São Paulo – Former Brazilian president Michel Temer looked back on his August 13 trip to Beirut during a webinar hosted this Monday (24) by the Lebanese-Brazilian Community’s Humanitarian Aid Group and organized by the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC). Temer was the second international authority to travel to Lebanon in the aftermath of the Port of Beirut blast. First to go was Emmanuel Macron, the president of France – Lebanon was formerly a French colony.
A son to Lebanese parents, Temer was invited by president Jair Bolsonaro to lead a humanitarian mission supplying relief to Lebanon, the bulk of which was collected and donated by organizations associated with the Arab and Lebanese communities in Brazil. “A noteworthy fact is that the two countries that have paid official visits to Lebanon shortly after the disaster have been France, with Macron, and Brazil, represented by us. And curiously we are aware that both France and Brazil sustain major ties with Lebanon, proof of which is the fact that not only did our commission discuss the food, supplies and medicine, we also made ourselves available to join eventual conversations towards a harmonic solution to overcoming this disaster,” the former president said.
According to Temer, this offer was met with great acclaim. “I have ascertained that the countries most engaged in this conversation in Lebanon are France, the United States and Russia, and each of them have said Brazil must be included. I called president Bolsonaro while in Lebanon and advised him to encourage our diplomats to connect with Lebanese authorities, so as to assist with an institutional dialogue that would prove very fruitful to Brazil. So on the one hand we have humanitarian aid, and on the other we have political aid,” he said.
The former president traveled alongside a small entourage of authorities and private sector representatives from the Lebanese-Brazilian community. Even the military personnel and aides were Lebanese descendants. “It was all very well thought-out. Everyone was very moved upon arriving in Lebanon. They had been emotional about it since August 4. The news traveled the world quick, and people were touched by it,” said Temer.
The flight was 21 hours long, with a few stopovers. A separate cargo plane carried the donations. Temer and the delegates arrived around 4 pm on the 14th. As soon as they deplaned, they delivered the 6 tons of donations. Four thousand tons of rice are on their way on board a ship. Afterwards, Temer and the entourage visited the government seat to convene with president Michel Aoun.
Next, Temer visited the blast site. “It is one thing to see it on TV and in photographs. Actually going there is another. Once we got there, there was a lot of press, from Brazil, Lebanon and Europe, It is sadly interesting to note that not only did the explosion reach a 5 km radius, it created a 40 meter-deep,” said Temer. He spent about half an hour at the site and said everyone was truly sorry and expressed much solidarity.
In the evening, Temer met with religious authorities at the Embassy of Brazil in Beirut. The following day he gave an interview on Lebanese TV and paid a visit to Parliament speaker Nabih Berri. “It was a very useful, lively, hopeful conversation, and then we visited the prime minister [Hassan Diab]. Despite the fact that he is about to step down, he made most of the ministry available to welcome us. One peculiarity was that he introduced us to the deputy prime minister and minister of Defense [Zeina Akar Adra], and she inquired whether I would visit Btaaboura, the land of my parents, which I was unable to do, because I only spent 23 hours in Lebanon. She told me that her husband was also from that area,” he said. Upon leaving, the entourage had dinner before returning to Brazil
“There is talk of 160 people killed and over 40 missing. It’s a tragedy. Over 200 possibly killed in the blast, in addition to thousands of people left homeless. And they are in dire need of aid from the world. Not only from Brazil, because of course, they require food, supplies, medicine, and even funds, because the destruction is clear to see,” said Temer.
He said that as you move away from the blast site, things are working to the extent that is possible. “Beirut is still beautiful. Things are working, as far as I could tell. It is summer right now, days are very sunny and beautiful, and at once I was able to tell that the Lebanese are extraordinarily hospitable in spite of the tragedy. And secondly there is a vital force that I believe comes from the cedar of Lebanon. It is resilient. This is not the first time that Beirut is faced with drama, and they actually believe that Lebanon will recover soon, but that entails getting aid from several countries, including Brazil,” he said.
Temer said humanitarian aid is key, and that besides food and pharmaceuticals, material such as glass and wood is required, since most of the buildings surrounding the Port of Beirut have been destroyed.
Ambassador Joseph Sayah
Lebanon’s ambassador to Brasília, Joseph Sayah, thanked each and every group currently working to supply relief to Lebanon. He also acknowledged president Jair Bolsonaro and other Brazilian government authorities, particularly former president Temer for leading the mission. “The presence of former president Temer, a son to Lebanese parents, at the Port of Beirut conveyed to the Lebanese people the powerful message that they are not alone, that they have family and siblings in Brazil who share their pain and grief. It was about sentimental and emotional outreach. It was a display of care from the Lebanese-Brazilian community towards their brothers on the other side of the world,” Sayah said.
According to the ambassador, the disaster on August 4 was a most devastating act of violence inflicted upon the people of Lebanon and the city of Beirut, and humanitarian aid is more needed than ever. “However much of a priority medical supplies may be, so are all kinds of goods, like foodstuffs and building material. The reason for that, as you all know, is that Lebanon is a small country that is home not only to its own citizens, but to over 2.5 million refugees who also require help,” he said.
The ambassador pointed out that Lebanon imports roughly 80% of its consumption needs, and that incoming goods would be stored at the Port of Beirut before getting shipped across the country. “As a result of the blast, virtually all inventories have been destroyed. The task ahead of us is immense, and Lebanon is grateful for any and all help it gets,” Sayah said during the webinar.
Aid from Arab countries
ABCC president Rubens Hannun reminded Temer about the creation of the Brazil-Arab countries Parliamentary Group and said that over half of Brazil’s senators and multiple federal deputies are members. “This is proof of how much they value Brazil’s relations with the Arab countries. I believe we can reach out to them and we can rely on them to get through this,” said Hannun.
Hannun also said that the Council of Arab Ambassadors in Brazil, led by its dean the ambassador of Palestine in Brasília, Ibrahim Alzeben, who joined the webinar as a viewer, has been holding meetings to discuss aid to Lebanon. Alzeben said he would like to play a more active role in the campaign.
Ambassador Sayah said all Arab countries have reached out to help Lebanon since the blast. “Everyone knows that Lebanon is part of the Arab world. We are a family. We are getting relief, food, medicine and everything, not only from Europe, but mostly from the Arab world – Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Egypt, each and every Arab country. The Lebanese people are resilient, and we will get through this difficult time,” he asserted.
The webinar was hosted by the Lebanese-Brazilian Community’s Humanitarian Aid Group. Featured speakers included Brazil-Lebanon Chamber of Commerce president Alfredo Cotait Neto; Fambras Halal president Mohamed Zoghbi; Instituto Kanoun president Ricardo Maluf; Lebanese-Brazilian Medical Association president Robert Sami Nemer; and Brazil-Lebanon Chamber of Commerce secretary-general Guilherme Mattar. The conversation was moderated by ABCC secretary-general Tamer Mansour, who said the organization is still accepting donations for Lebanon.
Zoghbi mentioned everything that Brazil has been doing to help. “We are united and doing everything in our power to help alleviate the pain of the Lebanese people. We are all working towards the same goal, which is to help the Lebanese people to rebuild Beirut,” he said. There is a will to do even more. “The drama might not be on TV anymore, but the suffering still goes on, That is why we need to keep working, Lebanon is part of Brazil’s DNA, so we must continue,” said Mattar. Cotait also said he intends to do even more to help Lebanon through such difficult times.
The Lebanese-Brazilian Community’s Humanitarian Aid Group was created after the Port of Beirut blast. It comprises multiple organizations, including the ABCC, the Brazil-Lebanon Chamber of Commerce, the Federation of Muslim Associations in Brazil (Fambras), Instituto Kanoun, the Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo (Fiesp), the Lebanese-eBzn Medical Association, the City of São Paulo, the Brazilian Federal Government, Hospital Sírio Libanês, Mesquita Brasil, Clube Atlético Monte Líbano, the Embassy of Lebanon in Brasília, Hospital do Coração (Hcor), the Christian Foundation of the Lebanese Diaspora (FCDL), the Muslim Beneficent Society, the National Islamic Union (Uni) and Esporte Clube Sírio.
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Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce
Santander – Bank Code 033
Branch 3681
Account Number 13003341-5
Corporate Taxpayer Number (CNPJ) 62.659.784/0001-11
Brazil to send more 60 tons’ worth of supplies to Lebanon
You can watch the full webinar here:
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
