A Bundle Of English Reports, News and Editorials For December 30-31/2019 Addressing the On Going Mass Demonstrations & Sit In-ins In Iranian Occupied Lebanon in its 75th Day
Compiled By: Elias Bejjani
December 31/2019
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on December 30-31/2019
Baabda Palace witnesses ministerial, diplomatic, and student meetings
Oueidat Asks Swiss, Lebanese Authorities for Info on Suspected Transfers
Hizbullah Denounces U.S. Strikes on Iraq
Lebanese Protesters Defy Capital Controls in Bank Sit-In
Lebanon’s Central Bank reverses decision after drop in remittances/Ryme Alhussayni/Annahar/December 30/2019
Protesters Stage Sit-Ins near Banks
US envoy urges EU to ban Hezbollah after Iran militia kills American/Jerusalem Post/December 30/2019
Qassem Calls on Diab Not to Heed Hariri’s ‘Veto’
Protester Groups Sue Choucair over Extension of Alfa, touch Contracts
Details Of The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on December 30-31/2019
Baabda Palace witnesses ministerial, diplomatic, and student meetings
NNA/Naharnet/December 31/2019
President of the Republic, Michel Aoun, on Monday signed promotion decrees for officers in the Army, Internal Security Forces, General Security, State Security, and Customs.
Besides the signature of the President of the Republic, these decrees carried the signatures of Care-Taker Prime Minister, Saad Al-Hariri, Finance Minister, Ali-Hasan Khalil, Interior Minister, Raya El-Hassan, and National Defense Minister, Elias Bou Saab.
The President received Minister of State for Foreign Trade Affairs, Hassan Murad, and Minister of Displaced, Ghassan Atallah.
Ministers Atallah and Murad discussed, with President Aoun, the current situation and new Ministerial developments, in addition to foreign trade affairs, ways to activate them, and developments of the issue of the displaced.
The President met the Egyptian Ambassador to Lebanon, Dr. Yasser Alawi, and discussed with him the general situation, and Lebanese-Egyptian relations.
The meeting also dealt with regional events and the stances, of Lebanon and Egypt, regarding these events.
President Aoun received a delegation of university students working on the “Reform Paper for Lebanese University Students”, in the presence of his student affairs advisor, Dr. Paul Daher.
The President discussed a number of proposed ideas, with the delegation, including the necessity of establishing a “National Authority for Youth Affairs”, with an independent moral and administrative entity, baring the responsibility of taking care of youth affairs, and their needs and aspirations for the future.
President Aoun stressed on the importance of adopting efficiency in employment instead of “Wasta” (i.e. connections), because efficiency provides material and moral entitlement, whereas “Wasta” policy, which is adopted by populism, seeks to attract the votes of people in elections more than raising the level of knowledge and production in the country.
“We hope that this policy will change, because the events that took place did not harm, but broke many reserves and red lines, and their results will start to appear from today” the President said.
“When I addressed demonstrators, I told them your demands are right, so stay in the squares because you are helping us more in order to achieve the goals we desire. This is because my thought always turns towards you, towards the youth, because I consider you my children, and I can see how much you are willing to build up your future, as you will ensure communication and continuity. You will put a new stone which complements what we have built, just as your children will put another stone to move the country towards the better, this is the law of nature. Therefore, I am with the youth and with their preparation, not only scientifically but educationally, economically and politically, especially since the most important thing is that political leaders are clean, to build a clean homeland” President Aoun stated.
“Corruption is present in abundance, in Lebanon, and its Mafias are mutually supportive, wherever they are, so that they fake up disputes between themselves. Differences motivate people to divide, and nervousness provides continuation for the corrupt, and there is sometimes a mistake in the expression or in identifying the corrupt, and this is what we witnessed lately. Therefore, it is necessary for young people to be more aware and to define the goal accurately. What you do today encourages those in power and gives them the power to change. God willing, you will witness something new” the President continued.
Responding to a question, President Aoun considered that universities should teach students politics by opening doors to host lectures, pointing out that in year 2014 he sent a message to university directors in order to nurture political education, but unfortunately, no university has provided implementation. The President considered that when the student gets acquainted with parties and their beliefs, he can then choose and have acritical sense, distinguishing between what is wrong and what is right, especially in terms of what is circulated in the media, encouraging to guide students to professional majors.
President Aoun also pointed to the country’s inability to absorb the full numbers of university graduates in the labor market, and said that “If we want to graduate intellectual and educated students at high levels, the educational system in schools and universities must be changed by closing some universities and supporting the Lebanese University more, changing the educational system, and updating programs. As for youth job opportunities, the current economic conditions prevent the provision of opportunities for everyone at the present time. With the change we seek in the economic approach, we can provide job opportunities for young people and support their ambitions and creativity”.
The President received congratulations on the occasion of Christmas, and the coming of New Year, from Qatar’s Prince, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, his deputy, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Hamad Al Thani, and the President of Iceland, Gunny Johansson.
Oueidat Asks Swiss, Lebanese Authorities for Info on Suspected Transfers
Naharnet/December 31/2019
State Prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat on Monday requested information from Swiss and Lebanese authorities about the alleged transfer abroad of large sums of money by a number of Lebanese politicians. The National News Agency said Oueidat has sought the help of “the Swiss judiciary, the Special Investigation Commission of Banque du Liban and the Banking Control Commission of Lebanon.” The agency added that the prosecutor has asked for information to verify whether or not Lebanese politicians have recently made any “suspicious” transfers. Asharq al-Awsat newspaper reported Sunday that the Lebanese judiciary has launched an investigation into reports claiming that nine Lebanese politicians have transferred $2 billion abroad over the past 15 days. It said the judicial probe got underway simultaneously with the investigations that are being carried out by the central bank. “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. 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 belongs 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.
Hizbullah Denounces U.S. Strikes on Iraq
Naharnet/December 31/2019
Hizbullah on Monday denounced the U.S. air strikes against a pro-Iran militant group in Iraq that killed 19 fighters. The U.S. strike is “a blatant attack against the sovereignty and stability in Iraq and against the Iraqi people and Hashed al-Shaabi which had the upper hand in confronting terrorism,” a Hizbullah statement said. “This aggression reaffirms that the American administration wants to strike the elements of the power inherent in the Iraqi people who are able to confront ISIS and the forces of extremism and criminality,” added the statement. The Pentagon said on Sunday it targeted weapons caches or command and control facilities linked to Kata’ib Hizbullah (KH) in Western Iraq, as well as Eastern Syria, in response to a barrage of 30 or more rockets fired on Friday. Four US service members and Iraqi security forces were also wounded in Friday’s attack at the K1 Iraqi military base in Kirkuk, an oil-rich region north of Baghdad.
Lebanese Protesters Defy Capital Controls in Bank Sit-In
Associated Press/Naharnet/December 31/2019
Lebanese protesters staged a sit-in inside a commercial bank in the capital Beirut on Monday, forcing tellers to give them more than the weekly limit for withdrawal amid a wave of protests against recent capital controls. Amid a spiraling financial crisis, Lebanese banks have imposed informal withdrawal limits of a maximum $300 a week and totally halted transfers abroad. Anti-government protesters, who largely blame the country’s dire economy on corrupt politicians, say the limits are illegal and have turned their ire against bank officials and the financial sector. The Association of Banks in Lebanon advised the capital controls to manage depleting foreign currency. Lebanon’s economy depends heavily on U.S. dollars. At least two dozen protesters sat on the floor of a branch of the Audi Bank in Beirut’s Ashrafieh district on Monday, chanting against Lebanese banking policies. They eventually forced the teller to cash a $5,000 check for one protester while two others withdrew $1,000 and $2,000 from their accounts. The protesters waved the money at the cameras in celebration.
“We want the money,” the protesters chanted, a number of them clients of the bank. They urged some of the customers in the bank to demand more of their money with the protesters’ support. At least one tried, but didn’t insist, said Roy Dib, one of the protesters who cashed the $5,000 check.
“We stayed and insisted and under pressure, they gave the money,” Dib said. Dib said it is not legal for Lebanon’s bank association to enforce withdrawal limits without parliamentary or government approval. Over recent weeks, the local currency has taken a nose dive, losing more than 30% of its value after over 20 years of being pegged to the dollar. Meanwhile, layoffs and salary cuts are becoming the norm while politicians have continued to bicker since late October over forming a new government. An Audi bank spokesperson was unable to confirm that the money was withdrawn and said bank staff called for security back-up because of the protesters’ “aggressive” action. The bank is the largest private bank in Lebanon. “They are not clients. They are communists,” the spokesperson told The Associated Press, declining to be identified in line with regulations. “They are calling for the fall of the banking system.”
The doors to the bank were briefly closed while protesters and clients were locked inside, Dib said. He denied protesters used violence. Security at one point formed a line between the tellers and the protesters. The standoff ended peacefully by the branch’s regular closing time. After nationwide protests erupted on Oct. 17 over Lebanon’s plummeting economy, banks closed down for two weeks fearing anger and panic from depositors. When they re-opened, at least one armed policeman was added to each branch, in addition to the regular private security. A spokesman for the Lebanese banks association said the capital controls are only a temporary measure to deal with the country’s severe liquidity crunch. Georges Abi Saleh, director of communication for the association, said that there were strict orders to avoid clashing with depositors. “The people are in a state of worry. We have to be understanding,” he said, adding that it is unlikely such scenarios would be repeated in over 1,100 bank branches around Lebanon.
Lebanon’s Central Bank reverses decision after drop in remittances
Ryme Alhussayni/Annahar/December 30/2019
Banks came under increased pressure Monday as dozens of Lebanese depositors stormed various branches across the country to withdraw their savings.
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Central Bank on Monday reversed an earlier decision that required establishments such as OMT and Moneygram to pay electronic funds transfers of international origin to their Lebanese recipients in Lira.The year-old decision was seen by experts as an attempt by the Central Bank to support the local currency. Sources told Annahar that the decision to issue a new circular reversing the one that dates back to January 2019, followed a sharp decrease in remittance inflows to Lebanon. Lebanese recipients were losing up to 40 percent in value to convert those remittances back to dollars at the unofficial exchange market, which stands around 2100 lira to the dollars. Banks came under increased pressure Monday as dozens of Lebanese depositors stormed various branches across the country to withdraw their savings. Among protesters who took to the streets, some groups were chanting ‘we are not paying ‘, as part of a pressure campaign targeting the government and banks. Banks will be closed on New Year eve, with the Banks’ Association noting that Tuesday’s closure will allow employees to complete the internal tasks before year-end. Banks have been imposing strict capital controls as confidence in the banking sector waned. The anti-bank protests intensified after Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh said he “doesn’t know how much more” the local currency will lose its value. His comments deepened fears among the Lebanese of losing much of their savings.
Protesters Stage Sit-Ins near Banks
Naharnet/December 31/2019
Dozens of protesters held sit-ins near banks in the Aley district town of Qabrshmoun on Monday, part of their focus on banking policies and unprecedented capital controls to protect their deposits. Protesters have been organizing daily sit-ins near banks around the country under the slogan “we are not paying” asking depositors not to pay their loans amid the tight capital controls. Protesters gathered outside banks in Qabrshmoun banging at its doors while chanting “Thieves, Thieves.”At another bank in the southern city of Sidon, a group of protesters entered a bank in Riad al-Solh street demanding the bank manager to allow small depositors withdraw the sums of money they need from their accounts. They chanted slogans against the Central Bank governor. The protesters posted videos of their actions on a Twitter account linked to the protest movement. Activists have also gathered outside the Central Bank in Zahle. Lebanon is facing its worst economic crisis in decades, while protests against corruption and mismanagement have gripped the country since October 17. The local currency has taken a nose dive, losing more than 40% of its value after over 20 years of being pegged to the dollar. Banks are imposing unprecedented capital controls to protect their deposits amid a deepening confidence crisis. Meanwhile, layoffs and salary cuts are becoming the norm while politicians bicker over forming a new government. Banks have put a withdrawal ceiling of $200 a week on most accounts, while totally blocking outside transfers.
US envoy urges EU to ban Hezbollah after Iran militia kills American
Jerusalem Post/December 30/2019
The most high-profile US Ambassador in Europe Richard Grenell urged European countries on Saturday to outlaw Hezbollah’s entire organization after an Iran-backed militia reportedly murdered an American contractor in Iraq. Grenell tweeted: “Now would be a good time for our European allies to follow the lead of the German parliament and move to designate a terrorist organization. #diplomacy.”An American official said the United States was reviewing the involvement of Kataib Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Shi’ite organization, in the murder of the contractor. The contractor was killed near Kirkuk — an oil production site. The Jerusalem Post reported last week that Germany’s parliament approved a non-binding initiative calling on the government to ban activities of the Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah in the federal republic. The motion urged Chancellor Angela Merkel’s administration, as well as the EU, to adopt a full ban of Hezbollah. The EU merely proscribed Hezbollah’s “military wing” a terrorist organization in 2013. Hezbollah’s “political wing” operates within the EU and Germany. Grenell’s counter-terrorism efforts have proved effective in Germany. The Post learned this year that in every meeting with German officials he urges a comprehensive ban of Hezbllah. Hezbollah blew up an Israeli tour bus in Burgas, Bulgaria in 2012, murdering five Israelis and their Bulgarian-Muslim bus driver. The US, Canada, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Israel and Arab League have designated Hezbollah’s movement a terrorist organization, and Sudan reportedly will close Hezbollah’s office in North African country. There are roughly 1,050 Hezbollah operatives in Germany who recruit new members, raise funds for their parent organization Beirut, and spread lethal antisemitic ideology in the federal republic.
Qassem Calls on Diab Not to Heed Hariri’s ‘Veto’
Naharnet/December 31/2019
Hizbullah deputy chief Sheikh Naim Qassem on Monday called on Prime Minister-designate Hassan Diab to disregard the “veto of those who have decided not to take part” in the new government, in an apparent reference to caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri and his al-Mustaqbal Movement. “The phase of choosing the premier has ended, seeing as Dr. Hassan Diab has been appointed at PM-designate and his mission must be facilitated,” Qassem said. “Any attempt to blockade the designation of a PM or the formation of the government is aimed at returning Lebanon to vacuum, and it is an act against Lebanon’s interest,” Qassem added. Praising Diab, Hizbullah’s number two said the PM-designate possesses “wisdom, intensive activity and the clarity of vision.”“He is trying to form the government as soon as possible, but it is normal for him to need some time due to the broad wave of contacts that he is carrying out to secure the broadest representation at the political and popular levels,” Qassem added. “The PM-designate has the right and responsibility to consult with the components and politicians of the society, but he is not responsible for heeding the veto of those who have rejected to participate. They bear the responsibility for their rejection,” the Hizbullah leader went on to say.
Protester Groups Sue Choucair over Extension of Alfa, touch Contracts
Naharnet/December 31/2019
Protest movement groups on Monday filed a lawsuit with Financial Prosecutor Ali Ibrahim against caretaker Telecom Minister Mohammed Choucair and others over what they called the “illegal” extension of the contracts of Lebanon’s mobile network operators Alfa and touch.
The lawsuit accuses Choucair and anyone identified during investigations of “the waste of public funds and the violation of the public auditing law” by seeking to “smuggle the extension contract with touch and Alfa in violation of the law, despite the report of the telecom parliamentary committee and a previous lawsuit by the financial prosecution against the directors of the two firms on charges of illicit enrichment and graft.”The National News Agency said the groups that filed the lawsuit are: The People Want to Reform the System, Awareness Initiative, People’s Movement, Youth Movement for Change, People Resist, Youths of the Bank and We Want a Country.
