A petition was launched by deputies of the Kataeb bloc, the Strong Republic, the Democratic Gathering, Tajadod and independent deputies calling for the inclusion of the file of Lebanese detainees in Syrian prisons within the jurisdiction of Independent Institution on Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic.

The conference was attended by MPs and families of the missing, representatives of UN missions, embassies of Arab and foreign countries, and a number of human rights and humanitarian associations, including the Beirut Bar Association and a number of Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian associations supporting the petition's demand.

The petition, signed so far by 46 MPs, will be submitted to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Beirut.

Kataeb Lawmaker Nadim Gemayel stressed the importance of this file, affirming that it is not political nor judicial.

“On behalf of the Kataeb Party, I salute all the deputies who signed the petition, especially the Lebanese Forces which organized the conference and followed up the file,” Gemayel said during a press conference.

“Uncovering the fate and whereabouts of the detainees in Syria provides a psychological solution for many families,” he said, noting that the matter will be the beginning of reconciliation and real reform between peoples.

"We are interested in reaching a real reconciliation soon, and this matter can only be done by knowing the fate of the missing, hence the importance of the petition that will be submitted to the United Nations,” he emphasized.