The Nationality Campaign partakes in a Ministerial Commission meeting to review the nationality law || Newspapers (Arabic)

The Nationality Campaign took part in the meeting of the Ministerial Commission set up in March 2012 and mandated to review the current discriminatory nationality law.  The delegation consisted of Lina Abou Habib and lama Naja of CRTD.A, Iqbal Doughan of the Working Women League and Joumana Merhi of the Rassemblement Democratique des Femmes Libanaises.  The meeting was held at the Grand Serail and was attended by the Commission Chair, Minister Samir Mokbel, and the Commission members, the Ministers of Labor, Justice, Information, Foreign Affairs, and Interior and Municipalities.  The Commission members invited the Nationality Campaign delegation to share its views regarding the reform of the nationality laws, the challenges facing the reform as well as the impact of this discriminatory law on women and their families.
During the meeting, the Nationality Campaign delegation asked the Commission on the fate of the ministerial proposal for the law amendment whilst insisting on its position regarding the indivisibility of this right and the need to detach the rights of women from any other political and confessional consideration. The Nationality Campaign delegation also pointed out to the parallel law proposal submitted to the Comission by the National Commission for Lebanese Women (NCLW). The Commission denied receiving any such document.
In an interview with the An Nahar newspaper dated 30 October 2012 (see news brief First lady Ms. Wafa Sleiman: Yes for women's quota and for women's right to transmit nationality)
, First Lady Wafa Suleiman, had clearly stated that the NCLW had prepared this law in consultation with former Ministers Baroud and Tabbarah amd in collaboration with Lina Abou-Habib and Judge John Azzi.  Ms. Suleiman confirmed in her interview that NCLW’s law reform proposal seeks to allow women to transmit nationality to their children.  She also noted that the law was indeed submitted to the Ministerial Commission headed by Minister Mokbel who has not yet responded.
The meeting which extended over half an hour was concluded by a commitment by the Commission that they would be doing their utmost in completing their study and investigation whilst clearly noting that they recognize and endorse unequivocally the right of Lebanese women to transmit nationality.  Commission members also noted that they will resume their meetings this month so as to fine tune their suggestions to the Cabinet whilst promising that they will seek to take the best decision in this matter.

Source: Al-Diyar 5 December 2012