The Daily Star
the Foreign Ministry’s work was commendable and that the conference was a
good contribution to the development of the country. “We have many
problems in Lebanon, but we are not the only country in the world with
problems. … In order to solve these problems, we must start with
communication between Lebanese inside and outside of the country.” But
he remained upbeat, highlighting the numbers the conference drew. “Who
would have thought, five years ago, that this event would be this
successful?”