Bundle Of English Reports, News and Editorials For December 20-21/2019 Addressing the On Going Mass Demonstrations & Sit In-ins In Iranian Occupied Lebanon in its 65th Day
Compiled By: Elias Bejjani
December 21/2019
Tites For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on December 20-21/2019
Hale Meets with Aoun, Berri and Hariri, Urges Reform
Paris Urges ‘Competent’ Lebanese Govt. to Implement Reforms
Hariri receives Japanese official
Lebanon’s New PM Says He Plans Technocratic Cabinet
Lebanon’s new PM designate says govt will be formed within a six-week period
Diab Vows No Time Waste, Intensification of Consultations
Hariri Receives Diab
Diab Expects Full Western Support
Hassan Diab, Lebanon’s ‘Technocratic’ PM-Designate
Roadblocks Across Lebanon as Anger Mounts Over PM Pick
Hariri: Listen to the People
Hariri Urges Supporters Not to Block Roads, Calls for Calm
Clashes Renew between Army, Mustaqbal Supporters in Corniche al-Mazraa
Hariri Supporters Scuffle with Army over Road Blocking
Clashes Renew between Army, Mustaqbal Supporters in Corniche al-Mazraa
Public Outcry, Roadblocks across Lebanon over PM Pick
The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on December 20-21/2019
Hale Meets with Aoun, Berri and Hariri, Urges Reform
Naharnet/December 20/2019
U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale arrived in Beirut to meet with a broad range of Lebanese officials, the U.S. embassy said in a statement on Friday. Hale held talks with President Michel Aoun at Baabda Palace after which he read a statement saying his visit to Lebanon came at the request of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Hale did not directly comment on Hassan Diab’s appointment as PM-designate, saying only that the United States “has no role in saying who should lead” a Cabinet in Lebanon or anywhere else. “I’m here to encourage Lebanon’s political leaders to commit to, and undertake, meaningful, sustained reforms that can lead to a stable, prosperous and secure Lebanon,” he said after meeting with Aoun. “It’s time to put aside partisan interests and act in the national interest, advancing reforms and forming a government that is committed to undertaking those reforms and capable of doing so,” he added. As for the popular uprising that has been rocking Lebanon since October 17, Hale said “the unified, non-sectarian, and largely peaceful protests over the last 65 days reflect the Lebanese people’s longstanding and frankly legitimate demand for economic and institutional reform, better governance, and an end to endemic corruption.” “America calls on the security forces to continue to guarantee the safety of protesters as they engage in peaceful demonstrations, and for restraint by all. Violence has no place in civil discourse,” he added. “America wants Lebanon and its people — all of its people — to succeed, and we will remain a committed partner in that effort,” Hale went on to say. Later, Hale and the accompanying delegation met with caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri at the Center House. Discussions focused on the latest developments in Lebanon and the region and continued over lunch, Hariri’s media office said. According to an English-language statement issued by Hariri’s office, Hale said the U.S. is ready to help Lebanon “enter a new chapter of economic prosperity” if Lebanese leaders show a “visible and demonstrable commitment to reform.” He then met with Speaker Nabih Berri in Ain el-Tineh. Speaking after the talks, he said he is “disturbed by evidence that there have been groups who are seeking to undermine this non-violent” protest movement through “intimidation and physical attacks.”During his visit, Hale, who served as U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon from 2013-2015, will underscore America’s commitment to its partnership with the state of Lebanon, a U.S. embassy statement.
Paris Urges ‘Competent’ Lebanese Govt. to Implement Reforms
Naharnet/December 20/2019
The French foreign ministry on Friday said that it is “up to the Lebanese officials” to form the new government, refusing to comment further on the appointment of Hassan Diab as PM-designate. A spokeswoman for the ministry however said that the formation of the new government should respect “the public interest of all Lebanese.”“The only criterion should be the competence of this government in order to serve the reforms that the people are awaiting,” she added.
Hariri receives Japanese official
NNA/December 20/2019
Caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri received this evening at the Center House the Japanese Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Keisuke Suzuki, accompanied by the Japanese Ambassador to Lebanon Takeshi Okubo. Discussions focused on the situation in Lebanon and the region and the bilateral relations between the two countries.
Lebanon’s New PM Says He Plans Technocratic Cabinet
Beirut- Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 20 December, 2019
Lebanese prime minister-designate Hassan Diab said Friday he wants to form a government of independent technocrats that can tackle the spiraling economic crisis as protests against his nomination spread. Speaking as visiting US envoy David Hale called for reforms, the Hezbollah-backed premier vowed to form an inclusive cabinet that would secure much-needed foreign aid. Diab, a little-known 60-year-old engineering professor, was designated on Thursday with the endorsement of Shiite group Hezbollah and its allies but without the backing of Lebanon’s main Sunni bloc. The nomination of the independent former education minister and self-professed “technocrat” ended nearly two months of wrangling among lawmakers. But it fuelled anger among Lebanon’s Sunni Muslims, who said the prime minister-designate did not enjoy the community’s backing for a post reserved for a Sunni by a power-sharing system in force since the end of the 1975-1990 civil war.The Sunni community’s objections to Diab’s nomination fly in the face of the non-sectarian ethos of the two-month-old protest movement, which has demanded an end to the communal power-sharing system it blames for entrenching cronyism and incompetence. For a second straight day, security forces in the capital scuffled with crowds of young men — mainly supporters of former prime minister Saad Hariri — trying to block roads in a Sunni district to condemn Diab’s designation. In the mainly Sunni northern city of Tripoli, schools were closed and Diab opponents blocked roads, calling for a general strike, an AFP correspondent reported. The unrest prompted Hariri to call on his supporters to refrain from taking to the streets, in the second such appeal in two days.
Technocrat government
Diab on Friday met Hariri and other Sunni political figures who did not endorse his nomination the previous day. Following the meeting with Hariri, Diab said he wants to form “a government of independent technocrats” — a key demand of protesters. “Hariri is giving his full support to the formation of this government,” said Diab, who is also a vice president at Lebanon’s prestigious American University of Beirut. Hariri had been tipped in recent days to return to his job, seven weeks after an unprecedented wave of protests condemning corruption and sectarianism forced him out. But the 49-year-old two-time premier bowed out on Wednesday, claiming that his political rivals were opposed to a technocrat-dominated government that he planned to form. On Thursday, his party stopped short of throwing its weight behind Diab, raising fears that a government lacking the support of all of Lebanon’s factions could struggle to secure desperately needed foreign support to rescue an economy teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. But in an interview with Deutsche Welle aired on Friday, Diab said that he expected “full support from Europe and the US”.He rejected suggestions that the support his nomination received from Hezbollah, which is blacklisted as a terrorist organization by Washington, would hinder the disbursement of much-needed Western aid. “Everyone is willing to cooperate so that Lebanon can have an exceptional government that is not like its predecessors in the number of technocrats and women included,” he said.”I think the Americans, when such a government is formed, will lend support because it is a government that aims to rescue Lebanon.”
US visit
The international community, which has been pressuring Lebanon to accelerate the formation of a new government, has yet to respond publicly to Diab’s nomination. Hale, on a visit Friday to Beirut, did not directly comment on Diab’s appointment, saying only that the United States “has no role in saying who should lead” a Cabinet in Lebanon or anywhere else. “I´m here to encourage Lebanon´s political leaders to commit to, and undertake, meaningful, sustained reforms that can lead to a stable, prosperous and secure Lebanon,” he said after meeting with Michel Aoun. “It´s time to put aside partisan interests and act in the national interest, advancing reforms and forming a government that is committed to undertaking those reforms and capable of doing so.” Picking a new premier was only the first step and agreeing on a full cabinet line-up could take time, with Diab himself giving a timeframe of four to six weeks. Diab is scheduled to begin consultations on Saturday. Following a meeting with President Michel Aoun, the former US ambassador to Lebanon urged authorities to “act in the national interest, advancing reforms and forming a government that is committed to undertaking those reforms.”
Hale later met with parliament speaker Nabih Berri and Hariri. Hale is the most senior foreign diplomat to visit the country since mass protests erupted in mid-October. The sustained, leaderless protests forced Hariri’s resignation within days but politicians were later unable to agree on a new prime minister. Friendly nations, including France, have made clear they will not support the heavily indebted nation before a reform-minded Cabinet is formed. While the huge crowds that filled the squares of Beirut and other Lebanese cities two months ago have dwindled, the protest movement has remained vibrant. Tensions have been heightened by the looming bankruptcy of the debt-burdened Lebanese state. The Lebanese pound, officially pegged to the US dollar, has lost around 30 percent of its value on the black market, while companies have been paying half-salaries for the past two months and laying off staff.
Lebanon’s new PM designate says govt will be formed within a six-week period
Reuters, Beirut/Friday, 20 December 2019
Lebanon’s new Hezbollah-backed Prime Minister Designate Hassan Diab said in an interview with Deutsche Welle he will work on forming a government within a period that does not exceed six weeks to help pull the country out of a deepening economic and political crisis.
Diab, an academic and former education minister, was designated on Thursday as the country’s next prime minister with the support of Iran-backed Hezbollah and its allies. “Previous governments in the last decade took a year to form and I seek to form a government in the next four weeks or a period that does not exceed six weeks,” Diab said. The designation set the stage for a cabinet that excludes allies of the United States and Sunni Gulf Arab countries while underlining the influence of Iran’s friends in Lebanon. The move would complicate efforts to secure Western financial aid, analysts say. Senior US State Department official David Hale, who arrived on Friday to underline Washington’s support for Lebanon’s stability, urged the country’s bickering political leaders to implement speedy economic reforms. “I am here to encourage Lebanese political leaders to commit and undertake meaningful, sustained reforms that can lead to a stable, prosperous, secure Lebanon,” Under-Secretary David Hale said after meeting President Michel Aoun at Lebanon’s Baabda palace. “It’s time to put aside partisan interests and act in the national interest, advancing reforms and form a government committed to undertaking these reforms and capable of doing so,” Hale added. Lebanon, in its worst economic crisis since the 1975-90 civil war, has been seeking a new government since Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri resigned on Oct. 29 in response to protests against the ruling elite. Diab, who failed to get the support of Hariri under a sectarian political system that leaves the post of premier to a Sunni Muslim, dismissed accusations that the government would be under the thumb of Hezbollah. Hariri is the country’s main Sunni politician. “This matter is silly because the new government will not be a government of a political grouping chosen from here or there,” Diab added.
Diab Vows No Time Waste, Intensification of Consultations
Prime Minister-designate Hassan Diab on Friday warned that the situation in Lebanon “does not allow for any waste of time,” vowing to “intensify consultations to reach the result that the Lebanese are hoping for.” “The responsibility for Lebanon’s rise is huge and everyone is aware of the economic and financial challenge that the country is going though. Let us begin a new journey that resembles the will of the people,” Diab tweeted. “Your demands are rightful and they represent a groundwork for building a new state,” Diab added, addressing citizens and protesters. Diab’s non-binding consultations with the parliamentary blocs on the shape and line-up of the new government are scheduled for Saturday. Earlier on Friday, Diab said that he plans to form a government of experts and independents to deal with the country’s crippling economic crisis. Diab spoke to reporters following a meeting with caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri, a day after he was asked by the president to form the country’s next government. Diab, a university professor and former education minister, won a majority of lawmakers’ votes after receiving backing from the powerful Hizbullah and its allies. However, he lacks the support of major Sunni figures, including the largest Sunni party headed by Hariri. That is particularly problematic for Diab, who as a Sunni, lacks support from his own community. Diab, however, emerged from Friday’s meeting with Hariri saying the atmosphere was “positive.””As an expert and an independent, my inclination is to form a government that is truly made up of experts and independents” Diab said. Shortly after he spoke, scuffles broke out between Hariri’s supporters protesting on a Beirut street and army units, underlying the tension on the ground. “I ask them (protesters) to give us a chance to form an exceptional government” that can work on resolving the country’s many problems, accumulated over the past 30 years, Diab said. Diab faces a huge challenges in trying to form a consensual government that would also satisfy protesters who have been on the streets since mid-October, seeking to sweep away an entire political class they deem as corrupt. He also faces a mammoth task of dealing with the country’s economic and financial crisis in one of the most indebted countries of the world. Support from the Iran-backed Hizbullah guarantees Diab a thorny path, potentially inviting criticism from Western and Gulf nations that had supported Hariri.Friendly nations, including France, have made clear they will not support the heavily indebted nation before a reform-minded Cabinet is formed.
Hariri Receives Diab
Naharnet/December 20/2019
Caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri received on Friday at the Center House, Prime Minister-designate Hassan Diab. “The meeting with Prime Minister Hariri has a special flavor. Yesterday he affirmed his keenness on the country’s stability. These stances express the position of a statesman. Hopefully, there will be continuous communication and cooperation for the benefit of the country,” Diab told reporters after the meeting. He said the “atmosphere was positive with everyone,” noting that Hariri “is expressing all cooperation to form the government.”Asked about the difficulty to persuade the international community, that considers Diab “Hizbullah candidate,” of the formation of a rescue government. He said: “I was asked this question more than once. I stress that I am a specialist and an independent. My approach is to have a government of specialists and independents to serve this country and solve the problems.” Whether Dar el-Fatwa, the highest religious Sunni authority, refused to give Diab an appointment, Diab noted: “Dar al-Fatwa is for everyone and hopefully after this tour there will be a meeting with the Mufti of the Republic.”
Diab Expects Full Western Support
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 20/2019
Lebanon’s new prime minister-designate, Hassan Diab, said in an interview with Deutsche Welle aired Friday that he expected full European and US support for his government. He rejected suggestions that the support his nomination received from Hizbullah, which is blacklisted as a terrorist organisation by Washington, would hinder the disbursement of much-needed Western aid. “The goal is to form a government of independent technocrats,” Diab, a former education minister who is also a vice president at Lebanon’s prestigious American University of Beirut, told Deutsche Welle. “Everyone is willing to cooperate so that Lebanon can have an exceptional government that is not like its predecessors in the number of technocrats and women included,” he said. “I think the Americans, when such a government is formed, will lend support because it is a government that aims to rescue Lebanon.” According to the sectarian-based power-sharing system that has prevailed since the end of the 1975-1990 civil war, the position of prime minister is held by a member of the Sunni Muslim community. Saad Hariri had been tipped in recent days to return to his job, seven weeks after an unprecedented wave of protests condemning corruption and sectarianism forced him out. But the 49-year-old two-time premier bowed out on Wednesday, claiming that his political rivals were opposed to a technocrat-dominated government that he planned to form. His party stopped short of throwing its weight behind Diab, who was endorsed by Hizbullah and its political allies. The move raised fears that a government lacking the support of all of Lebanon’s factions could struggle to secure desperately needed foreign support to rescue an economy that is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy.
“It is silly” to argue the upcoming government will be Hizbullah-dominated, Diab told Deutsche Welle. “This government will carry the face of Lebanon, and will not be the government of one political faction only,” he said. “I expect full support from Europe and the US.”
Diab held a meeting with Hariri on Friday, hours after demonstrators — many of them Hariri supporters — took to the streets to voice their displeasure at Diab’s nomination. The incoming premier’s interview with the German broadcaster came as the US undersecretary of state for political affairs, David Hale, was in Lebanon for meetings with top officials.
Hassan Diab, Lebanon’s ‘Technocratic’ PM-Designate
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 20/2019
Lebanese academic and former minister Hassan Diab, named Thursday as protest-hit Lebanon’s new premier, is a self-described “technocrat” propelled to the helm of government by the endorsement of Hizbullah and its allies. The little-known 60-year-old engineering professor at the American University of Beirut (AUB) replaces outgoing premier Saad Hariri after nearly two months of intense political wrangling. But while his appointment was backed by Hizbullah-allied parliamentary blocs, he did not win the backing of parties from his own Sunni community. That suggests divisions that will complicate the challenge of forming a cabinet and could fuel sectarian tensions on the streets. He will take office amid nationwide anti-government protests demanding a technocratic government, amid the worst economic crisis since Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war. A two-month-old protest movement demanding a government of technocrats will also pose him serious challenges. A father of three, Diab is an independent who had shied away from the political limelight since leaving his post as education minister in 2014. He is a career academic with a PhD in Computer Engineering from Britain’s University of Bath, and is currently a professor of electrical and computer engineering at AUB. Diab has held several academic and administrative posts at the university — including that of vice president — since joining it as an assistant professor at the age of 26. He is a self-styled advocate for educational reform in Lebanon, authoring books and several papers on the subject. “I am certain that the solution to most of our economic, unemployment, social, financial, and even political challenges, lies in education in all its forms,” he writes on his website. His brief previous experience in politics came at a time of political polarization in Lebanon. His tenure as education minister between 2011 and 2014 was in a government formed after Hariri’s cabinet was brought down by Hizbullah and its political allies. Observers now say history may be repeating itself. “The coming government will be dominated by Hizbullah (and its allies) without political cover from Hariri and the Sunnis,” said Imad Salamey, a political science professor at the Lebanese American University. “This will drive Lebanon towards a Sunni-Shiite schism.”
‘Rare technocrat minister’ –
Repeating the sequence that made him a minister eight years ago, Diab rose to the post of premier as a result of Hariri bowing out. Hariri had been seen as the most likely choice to head a technocrat-dominated government but the 49-year-old announced late Wednesday he was no longer in the running. Hariri resigned on October 29, nearly two weeks into a nationwide cross-sectarian protest movement demanding the wholesale removal of a political elite seen as corrupt and incompetent. Diab is not an established party member, nor a vocal supporter of any particular group. He described himself on his website as “one of the rare technocrat ministers since Lebanon’s independence” in the 1940s. On October 20, three days after the start of unprecedented nationwide demonstrations, he called the protests a “historical and awe-inspiring scene.” “The Lebanese people have united to defend their rights to a free and dignified life,” he wrote on Twitter. But activists and demonstrators have criticized him for previously participating in what they see as a government of inept and corrupt politicians. Some on social media have criticized a glossy book the education ministry released after his tenure, outlining his main achievements as minister. But Samar Hamdan, who has been his neighbor for 15 years, said she has “only seen good things from him.””He is a prominent academic… who remained humble when he became a minister,” she told AFP.She said she hoped his appointment will be a “blessing” for the country.
Roadblocks Across Lebanon as Anger Mounts Over PM Pick
Beirut- Asharq Al-Awsat/Friday, 20 December, 2019
Protesters blocked roads across crisis-hit Lebanon Friday to condemn the designation of Hezbollah-backed Hassan Diab as prime minister in a divisive vote that sparked uproar among members of the Sunni community. Diab, a little-known 60-year-old engineering professor at the American University of Beirut, was designated on Thursday with the endorsement of Shiite group Hezbollah and its allies but without backing from Lebanon’s main Sunni bloc. The nomination of the independent former education minister and self-styled ‘technocrat’ ended nearly two months of political wrangling among lawmakers. But it fueled anger among members of Lebanon’s Sunni community who said the prime-minister-designate did not enjoy the sect’s backing for a post reserved for Sunni Muslims by a power-sharing system enshrined after the end of the 1975-1990 civil war. In the mainly Sunni city of Tripoli in north Lebanon, which was already rocked by rallies and roadblocks Thursday, schools were closed and opponents of Diab again blockaded roads amid calls for a general strike, said an AFP correspondent there. Roads were also closed in the neighboring Akkar district and several other parts of north Lebanon early Friday, said the state-run National News Agency, while burning tires and garbage bins also stopped traffic on roads in east Lebanon and main arteries connecting the capital to the south.
– ‘Fear for the country’ –
The mobilization, including by supporters of former prime minister Saad Hariri, whom Diab is slated to replace, comes ahead a planned meeting between the two political figures later Friday. Hariri — who had in recent days been seen as the most likely candidate to head the next government — did not endorse Diab as his successor, stripping him of critical Sunni political cover. This raised fears that Diab’s nomination as the leading Sunni representative will yield a lopsided government that observers warn could fuel sectarian tensions and complicate efforts to secure international aid needed to pull Lebanon back from the brink of default. Hariri late Thursday said that the crisis facing Lebanon requires cooperation among members of the political class. “It’s not me who will form the next government, but I am concerned because I fear for the country,” he told local television station MTV.
Hariri on Friday was also set to meet with US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale, who is in Lebanon to meet with top officials including President Michel Aoun. Lebanon has since October 17 been rocked by unprecedented anti-government protests demanding a complete government overhaul. Tensions have been heightened by the looming bankruptcy of the debt-burdened Lebanese state. The Lebanese pound, officially pegged to the US dollar, has lost around 30 percent of its value on the black market, while companies have been paying half-salaries over the past two months and laying off employees.
Hariri: Listen to the People
Naharnet/December 20/2019
Former PM Saad Hariri said in a telephone interview Thursday evening on Sar al-Waqt MTV program that salvation of Lebanon can be attained through the formation of a government of specialists, urging everyone to join efforts and listen to the demands of the revolution in light of the economic and political crisis. Hariri commented on the remarks of the audience that he will return as PM even though lawmakers have named on Thursday AUB professor Hassan Diab as the new PM. “I just want for Lebanon to return,” he answered. “We should always be optimistic,” said Hariri answering a question if it has become difficult for Lebanon to be in a better position that it is today. “Of course one has to show himself to the worst, but optimism is imperative. I have to admit that we as authority have failed in many places. Did we solve the electricity, power and telecommunications crisis? We have done nothing of that,” said Hariri.
“We failed to listen to the people’s aspirations. They went down to the streets and we have all heard their crises. But today we have to go on and form a government of specialists,” he said. The decisions taken in the cabinet were “all politicized,” said Hariri explaining that decisions taken during his government meeting were later “interpreted “according to each minister’s political interests. How can the people trust such a Cabinet?!” he said. Hariri stressed the need to pull the efforts together and listen to the demands of the revolution “which personally taught me so much.”Asked about the reason that made him withdraw his candidacy despite the efforts of Speaker Nabih Berri, he said: “Frankly, I was surprised by the stance of the Lebanese Forces on one hand. On the other hand, I prefer that there is peace among the sects because I am always moderate. I said let us have a few days to think about it. This is the whole story.”Whether he will receive Diab, Hariri said: “Of course I will. Why not? Prime Minister designate Hassan Diab will do his round and his job and we will see.”
Hariri Urges Supporters Not to Block Roads, Calls for Calm
Naharnet/December 20/2019
Caretaker Prime Minister and al-Mustaqbal Movement leader Saad Hariri on Thursday urged his supporters not to take to the streets or block roads, in the wake of the appointment of the academic and ex-minister Hassan Diab as PM-designate. “I call on all supporters and enthusiasts to reject any call for taking to the streets or blocking roads,” Hariri tweeted, after his supporters blocked roads in several Lebanese regions and rallied outside Diab’s house in Tallet al-Khayat. “Calm and national responsibility are our priority and the crisis that Lebanon is facing is dangerous and does not allow for any tampering with stability,” Hariri added. Diab served as minister of education from 2011-2014 when Hizbullah and its allies forced the collapse of a former Cabinet headed by Hariri at the time.
Clashes Renew between Army, Mustaqbal Supporters in Corniche al-Mazraa
Naharnet/December 20/2019
Fresh clashes erupted Friday evening between the army and Mustaqbal Movement supporters in Beirut’s Corniche al-Mazraa area. The confrontation erupted after troops reopened a key highway in the area. The protesters then retreated to the area’s internal streets and started hurling stones and firecrackers at the soldiers. They also started burning tires.The army responded by firing tear gas and was chasing the pro-Mustaqbal protesters. The road had been blocked since morning and minor scuffles had erupted in the afternoon. An army statement said seven soldiers were injured in the afternoon confrontation after protesters pelted them with stones. The army said the protesters sought to empty a truckload of rocks and sand to block the road but were prevented by the military. Clashes ensued afterwards which resulted in the injuries. The Mustaqbal supporters are protesting the appointment of Hassan Diab as PM-designate.
Hariri Supporters Scuffle with Army over Road Blocking
Naharnet/December 20/2019
Scuffles erupted between the Lebanese army and supporters of ex-PM Saad Hariri in Beirut’s Corniche al-Mazraa street on Friday, over the designation of AUB professor Hassan Diab for PM. The protesters blocked the road and brought in a truck loaded with dirt mounds to empty in the middle of the buzzing major street of Beirut. The army prevented the truck from unloading. Hariri called on his supporters to leave the street. “If you really love me, leave the streets now,” he tweeted.
Clashes Renew between Army, Mustaqbal Supporters in Corniche al-Mazraa
Naharnet/December 20/2019
Fresh clashes erupted Friday evening between the army and Mustaqbal Movement supporters in Beirut’s Corniche al-Mazraa area. The confrontation erupted after troops reopened a key highway in the area. The protesters then retreated to the area’s internal streets and started hurling stones and firecrackers at the soldiers. They also started burning tires. The army responded by firing tear gas and was chasing the pro-Mustaqbal protesters. The road had been blocked since morning and minor scuffles had erupted in the afternoon. An army statement said seven soldiers were injured in the afternoon confrontation after protesters pelted them with stones. The army said the protesters sought to empty a truckload of rocks and sand to block the road but were prevented by the military. Clashes ensued afterwards which resulted in the injuries.The Mustaqbal supporters are protesting the appointment of Hassan Diab as PM-designate.
Public Outcry, Roadblocks across Lebanon over PM Pick
Associated Press/Naharnet/December 20/2019
Protesters blocked roads across crisis-hit Lebanon Friday to condemn the designation of Hizbullah-backed Hassan Diab as prime minister in a divisive vote that sparked uproar among members of the Sunni community. In the Bekaa region, roads blocked with burning tires and dirt mounds late on Thursday are still inaccessible today, and include: Qob Elias, Dahr al-Baydar, Jdeita, Bwerij and Majdal Anjar. In Zahle, Saadnayel, Taalbaya, al-Marj, Bar Elias, Hosh al-Harimeh, Ghaza and Jeb Jennin. In Beirut neighborhood of Corniche al-Mazraa, the road was blocked partially at the intersection of Abdul Nasser Mosque. In the northern city of Tripoli calm prevailed after night marches and protests against the naming of Diab, but schools were closed. On Thursday, protesters rejecting the appointment took to the streets in several regions. Diab, a little-known 60-year-old engineering professor at the American University of Beirut, was designated on Thursday with the endorsement of Shiite group Hizbullah and its allies but without backing from Lebanon’s main Sunni bloc. The nomination of the independent former education minister and self-styled ‘technocrat’ ended nearly two months of political wrangling among lawmakers. But it fueled anger among members of Lebanon’s Sunni community who said the prime-minister-designate did not enjoy the sect’s backing for a post reserved for Sunni Muslims by a power-sharing system enshrined after the end of the 1975-1990 civil war. In the mainly Sunni city of Tripoli in north Lebanon, which was already rocked by rallies and roadblocks Thursday, schools were closed and opponents of Diab again blockaded roads amid calls for a general strike, said an AFP correspondent there. Roads were also closed in the neighbouring Akkar district and several other parts of north Lebanon early Friday, said the state-run National News Agency, while burning tyres and garbage bins also stopped traffic on roads in east Lebanon and main arteries connecting the capital to the south.
‘Fear for the country’
The mobilisation, including by supporters of former prime minister Saad Hariri, whom Diab is slated to replace, comes ahead a planned meeting between the two political figures later Friday. Hariri — who had in recent days been seen as the most likely candidate to head the next government — did not endorse Diab as his successor, stripping him of critical Sunni political cover. This raised fears that Diab’s nomination as the leading Sunni representative will yield a lopsided government that observers warn could fuel sectarian tensions and complicate efforts to secure international aid needed to pull Lebanon back from the brink of default. Hariri late Thursday said that the crisis facing Lebanon requires cooperation among members of the political class. “It’s not me who will form the next government, but I am concerned because I fear for the country,” he told local television station MTV. Hariri on Friday was also set to meet with US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale, who is in Lebanon to meet with top officials including President Michel Aoun. Lebanon has since October 17 been rocked by unprecedented anti-government protests demanding a complete government overhaul. Tensions have been heightened by the looming bankruptcy of the debt-burdened Lebanese state. The Lebanese pound, officially pegged to the US dollar, has lost around 30 percent of its value on the black market, while companies have been paying half-salaries over the past two months and laying off employees.
Titles For The Latest Lebanese LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 20-21/2019
Lebanon’s Vital Tourism Industry Takes Huge Hit amid Turmoil/Associated Press/Naharnet/December 20/2019
Beirut’s Duty-Free operator fined for violating Dollar-Lira peg/Christina Farhat/Annahar/December 20/2019
HRW calls for investigations on the use of violence on protesters/Tala Ramadan/Annahar/December 20/2019
Lebanon: Sunni Majority’s Abstention to Nominate Diab Renews Talks on National Pact/Mohammed Shokair/ Asharq Al-Awsat/December 20/2019
U.S. Releases Aid to Lebanon Despite Fears Money Could Help Hezbollah Terrorists/Adam Kredo/The Washington Free Beacon/December 20/2019
The Latest Lebanese LCCC English analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on December 20-21/2019
Lebanon’s Vital Tourism Industry Takes Huge Hit amid Turmoil
Associated Press/Naharnet/December 20/2019
Lebanon’s unprecedented economic and financial crisis has taken a huge toll on the hospitality sector, a mainstay of the Lebanese economy, with hundreds of restaurants closing and hotel occupancy plummeting. There have been talks about the tiny Mediterranean country heading toward economic bankruptcy akin to Greece’s 2009 crisis in recent years. But business owners said they really began to feel the economic crunch after protests swept the country on Oct. 17, paralyzing businesses with road closures and strikes as the crisis intensified. The protests were initially ignited by new taxes, but are largely about the three-decades long corruption and mismanagement stemming from the ruling political elite. At a news conference in Beirut on Thursday, Pierre Achkar, president of the Lebanese Hotel Federation for Tourism, said more than 150,000 hotel owners, partners, employees and their families face an imminent threat due to the economic crisis. “We dropped overnight from 100% to 4% occupancy (in October). November was the first full month after the unrest started, and we ended up with 10%,” said Rami Sayess, regional vice president of Four Seasons Hotel, speaking to The Associated Press after the conference.
Since a 1997 dollar peg set by the Central Bank, Lebanese pounds have been fixed at an exchange rate of 1,500 pounds to the U.S. dollar. But since the protests erupted, dollars have grown increasingly scarce as anxiety over political instability has caused more people to withdraw, fueling the worst financial crisis since the 1975-90 civil war. The dollars were often brought into the country by affluent investors who made large deposits for high interest rates and have been used interchangeably with the Lebanese pound. Local banks have also imposed unprecedented capital controls, exacerbating the economic condition and making it difficult for businesses to transfer salaries to employees.
As prices have risen amid the liquidity crisis, many business owners who used to pay their employees in U.S. dollars have switched to the Lebanese pound, or have cut back on their employees’ salaries.
“We have a lot of foreigners and expats working here and we couldn’t pay them in U.S. dollars, so they’ve been suffering a lot. There’s been a reduction in tips, too,” said Henri Farah, owner and CEO of Japanese sushi restaurant Kampai. Farah’s restaurant has dropped 50% in revenue over two months.
Today’s climate is starkly different compared to the “golden period” from 2009-2011, when the hospitality sector boomed, the number of tourists reached a record 2.16 million, and revenues and turnovers soared to $9 billion, with 6,000 outlets spread across the country, according to Tony Ramy, president of Lebanon’s Syndicate Owners of Restaurants, Cafés, Night-Clubs and Pastries in Lebanon. Since then, instability related to the Syria war has contributed to the country’s ailing economy, which has affected the hospitality sectors in Lebanon. Tense ties between Lebanon and the Gulf countries who banned their nationals from visiting Lebanon in February 2016 also negatively affect business. In September, 130 businesses permanently closed, while in October, the number increased to 135 shutdowns. November witnessed another 200, said Ramy, citing the restaurant aggregator and food delivery startup Zomato, with whom he has a partnership. December is typically a busy month for the tourism industry because of Christmas and holiday festivities. Many Lebanese expatriates who typically flock to Lebanon at this time of year are now reluctant because of the unrest. And because of the lack of bookings, brand hotels in Lebanon, such as Sheraton and Four Seasons, have begun sending Lebanese staff to other hotels in the region to lower expenses. In the restaurant sector, business was down 70%, according to Maya Noun, general secretary of the syndicate of restaurant owners. Middle-end and high-end restaurants have been most damaged. Some outlets in the higher end Beirut districts of Gemayzeh and Mar Mikhael are still making it because their clients are mainly youths who go out on a low budget for a drink or for a wallet-friendly meal. Low-end restaurants are sustaining the least amount of losses largely because of delivery services, which many people consider less expensive. Itidal al-Batal, owner of a small bakery in Beirut, said she’s “surviving” but had to cut her employees’ salaries by as much as 60% since the protests started. She said she has never seen so many hungry people. She put out bread and a sign on her restaurant’s doorstep that reads: “If you don’t have money don’t be embarrassed and leave your family without food. You’re welcome to take what you need.”Soon after, people have been coming and making donations to the bakery for those in need.
Beirut’s Duty-Free operator fined for violating Dollar-Lira peg
Christina Farhat/Annahar/December 20/2019
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Ministry of Economy has fined the company in charge of managing Beirut Airport’s Duty-Free area for setting the exchange rate of the dollar to Lebanese pound at 1,750 LB as opposed to the official rate of 1507. In the black market, the Lebanese Pound is trading at 2000 to 1 USD. “With the recent economic challenges in our country and to ensure consistent supply of all our imported products, and to satisfy our customers needs, the exchange rate from USD to LB is 1,750 LBP (temporarily) in order to maintain business continuity of supply and to deliver on our promise,” the company in charge of Beirut’s Duty-Free had said in a statement.
HRW calls for investigations on the use of violence on protesters
Tala Ramadan/Annahar/December 20/2019
BEIRUT: The Human Rights Watch reported today that Lebanon’s national security forces committed serious human rights violations on December 14 and 15, including excessive use of force against protesters.
“Instead of addressing protesters’ very real grievances, Lebanon’s authorities deployed security forces who unnecessarily shot rubber bullets and teargas and beat protesters,” said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, and highlighted that in order for the public to have confidence in the investigations, the process should be transparent and disciplinary measures should be taken.
After December 14’s failed attempt to access the parliament area, thousands of demonstrators gathered once more at the entrance of Nejmeh Square on December 15, protesting the excessive use of force the night before and rejecting the expected nomination of Hariri as prime minister.
Human Rights Watch found compelling evidence that police used excessive force to respond to protesters on both mentioned days, injuring thousands of people.
The report included that the security forces have used teargas, rubber bullets, and water cannons to evacuate the area. Some protesters were left injured. Local media reported that Parliament Police were behind the attack.
The Human Rights Watch called for a credible independent investigation into the allegations of the excessive use of force, brutality, and vandalism that took place on the two dates and urged for responsible parties to develop a better communication strategy among the multiple security agencies, including riot police, other Internal Security Forces units, the army, and units responsible for the security of parliament.
During a meeting with the Human Rights Watch, Interior Minister El-Hassan acknowledged that “mistakes were made.” She added that long working hours, exhaustion, stress, and lack of appropriate training contributed to the Riot Police abuses.
In parallel, the Lebanese Red Cross and the Civil Defense reported that they treated 87 injured people at the scene and transported 46 to hospitals. The Internal Security Forces said that 20 of their men were transported to hospitals as well as 3 injured officers.
Lebanon: Sunni Majority’s Abstention to Nominate Diab Renews Talks on National Pact
Mohammed Shokair/ Asharq Al-Awsat/December 20/2019
Discussions that preceded Thursday’s binding parliamentary consultations to name a new head of government showed that the preparation for the nomination of former minister Hassan Diab began four days before. Many saw in his appointment a disruption of the balance of sects and a breach to the country’s National Pact, which stipulates that the presidency should be occupied by the strongest figure within the Maronite community so is the case for the speakership among the Shiites and the premiership among the Sunnis. Meanwhile, observers said that resigned Prime Minister Saad Hariri was the only one to respond to the street protests. They noted in this regard that since his resignation, Hariri sought to protect the demonstrators by maintaining communication with the Lebanese Army and Security Forces and insisted on forming a technocrat cabinet to face economic and financial challenges and meet the protesters’ demands. Hariri did not object to the names that were put forward to head the government, and kept repeating, from the first day of resignation: “Not me but someone else.” He maintained his position and rejected all proposals to form a techno-political government, despite all facilitations provided to him, including the appointment of only four to six “political” ministers who will not hold key ministerial portfolios. But when Hariri found that the horizon was blocked, he announced his withdrawal from the race out of his conviction that only a government of specialists could prevent near collapse. The surprising move came from caretaker Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, who declared last week that his “Strong Lebanon” bloc would not participate in a techno-political government, nor would it support a technocrat cabinet headed by Hariri. Today, in the wake of Diab’s nomination, observers ask about the fate of the National Pact, as the new government will not be presided by the strongest figure within the Sunni community. “The prime minister’s post is not a technical position for a technocrat figure to occupy,” they noted. Accordingly, the observers noted that the appointment of a prime minister who does not enjoy wide Sunni representation will disrupt the balance of powers and will deprive the new government of the factors of continuity and stability.
U.S. Releases Aid to Lebanon Despite Fears Money Could Help Hezbollah Terrorists
Adam Kredo/The Washington Free Beacon/December 20/2019
Sources say ‘deep state’ officials blocking Trump mandate to crackdown on Hezbollah
The Trump administration released hundreds of millions in key American aid dollars to Lebanon this week despite growing concerns in Congress that these taxpayer funds are bolstering the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terror group, according to U.S. officials and congressional sources who spoke to the Washington Free Beacon.
The administration informed Congress this week that a tranche of aid money being held up by Trump loyalists at the U.S. Agency for International Development would be sent to the Lebanese government, which has long been penetrated at the highest levels by senior Hezbollah operatives. Hezbollah is a U.S. designated terror group that is funded, armed, and directed by Iran’s military leadership.
U.S. officials who spoke to the Free Beacon dating back as far as 2017 expressed concern U.S. aid dollars could fuel Hezbollah’s next war against Israel. Now, leading lawmakers are calling on the Trump administration to end this aid until a review of Hezbollah’s likely interception of the funds can be conducted.
Hezbollah has had near total control of Lebanon following the surprise resignation of the country’s prime minister in October. Hezbollah operatives remain in place across the government, enabling the terror group to carry out orders from its Iranian benefactors. This has also meant that millions in U.S. aid sent to the Lebanese government and armed forces are at risk of being pilfered by Hezbollah leaders.
Congressional officials and regional experts familiar with the matter told the Free Beacon that frustrations are mounting over both the economic and military aid the United States sends Lebanon. The policy, these sources say, is at loggerheads with the administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign to deny the Iranian regime the cash it needs to conduct terror operations, particularly through Hezbollah, which has amassed a vast array of sophisticated weaponry on Israel’s northern border.
In Congress, Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) has been pushing for American aid dollars to Lebanon to be nixed due to Hezbollah’s pervasive role in the country’s government. The lawmaker will soon be introducing legislation that would force the Trump administration to halt the taxpayer funds.
“Sen. Cruz has long called for an uncompromising strategy toward Lebanon that recognizes Iran’s pervasive influence in Lebanon through its terrorist proxy Hezbollah,” a spokesperson for Cruz told the Free Beacon. “Instead the United States has continued sending hundreds of millions of dollars to Lebanon, a policy that by any measure is failing right now. Sen. Cruz believes that we should not be funding Iran-backed terrorist groups that want to kill us and our allies, and he will soon introduce legislation prohibiting sending American taxpayer money to any Lebanese government controlled by Hezbollah.”
Multiple sources familiar with the dispute accused career officials in the State Department of waging a targeted leak campaign against Trump appointees who have sought to block the aid. Anonymous officials told Bloomberg News that Trump loyalists at USAID had orchestrated a recent hold on economic aid for Lebanon.
“We’re three years into the Trump administration, and yet the State Department is still running the old Obama playbook of sending hundreds of millions of dollars to Hezbollah-controlled Lebanon,” one senior GOP congressional aide who works on Middle East issues told the Free Beacon. “Every time one of Trump’s appointees tries to reverse course, they get blocked and leaked against by the Deep State. Nevertheless, it seems increasingly obvious there are deep divisions inside the administration and it’s no surprise you’re finding those same divisions up here on the Hill.”
Sources said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo intervened in the matter, ordering USAID to release the funds last week. Congress was informed Dec. 12 that more than $114 million in economic aid would soon be making its way to Lebanon, according to a copy of the notification obtained by the Free Beacon.
The State Department confirmed the aid dollars are no longer blocked.
“The United States remains committed to strengthening the capacity of the Lebanese Armed Forces,” a State Department spokesperson told the Free Beacon. “U.S. assistance for the LAF is a key component of our policy to reinforce Lebanon’s sovereignty and secure its borders, counter internal threats, and build up its legitimate state institutions.”
“Since 2006, the United States has invested over $2 billion to help expand the capacities and capabilities of the Lebanese Armed Forces,” the official said. “The United States provided $105 million in FY 2019 Foreign Military Financing for the Lebanese Armed Forces. This FY 2019 allocation remains unchanged from FY 2018.”
The economic aid provided by USAID will fund Lebanon’s government, including millions for the country’s education system, which is plagued by institutionalized anti-Semitism.
For this reason, pro-Israel organizations in the United States have been pressing the Trump administration to reevaluate its aid to Lebanon.
“The LAF cannot receive U.S. aid devoid of enhanced oversight and accountability. Hezbollah has infected not just the army but also the government in Beirut, and we’re now even seeing that anti-Semitism is being taught in Lebanese schools,” Sandra Parker, chair of the Christians United For Israel (CUFI) Action Fund, told the Free Beacon.
CUFI, one of the largest pro-Israel organizations in the United States, is lobbying the Trump administration to change its course on Lebanon, particularly in light of Iran’s growing role in the country’s affairs.
“Lebanon has to make a choice: turn towards tolerance and prosperity or continue to be subjugated by Iran and its terrorist proxy,” Parker said. “CUFI supports legislation conditioning a portion of US aid on the LAF’s progress in countering and diminishing Hezbollah’s influence in Lebanon. If Beirut fails to use American aid to take their country back from Hezbollah, that aid will dry up. American taxpayer dollars should not benefit terrorists or their enablers—it’s that simple.”
Veteran regional experts also have been perplexed by the Trump administration’s desire to keep aid flowing to Lebanon.
“The zeal with which the State Department pushed for the release of the aid to Lebanon, in particular the $115 million in USAID money, is strange,” said Tony Badran, a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington think tank with close ties to the White House. “There are a lot of question marks about what and where this money goes to—never mind what policy objective it’s supposed to help achieve.”
Badran said the administration’s policy had been riddled with inconsistencies. While it has sanctioned Lebanese institutions penetrated by Hezbollah, it has failed to consider the ways in which U.S. aid dollars bolster the terror group.
“It was only a few months ago this past summer, after the U.S. Treasury sanctioned the Jammal Trust Bank for being Hezbollah’s ‘bank of choice,’ that it emerged that U.S. aid programs to Lebanon had been entangled with the Hezbollah bank,” Badran said. “Rather than pause and reconsider these programs, the State Department doubled down. But several of those U.S.-funded programs support partnerships with municipal governments in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa—regions where Hezbollah and its allies directly control municipalities.”
*Adam Kredo is senior writer reporting on national security and foreign policy matters for the Washington Free Beacon. An award-winning political reporter who has broken news from across the globe, Kredo’s work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, the Weekly Standard, Commentary Magazine, the Drudge Report, and the Jerusalem Post, among many others. His Twitter handle is @Kredo0. His email address is kredo@freebeacon.com.
