Beirut, Apr 29 (IANS): Lebanon's capital Beirut has set a new Guinness World Record for the number of national flags raised in a city for 24 hours.

The Beirut Alive Association in the national capital on Sunday raised a total of 26,852 Lebanese flags breaking New York's Waterloo record of 25,599 flags, Xinhua reported.

"I came here to adjudicate the record title for the most national flags displayed in one city in 24 hours. I am here to make sure that all guidelines of Guinness World Record have been achieved and and we have a new record title here which is the 26,852 flags achieved by Beirut Alive Association," Guinness World Records' Arbitrator Ahmed Jabr told Xinhua.

The event was organised under the patronage of Prime Minister Saad Hariri, represented by MP Rola Tabsh, at the Nejmeh Square in downtown Beirut, in the presence of Economic and Social Council Member Mohammed Al-Jouzou and independent witnesses from "Al-Ittihad Law firms" and various prominent figures.

After raising the flag that broke the world record, MP Tabsh congratulated the Beirut Alive Association for this remarkable individual and national initiative by excellence, adorning Beirut with thousands of Lebanese flags and entering the Book of Guinness.

"Today they were capable of raising thousands of Lebanese flags to enter the Guinness book. This is a national initiative which reflects Beirut's role and which implicates no flag other than the Lebanese will be raised in Beirut," Tabsh said.