Report: Mansour, Khaireddine Searching for New Foreign Ministry Location
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
The government has tasked Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour and State Minister Marwan Khaireddine with finding a new location for the foreign ministry after experts warned that parts of Bustros Palace could collapse, An Nahar daily reported Friday.
An Nahar said that both Mansour and Khaireddine are now searching for the location for the ministry’s employees, including diplomats and administrative staff.
Beirut Municipality’s Engineering Department, which inspected the foreign ministry’s headquarters in the district of Ashrafiyeh, has warned that parts of Bustros Palace’s walls face the danger of cracks or collapse.
According to the newspaper, around 75 people, including the minister, work at the building in addition to two nearby buildings and three floors at a commercial center close by.
The cabinet reportedly urged both ministers to limit their search to the Bustros Palace area. But if they failed to do so, then the ministry would be relocated to another neighborhood for the first time since its inception.
The issue of building safety has caused controversy following the collapse of an apartment building in Ashrafiyeh’s Fassouh neighborhood in January, killing 27 people.
30 March 2012, 11:16
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There is a building in Baabda near the presidential palace that was built long ago and is supposedly designated to house this ministry... I wonder what is the story on it...
30 March 2012, 11:27
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This sounds like a scheme jeans at demolishing the palace ultimately and and handing over the property to some developers. We've seen it happen on and on, on the heritage scene in Beirut. A short distance away stood a few years ago an art deco building which housed the restaurant Le Vieux Quartier.When the building was delisted, the owner stated he had no intention to demolish the building although he was now legally able to do that! One can see for himself what happened then! No the palace is not in danger is of collapsing, cracks are just normal and customary on such vintage buildings and can and should be repaired!!
30 March 2012, 14:17
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They want to demolish it....the palace is in pristine condition
30 March 2012, 14:45
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I suggest we formalise the real arrangements relocate to either Iran or Syria
30 March 2012, 16:12
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It would be a shame to lose this building save a couple of bricks on Mansour's bold patch... Of course it would be much cheaper to restore it than to re-locate to neighboring Sursock. Does it belong to the state?
