November 13, 2026
The “Lebanon Debate” website team received an official letter from lawyer Roger Salama, in his capacity as an agent for the mayor of Kfardebian, Jean Al-Aqiqi, requesting the publication of the right of reply in accordance with the provisions of Media Law No. 69 issued on August 27, 2026, in response to the article published on the website on November 8, 2026 under the title: “Described blackmail… The mayor of Kfardebian obstructs a project on church land!”
The mayor and members of Kfardebian Municipality began their response by denying “entirely and in detail” what was stated in the article, describing it as baseless news, especially what was circulated about “described blackmail, obstructing a project on church land, and exerting pressure to disrupt the investment of a property belonging to the Syriac Catholic Patriarchate and arbitrarily placing it under study, in addition to the allegations of the existence of a commercial partnership between Al-Aqiqi and one of the investors in a neighboring property called Nassif Saqr, and changing and waiving contracts.” Investing, naming names to raise sectarian sensitivities, and threatening to reveal other files about the municipality’s performance.”
The statement affirmed that the properties of the Syriac Catholic Patriarchate in Kfardebian “are protected and their rights are protected by law, and the municipality cannot be in any position that targets or diminishes these rights.” He stressed that the municipal council’s decision to place a specific area under study and re-examine its organizational reality “is a natural and legal right and one of the municipality’s powers in accordance with the municipal law, and does not mean in any way targeting church property or any other private property.”
The clarification explained that the area in question “is located on a hill near and overlooking the historical ruins of Faqra and the natural stone bridge, and its surroundings include a valuable archaeological reserve, in addition to its environmental and natural value and the importance of the general landscape surrounding the archaeological monuments,” indicating that this is what prompted the municipal council to re-examine the area in order to preserve its historical and natural identity.
The response added that the letter of His Excellency the Minister of Culture No. 2009 issued on June 5, 2026 “confirms the correctness of the municipality’s decision to preserve the antiquities and place the area under study.” He also pointed out that the Ministry of Culture – General Directorate of Antiquities asked the Kfardebian Municipality, according to its new letter No. 4438 dated November 10, 2026 and signed by the Minister of Culture and the General Directorate of Antiquities, to “wait to give any approval for construction on Al-Ruwais Hill and on property 5298 of the Kfardebian real estate area, until the Ministry and the Directorate of Antiquities can study the Heritage Impact Assessment of the aforementioned hill and its surroundings.”
Lawyer Salama concluded his statement by asserting that “the mayor does not have any commercial partnerships with any party, and that his work stems exclusively from implementing the laws and regulations and exercising the powers granted to him by law, far from any personal interests or considerations,” explaining that “to date, no request has been received from the municipality to obtain a license to build the aforementioned property.”
