A Bundle Of English Reports, News and Editorials For December 29-30/2019 Addressing the On Going Mass Demonstrations & Sit In-ins In Iranian Occupied Lebanon in its 74th Day
Compiled By: Elias Bejjani
December 30/2019
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on December 29-30/2019
Report: Aoun Wants Govt. on Monday but Shiite Duo Prefers to Wait
Raad Warns ‘Strong’ Parties to Control Lebanon if Chaos Prevails
Lebanese Judiciary Probing Reported Transfer Abroad of $2 Billion
Protesters Scuffle with Choucair’s Guards in Hamra
Al-Rahi Warns against Marginalizing ‘Any Main Component in Lebanon’
Progress Reported in Govt. Formation Talks
Protesters Rally at Diab’s Home, Demand He Quits
Scandal of Lebanese Politicians’ Transfer of Billions of Dollars abroad ‘Confuses’ Banks/Youssef Diab/Asharq Al Awsat/December 29/2019
Lebanon’s vital tourism industry takes huge hit amid turmoil
Aj Naddaff /AP /December 29/2019
Endeavor Lebanon and LIFE leverage Lebanese diaspora to support high-impact entrepreneurs/Maysaa Ajjan/Annahar/December 29/2019
Details Of The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on December 29-30/2019
Report: Aoun Wants Govt. on Monday but Shiite Duo Prefers to Wait
Naharnet/December 29/2019
President Michel Aoun is insisting that the government line-up should be announced Monday, a day before New Year’s Eve, but the “Shiite duo”, especially Hizbullah, prefers to hold further consultations, MTV has reported. The TV network added that Prime Minister-designate Hassan Diab’s talks over the past few days have led to some progress and that he has proposed that the new ministers be “non-prominent political party figures or figures close to these parties.”“An agreement has been reached on merging four ministerial portfolios and Diab does not want figures from the previous government, but this point is yet to be finalized,” MTV added.
Raad Warns ‘Strong’ Parties to Control Lebanon if Chaos Prevails
Naharnet/December 29/2019
The head of Hizbullah’s parliamentary bloc MP Mohammed Raad warned Sunday that the “strong” parties would control the country should chaos prevail. “Some want to implicate the Resistance is something it does not want, but it wants to practice a positive role so that the country does not collapse over the heads of everyone,” Raad said. “Those who want to be afraid must be afraid of the failure to form a government, because this would lead to chaos, and when the country descends into chaos, the strong parties will control it,” he warned.“We are trying to repair the falling wall but there are individuals who are still pushing this wall so that it falls, and this is our story with the government that is being formed,” Raad went on to say.
Lebanese Judiciary Probing Reported Transfer Abroad of $2 Billion
Naharnet/December 29/2019
The Lebanese judiciary has launched an investigation into reports claiming that nine Lebanese politicians have transferred $2 billion abroad over the past 15 days, a media report said. The judicial probe got underway simultaneously with the investigations that are being carried out by the central bank, Asharq al-Awsat newspaper reported Sunday. “Intensive investigations were launched Friday by the Central Criminal Investigations Bureau, under direct supervision by State Prosecutor Ghassan Ouweidat,” a senior judicial official told the daily. Authorities “listened to the testimony of the person who disclosed the information, financial expert Marwan Iskandar, who provided them with the information he knows,” the source added. “Things are being followed up and require further investigations in cooperation with the central bank and the Banking Control Commission of Lebanon,” the source said.
Iskandar meanwhile told Asharq al-Awsat that the money “was normally transferred and not smuggled as being rumored.”Faced with a grinding U.S. dollar liquidity crisis, Lebanon’s banks have since September imposed increasingly tight restrictions on dollar withdrawals and transfers abroad in an attempt to conserve dwindling foreign currency reserves. Activists say ordinary depositors are footing the bill for a liquidity crisis worsened by politicians, senior civil servants and bank owners who used their influence to get their hefty savings out of the country. Iskandar revealed that a Swiss official has told him that the transferred money amounts to $2 billion and that it belong to “nine Lebanese politicians.”“What’s dangerous is that the sums were transferred over the past 15 days, during the peak of the liquidity crisis,” Iskandar explained. “The Swiss parliament has started a serious probe into the issue and it will publicize the results of this investigation once it is finished, and I don’t believe that the Lebanese side will obtain information before the end of the Swiss probe,” Iskandar added. “There is major difficulty in recovering funds sent abroad,” Iskandar said, reminding that the Philippines has failed to retrieve $2.5 billion transferred by a president who died 30 years ago and that Egypt has also failed to recover the funds sent abroad by ousted president Hosni Mubarak.
Protesters Scuffle with Choucair’s Guards in Hamra
Naharnet/December 29/2019
Anti-corruption protesters on Sunday scuffled with the guards of the house of caretaker Telecom Minister Mohammed Choucair in Beirut’s Hamra area. Protesters said the guards beat up a number of young men who tried to enter the building. Videos circulated online showed the presence of anti-riot police at the site. Protesters meanwhile shouted slogans through megaphones outside the building. According to the National News Agency, the protesters rallied to reject the extension of the contracts of Lebanon’s mobile telecom operators – touch and Alfa. “No Extension No Renewal”, they shouted.
A decision by Choucair to impose a tax on calls via internet apps such as WhatsApp was the spark that on October 17 ignited unprecedented street protests in Lebanon against the entire political class. The protests are still ongoing despite the swift reversal of the decision and the eventual resignation of Saad Hariri’s government.
Al-Rahi Warns against Marginalizing ‘Any Main Component in Lebanon’
Naharnet/December 29/2019
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Sunday warned against “the exclusion or marginalization of any main component in Lebanon,” amid ongoing negotiations to form a new government. “Lebanon cannot be ruled through hegemony, confrontation or a one-sided government,” al-Rahi cautioned in his Sunday Mass sermon. “The sacrifices of the young men and women of this positive national uprising should be given their real value so that we don’t push them into despair,” the patriarch said. Despair would lead to “a negative and destructive revolt,” he warned. “That’s why we reiterate their demand for the formation of a government independent from the political parties which would bring together a harmonious team of competent and upright experts,” al-Rahi said. Such a government would “devise and implement a salvation plan under the supervision of parliament, which represents all the components of the Lebanese society,” he added.
Choucair comments on today’s events
NNA/December 29/2019
The media office of the caretaker Minister of Telecommunications, Muhammad Choucair, condemned in a statement issued on Sunday “the way in which a group of demonstrators entered the building, where Minister Choucair resides,” deeming it an attack on the sanctity of the building and its residents. The statement pointed out that “Choucair tried very hard to speak to this same group, when they entered in the same way to the meeting of economic bodies, but the way they follow and the difference in their opinion and the issues raised prevented the continuation of the dialogue.” Finally, the statement indicated that “Minister Choucair called on the demonstrators to dialogue if they wanted, but on the basis of compliance with the law and the principle of respect.”
Progress Reported in Govt. Formation Talks
Naharnet/December 29/2019
Progress has been made in the ongoing negotiations to form a new government, media reports said. An-Nahar newspaper said the progress was especially reported following PM-designate Hassan Diab’s meetings with President Michel Aoun and the political aides of Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Speaker Nabih Berri. “But the conferees decided to wait until after the New Year holiday to allow for further consultations, whether with those who have objections or with the components who back an agreement on the shape, shares and candidates of the government,” the daily added.
Protesters Rally at Diab’s Home, Demand He Quits
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/December 29/2019
Dozens of protesters gathered outside the Beirut home of Prime Minister-designate Hassan Diab overnight, calling for his resignation less than 10 days after he was appointed. Lebanon is without a cabinet and in the grips of a deepening economic crisis after a two-month-old protest movement forced Saad Hariri to stand down as prime minister on October 29. Anti-government protests continued after Hariri’s resignation, while political parties negotiated for weeks before nominating Diab, a professor and former education minister, to replace him on December 19. Echoing protester demands, Diab promised to form a government of independent experts within six weeks — in a country where appointing a cabinet can take months. But protesters on Saturday were unconvinced by his promise. “We’re here to bring down Hassan Diab. He doesn’t represent us. He’s one of them,” said one young demonstrator, referring to the country’s ruling elite, who protesters despise collectively. Lina, another protester agreed, saying: “It’s the revolution that must name the prime minister, not them.”The 60-year-old Diab, who has a low public profile and styles himself as a technocrat, last week called protester demands legitimate but asked them to give him a chance to form “an exceptional government.””We are willing to give him a chance, but let us at least give him a roadmap,” Lina told AFP. “The names don’t matter to us, we want policy plans, what is his program?” she asked. Protesters decry Diab’s participation as a minister in a government deemed corrupt. The support given to him by powerful Shiite movement Hizbullah also angers many protesters and pro-Hariri Sunnis. Protesters also gathered in the northern Sunni majority city of Tripoli on Saturday, an AFP photographer said. The protests and political deadlock have brought Lebanon to its worst economic crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war. The international community has urged a new cabinet to be formed swiftly to implement economic reforms and unlock international aid.
Scandal of Lebanese Politicians’ Transfer of Billions of Dollars abroad ‘Confuses’ Banks
Youssef Diab/Asharq Al Awsat/December 29/2019
Statements by financial expert, Dr. Marwan Iskandar, in which he revealed that Lebanese politicians transferred billions of dollars abroad, created confusion among the political, banking and even judicial circles and increased the anger of the popular uprising against Lebanon’s ruling class. This information has caused great resentment in Lebanon, especially as it comes at a time when banks are imposing tight restrictions on depositors’ withdrawals and prohibiting them from transferring any amount in foreign currencies abroad. This has affected merchants, who have to pay for imported goods, and even citizens who need to transfer money to their children studying abroad. In this regard, an emergency meeting of the Finance and Budget parliamentary committee was held on Thursday, in the presence of Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh, who announced after the talks that “investigations will be conducted in reports about officials and bankers making transfers abroad this year.” “We will do whatever the law allows us to, to check all the transfers that occurred in 2019 abroad, and whether there are suspicious funds,” he vowed. Meanwhile, a judicial source told Asharq Al-Awsat that intense investigations began on Friday by the Central Criminal Investigation Department, under the direct supervision of Beirut First Investigating Judge Ghassan Oueidat. The source explained that the investigation “began by listening to Iskandar’s statements about the information he revealed.”“The matter is being followed up and needs further investigations in cooperation with the Central Bank and the Banking Supervision Committee,” according to the source. In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Iskandar noted that “the amounts were transferred normally and not smuggled.”He revealed that a Swiss official informed him that the transferred funds amounted to two billion dollars, and they belonged to nine Lebanese politicians. “What’s dangerous is that the sums have been transferred in the last 15 days, at the height of the liquidity crisis,” Iskandar noted. He stressed that the Swiss parliament has begun a serious investigation into this matter, and it would publish the results once it is completed.
Lebanon’s vital tourism industry takes huge hit amid turmoil
Aj Naddaff | AP /December 29/2019
BEIRUT — 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.
In recent years, there has been talk about the tiny Mediterranean country heading toward economic bankruptcy akin to Greece’s 2009 crisis. But business owners said they really began to feel the economic crunch after protests swept the country in mid-October, paralyzing businesses with road closures and strikes as the crisis intensified.
The protests were initially ignited by new proposed 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%,” Rami Sayess, regional vice president of Four Seasons Hotel, told The Associated Press.
Since 1997, the Central Bank had maintained a fixed 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 their money from the banks, 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 and the number of tourists and revenues soared, according to Tony Ramy, president of Lebanon’s Syndicate of Owners of Restaurants, Cafés, Night-Clubs and Pastries in Lebanon.
Since then, instability related to the Syria war which started in 2011 has contributed to the country’s ailing economy. Tense ties between Lebanon and the Gulf countries who banned their nationals from visiting Lebanon for extended periods of time on various occasion since then, 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% in recent weeks, 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 Gemmayzeh 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.
*Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Endeavor Lebanon and LIFE leverage Lebanese diaspora to support high-impact entrepreneurs
Maysaa Ajjan/Annahar/December 29/2019
The initiative, held in Beirut Digital District (BDD), seeks to bridge between the high potential of Lebanese scale-up companies and the opportunities for growth beyond the local market.
BEIRUT: The recent economic crisis has had crushing repercussions on Lebanon’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Startups are finding it harder than ever to access local markets and expand to regional ones.
In an effort to alleviate the effects this crisis has had on the entrepreneurial sector, Endeavor Lebanon and Lebanese International Finance Executives (LIFE) organized a speed mentoring session targeting 15 high-growth companies Friday, 27 December, 2019.
The session was a joint effort to enhance the business opportunities between high-impact entrepreneurs and Lebanese investors, and strengthen the ties between the local entrepreneurial community and the Lebanese diaspora.
“Today, Lebanon’s dim economic outlook poses a range of new challenges on these Lebanese scale-ups,” Endeavor Lebanon’s managing director, Christina Chehade, said in her opening remarks. “Hence our constant endeavor to pave the way for new openings that ensure continuity of this most active economic engine for the multiplier impact it generates.”“This form of networking would engender new avenues and draw on a wide range of perspectives for the growth to our entrepreneurs,” she added.
The initiative, held in Beirut Digital District (BDD), seeks to bridge between the high potential of Lebanese scale-up companies and the opportunities for growth beyond the local market.
Through the active involvement and shared expertise of the LIFE global business network, the focused networking discussions aim to actively support Endeavor Lebanon network companies
with business introductions and mentoring opportunities.
“We are delighted to avail our global network towards mentoring local enterprises and creating investment and employment opportunities, and most importantly, access to international markets,” LIFE board member and chair of the Promote pillar, Paul Raphael, said. “We believe in Lebanese human capital and we are committed to promoting the Lebanese brand equity beyond the borders of Lebanon.”The companies participating from within the Endeavor Lebanon network included major game players in the industry such as Arabnet, Flyfoot, FOO, HiCart, Neotic, NymCard, Royal Gourmet, SE Factory, Synkers, Topotrade, Toters, and Zima.The sessions featured 40 mentors from LIFE network, and participants were divided into work groups, each of which comprised one Lebanese company and three of LIFE’s specialist mentors.
The groups focused on ways to confront the challenges faced by these companies in light of the present economic circumstances in Lebanon. Sessions highlighted the significant role such companies play in catalyzing the local economy, particularly given the fact that they generate 60% more revenues and jobs on average than small and medium-sized local firms. The format of the event allowed the participating companies to interact directly with LIFE mentors who shared their global experience and outlook, reflecting on the companies’ plans and challenges, particularly with regards to attracting capital and scaling and developing expansion prospects outside the country.
