A Bundle Of English Reports, News and Editorials For January 07-08/2020 Addressing the On Going Mass Demonstrations & Sit In-ins In Iranian Occupied Lebanon in its 83th Day
Compiled By: Elias Bejjani
January 08/2020
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Miscellaneous Reports And News published on January 07-08/2020
Iran launches missiles at US military facilities in Iraq: US official
Iran launches dozen missiles against two US bases in Iraq, says Pentagon
Pompeo, Esper arrive at White House following Iranian attack in Iraq
Soleimani’s burial delayed after 50 killed, 213 injured in stampede
Iran Unlikely to Act Against Israel Over Soleimani Assassination, Defense Officials Tell Ministers
Letter on Iraq pullout ‘genuine’ but sent by ‘mistake’: Top US general
US Air Force launches 52 f-35s in rapid succession as part of planned exercise
Soleimani’s death will put Iran’s proxy network to the test
US VP Pence to lay out Iran policy in upcoming speech: White House
Iran designates US forces ‘terrorists’ for killing general
At least 50 killed, 213 injured in stampede at Soleimani’s funeral procession
Zarif: Iran will respond ‘proportionately’ to US killing of general
Zarif: Dialogue, mutual understanding will achieve regional stability
US renews warning about threats from Iran to vessels in Gulf
Iran considering 13 ‘revenge scenarios’ after Soleimani killing
Iraqi president receives phone call from UN Guterres: Iraqi state TV
US interests in region ‘in danger’: Iran’s Rouhani tells Macron
Member of IRGC’s Quds Force killed in Yemen: Report
Iraq has received US letter regarding troop withdrawal: PM
Saudi Arabia’s deputy defense minister meets with UK officials
Saudi Arabia’s deputy defense minister meets with President Trump
Russia’s Putin makes rare visit to Syria, meets Assad
Iran summons Brazil’s charge d’affaires in Tehran after Soleimani comments
Egyptair suspends flights to Baghdad for 3 days
Zarif says informed by UN that US has denied him visa
UN says ‘no plan B’ to Syria cross-border aid system
Iran drops spy charge for detained French academic: Lawyer
Iran says nuclear deal ‘not dead yet’ despite commitment roll back
Philippines prepares to evacuate workers in Middle East on rising tensions
Four Kenyan civilians killed in al Shabab attack on telecom mast
Vladimir Putin meets Assad on rare trip to Syria
The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News published on January 07-08/2020
The collapse and fall of the cartoony mullahs’ system is Inevitable
Elias Bejjani/January 07/2020
The Iranian mullahs’ regime, that has failed to organize the funeral of Soleimani, during which 40 were killed and 230 wounded because of the stampede, is a fake and cartoony state.. Accordingly its fall is inevitable no matter what.
Lebanon’s TV Stations Are Mere Iranian Mouthpieces
Elias Bejjani/January 06/2020
The media facilities in Lebanon are totally deceptive and their owners have lost all that is truth, righteousness, dignity and self respect. Sadly and because of the Hezbollah oppression and terrorism these media facilities became Mere trumpets, Cymbals, puppets and a bunch of hired mouthpieces
Nasrallah and Hezbollah Evil Organization are a cancer ravaging peace, and the entity of Lebanon
Elias Bejjani/January 06/2020
Nasrallah’s speech of today was a mere squawk, and a big bundle of hallucinations, delusions, fallacies, advocacy for terrorism and an assault on everything that is Lebanese, Arab world and peace in the Middle East.
Aoun Hopes Tensions Won’t Spread to Lebanon
Associated Press/Naharnet/January 07/2020
President Michel Aoun says the country is working to prevent rising tensions in the region from affecting stability at home. Aoun made the remarks on Tuesday during separate meetings with the U.N. special coordinator for Lebanon and the commander of the U.N. peacekeeping force deployed along the border with Israel. A statement by Aoun’s office quoted him as saying it is important that calm continues along the Lebanon-Israel border and to “prevent negative developments from happening there.” The leader of Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hizbulah group has said the U.S. military will pay a price for killing Iran’s top general and Iraqi militia leaders in Baghdad last week.
Lebanese President Hopes Regional Tensions Won’t Affect Home
Asharq Al-Awsat/Tuesday, 7 January, 2020
Lebanese President Michel Aoun hoped on Tuesday that tensions in the region would not affect stability at home. Beirut is working to prevent rising tensions in the region from affecting local security, he said during separate meetings with the UN special coordinator for Lebanon Jan Kubis and the commander of the UN peacekeeping force deployed along the border with Israel. A statement by Aoun’s office quoted him as saying it is important that calm continues along the Lebanon-Israel border and to “prevent negative developments from happening there.”The leader of Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah group has said the US military will pay a price for killing Iran’s top general, Qassem Soleimani, and Iraqi militia leaders in Baghdad last week.
President Aoun briefs Kubis on efforts to stabilize situation, meets UNIFIL’s Del Col
NNA/Naharnet/January 07/2020
President Michel Aoun received the UN Special Coordinator in Lebanon, Jan Kubic, at Baabda Palace.
President Michel Aoun informed the Special Coordinator of the UN in Lebanon, Jan Kubic, that the work to stabilize the Lebanese situation is ongoing and that there is no impact on the security situation in the country due to the recent security developments. The President stressed the importance of continuing to keep calm on the Southern Borders and preventing negative developments. During the meeting which was attended by Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Salim Jreisatti, and Kubic’s accompanying delegation, President Aoun stated that contacts are in place to fortify the political situation by accelerating the formation of a new Government to strengthen national unity, and enabling the executive branch to carry out the national tasks entrusted to it. President Aoun stressed that “Lebanon maintains the safety of all its citizens, residing or present on its territory, without discrimination”. The President affirmed that work is in progress to prepare a plan for keeping pace with “Cedar” Conference recommendations, so that work will commence upon the formation of the new Government, in which President Aoun expressed hope that its formation will be soon. Mr. Kubic had also conveyed, to the President, the results of his contacts to maintain stability in Lebanon, especially after security developments which took place in Baghdad, last Friday. President Aoun met the UNIFIL commander, General Stefano Del Cole, and deliberated with him on the situation on Southern Lebanese borders. The meeting also dealt with recent regional developments and the coordination between the Lebanese Army and UNIFIL, in addition to the outcome of the tripartite Military Committee meeting, which included representatives of the Lebanese Army, UN, and Israeli Army. During the meeting, General Del Cole expressed satisfaction for the calm prevailing in Southern regions in general and on borders in particular, and hoped that this positive situation will continue, especially along the Blue Line. Del Cole also spoke about the existing cooperation with the Lebanese Army, and the continuous training with UNIFIL. President Aoun thanked Del Cole for the efforts made by the international forces to maintain stability in the South, reiterating Lebanon’s commitment to international resolutions, especially Resolution 1701, in light of the stability of the Lebanese position regarding the need to maintain calmness along the borders. The President warned that Lebanon would continue to receive the side effects of wars in the Middle East, which reflect negatively on the Lebanese situation, pointing out to the repercussions of the Syrian displacement on various sectors in Lebanon, in this context, especially the economic conditions which have worsened recently. President Aoun met the Lebanese Ambassador to China, Melia Jabbour, and discussed with her the relations between both countries.—Presidency Press Office
Reports: Aoun-Diab Talks Positive, Foreign Portfolio Hurdle Resolved
Naharnet/January 07/2020
Prime Minister-designate Hassan Diab held a “positive” meeting with President Michel Aoun on Tuesday and the foreign affairs portfolio obstacle has been resolved, TV networks said. “Aoun and Diab held a 45-minute meeting and the atmosphere was positive,” MTV and al-Jadeed TV said. MTV quoted Baabda sources as saying that an 18-seat technocrat government will be formed. “Diab carried a list of names to Aoun and reports said that the obstacles related to the foreign, justice and interior portfolios have been resolved as well as the appointment of Demianos Qattar as a minister,” MTV added. Al-Jadeed meanwhile said that Diab presented a “final line-up” to Aoun.
Bassil briefs British, French, US ambassadors on Lebanon’s stance in wake of Soleimani’s assassination
NNA /January 07/2020
Caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Gebran Bassil, on Tuesday held a series of diplomatic meetings with British Ambassador to Lebanon, Chris Rampling, French Ambassador to Lebanon, Bruno Foucher, and US Ambassador to Lebanon, Elizabeth Richard. Minister Basil also met with United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jan Kubis. During these meetings, talks mainly focused on the most recent developments in the Middle East region, especially in the wake of Qassem Soleimani’s assassination in Iraq. The Lebanese state had issued a statement via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in which it called for sparing the region the ramifications of the aforementioned assassination. The statement also encouraged the Lebanese to give precedence to the logic of dialogue, restraint, and wisdom whilst thrashing out problems, instead of using force and violence in regional and international relations.
In turn, the ambassadors praised the content of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ statement, which stressed the need to distance Lebanon from likely regional repercussions and not to use the country as a field to respond to any sort of negative development. The ambassadors also discussed with Minister Bassil the best means to defuse the simmering situation in the region.
Bassil Says Technocrat Govt. Still Valid, Denies Obstructing Formation
Naharnet/January 07/2020
Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil announced Tuesday that the formation of a technocrat government is still an appropriate choice despite the escalation in the region, as he denied that he is obstructing the formation of the new Cabinet. “Our stance is what pushed for moving from a techno-political government to a government of experts. It is normal to ask if a government of this type is still valid for this stage, especially after Qassem Soleimani’s assassination, and I believe that this format is still appropriate seeing as the priority is for the financial situation,” Bassil said in an interview on al-Jadeed TV. “No one is facilitating the formation of the government as much as me and claims that I’m obstructing because I want the foreign affairs portfolio are baseless,” Bassil added. Denying that he is orchestrating the government formation process, the FPM chief said: “The government is being formed by the PM-designate in consultation and agreement with the President and we are giving our opinion like the rest of the blocs.”“The current plan is the formation of a government that can prevent the collapse,” he said.
Mustaqbal Warns of Return to 1998 Era, Urges Dissociation after Soleimani Killing
Naharnet/January 07/2020
Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc on Tuesday warned of a perceived attempt to “repeat the experience of the year 1998 and its spiteful policies.” The bloc’s warning refers to the year in which Rafik Hariri was replaced as premier by Salim al-Hoss during Emile Lahoud’s term as president. “The endorsed course in finding solutions for the political and economic crises, including the government formation crisis, is a course that revolves in empty cycles and strongly disregards the changes that the country witnessed after the October 17 uprising,” Mustaqbal said in a statement issued after its weekly meeting.
“The bloc warns of the reported attempts to once again seize the one-third veto power” in Cabinet, the statement said, adding that “parties from the (Syrian) tutelage era are interfering in the formation process and are suggesting candidates whose security and political backgrounds are well-known.”“This indicates the presence of growing plots to repeat the experience of the year 1998 and its spiteful policies,” the bloc cautioned. Commenting on the U.S. assassination of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and its feared repercussions, Mustaqbal stressed that Lebanon should “dissociate” itself and “refrain from interfering in foreign conflicts.” Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah had hinted Sunday that his group might take part in attacks to avenge Soleimani. “There is a responsibility on the shoulders of the axis of resistance to retaliate… Qassem Soleimani is not a purely Iranian affair, Qassem Soleimani concerns Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Afghanistan and every country,” said Nasrallah.
Demonstrators Block Government Institutions
Naharnet/January 07/2020
Protests against corruption and mismanagement continue in Lebanon amid ongoing attempts of PM-designate Hassan Diab to form a much-delayed government and the worst economic crisis since Lebanon’s 1975-1990. Protesters continue to eye state-institutions, and on Tuesday activists from Zahle and Bekaa rallied near the Serail of Zahle and the Finance Ministry blocking access for employees with a large Lebanese flag. “Today we are using the same method of protests that we used before the holidays, we are targeting the government institutions. This week our protests are against the finance ministry’s policies, LibanPost and the unjustly levied taxes,” one protester standing outside the Serail told LBCI reporter. Ongoing protests since October 17 eased during the holidays break but resumed momentum after. Protesters also blocked the entrances to telecommunications company OGERO and Liban Post. In the north region demonstrators blocked major roads in Halba, al-Abdeh Square, al-Beddawi, al-Minnieh highway.The Jounieh highway was blocked with burning tyres. According to the National News Agency, the army reopened most of the international and major roads that protesters blocked in the northern city of Tripoli yesterday night and in the early morning hours with burning tires, concrete cubes, and garbage containers. Only the main road in al-Beddawi and al-Nour Square remain blocked since the protests erupted on October 17 last year. The protesters chanted slogans calling for “civil disobedience” and paralyzing public institutions and government departments. Unprecedented anti-government protests have gripped Lebanon since October 17, in part to decry a lack of action over the deepening economic crisis.
Justice Minister tells NNA Ghosn’s presence on Lebanese territories ‘legal’
NNA/January 07/2020
Caretaker Minister of Justice, Judge Albert Serhan, on Tuesday told the National News Agency that Carols Ghosn’s presence on Lebanese territories was legal. “Ghosn is a Lebanese citizen and has the right to be treated on such basis on the terms of the competent judiciary and applicable laws,” the Minister explained. He added that the Lebanese state, represented by the Ministry of Justice, had not yet received any arrest warrant against Ghosn’s wife. “The Public Prosecution has received the red notice issued by the Interpol’s office in Japan against the former director of “Nissan”, Carlos Ghosn, and shall initiate with the required action accordingly,” Serhan added. As for the charges pressed by a number of lawyers against Ghosn over the crime of normalization with the Israeli enemy through the spread of pictures of him on social media sites, dating back to the year 2008, meeting with the former Israeli president and prime minister, Minister Serhan stressed that said file was under follow-up.
Judge Releases Nancy Ajram’s Husband
Naharnet/January 07/2020
Mount Lebanon Prosecutor Judge Ghada Aoun on Tuesday released Fadi al-Hashem, the husband of Lebanese popstar Nancy Ajram, the National News Agency said. “The judge decided to release al-Hashem after reviewing the entire file and surveillance camera recordings and evidence, and after making certain that his act was a legitimate self-defense,” said NNA, noting that Aoun will continue to follow up on the case. Hashem has shot dead a burglar who broke into the couple’s villa in the Keserwan area of New Sehayleh at dawn Sunday. He was taken to hospital on Monday amid concerns about his mental health following the shooting. NNA identified the masked and armed robber as 31-year-old Syrian national Mohammed Hasan al-Moussa. Ajram’s agent, Jiji Lamara, said Ajram was lightly injured in the incident.
Lebanon: Activists Chase Politicians in Restaurants, Events
Paula Astih/Asharq Al Awsat/January 07/2020
Former and current political officials in Lebanon are now trying to avoid any presence in public areas, whether in a restaurant, a seminar, or an event, for fear of embarrassment of being chased by activists through anti-corruption slogans and hostile chants. The past few weeks have seen several incidents of this kind. On Sunday evening in Gemmayzeh street, Beirut, a number of young men and women gathered in front of a restaurant after they spotted Parliament Deputy Speaker Elie Ferzli having dinner with two other people. They started shouting slogans, accusing him of being part of the corrupt political class. “The one hundred twenty-eight (the number of deputies) are a bunch of thieves,” one of the chants said. “All of them means all of them; Elie is one of them,” the activists kept repeating, until Ferzli left the restaurant, under the protection of members from the Internal Security Forces (ISF).
A similar incident took place in the city of Tripoli in northern Lebanon, where activists forced former MP and Minister Ahmad Fatfat out of a seminar in the Chamber of Commerce and Industry following piercing debates. In mid-December, a number of protesters ousted former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora from the American University in Beirut, where he was attending a concert. This new phenomenon has prompted Lebanese officials, whether former or current, to take additional security measures. Those who used to move around without security protection, are now accompanied by security members. Others have increased the number of bodyguards, while the rest have decided to stay in their homes to avoid any embarrassment by activists. Political activist Lucien Abu Rjeili explained the aim of this move, saying: “Everyone, who was or is still present in the parliament, the government or the presidency bears the responsibility for the collapse of the country.”“In all countries of the world, officials are held accountable for merely voting in a certain direction… This phenomenon may be new to the Lebanese society, but the Lebanese have to cope with it because it is an important escalation in the sense that the protesters are pouring their anger in the right direction,” he underlined. A member of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), who preferred not to be named, indicated that he had avoided leaving his home except in cases of necessity, and that he had asked for security protection near his house in order to avoid any harm to his family members. Another deputy from the independents told Asharq Al-Awsat that he had thought more than once about resigning from Parliament “to join the ranks of the revolution.” But he added that he reconsidered his decision because he “is able to better support the revolution” through his presence in parliament.
Carole Ghosn: Wife of Fugitive Tycoon, and Now Wanted in Japan
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/January 07/2020
Carole Ghosn, who not so long ago was an influential but discreet figure in the New York fashion world, has been thrust into the limelight by the arrest of her tycoon husband Carlos, and his subsequent flight from Japan. The second wife of the former Nissan boss, who like him also has Lebanese citizenship, vocally led the campaign for her husband’s freedom but what role she played in his epic escape from Japan remains unclear. Carole was reunited with her husband last week after he jumped bail in Tokyo, where he had been jailed and then held under house arrest over several counts of financial misconduct. On Tuesday Japanese prosecutors obtained a warrant for her arrest, accusing her of “false testimony”, without offering further details. Carole Ghosn has spent a large part of her life in the United States. But over the past year, she has criss-crossed the globe, spearheading a campaign to clear her husband’s name.
She was not with him on November 19, 2018 when he was dramatically arrested aboard his private jet at a Japanese airport, and was shocked to learn the news thousands of kilometres away. She was prevented from seeing her husband during his detention and initially kept largely silent about his case but was ever-present after he was released on bail to a central Tokyo apartment in March.
‘Traumatised’
Carole appealed to French President Emmanuel Macron, complaining in an interview with the newspaper Journal du Dimanche that the silence of French authorities in the case was “deafening”. She also contacted the White House and gave a tearful interview to US media in which she said her 65-year-old husband was in poor health, a state exacerbated by what she described as “mental abuse” while he was detained. “During the month he was free, they tried to live normally, go for walks, eat good meals,” said a Tokyo-based friend of the couple. This was in spite of the photographers who camped outside their residence — to Carole’s visible annoyance. The respite was brief and Carlos was rearrested at dawn on April 4 to answer further allegations — an event that “traumatised” her, according to her friend. In interviews she claimed that prosecutors scoured their 50-square-metre (550-square-foot) apartment, searched her, took her passport and even accompanied her to the bathroom. “It was a huge trial, among the worst moments of her life,” said the couple’s French lawyer, Francois Zimeray, who praised her for her “dignity” under pressure. Using another passport, she then left Japan for France but returned a few days later to face questioning and show “she had nothing to hide”. The exact circumstances of Carlos Ghosn’s escape from Japan are unclear, but dramatic reports continue to emerge, including that he was spirited out of the country inside a box that had been smuggled onto a private jet. The former Nissan chairman insisted last week that he had not received help from any government and had organised his escape “alone”, denying reports that his wife orchestrated the daring operation. He is due to give a press conference on Wednesday.
‘Beauty Yachts’
Born in 1966 in Beirut as Carole Nahas, the businesswoman has spent most of her life in the US. She holds American nationality along with her three children from her first marriage. Highly educated and successful in her own right, in the 2000s she founded a company selling luxury kaftans.
She met Carlos and the couple fell quickly in love, with Carole providing a calming influence on the impulsive tycoon, according to one friend. They were married in 2016 at the gilded Versailles Palace near Paris in a lavish ceremony that has since caught the attention of authorities amid questions over how it was funded. According to sources close to the case, she is named as president of a company used to buy a luxury yacht that prosecutors suspect was purchased partly with funds diverted from Nissan. Authorities have questioned her over the British Virgin Isles-registered company “Beauty Yachts” but she has not been charged and denies wrongdoing.
Japan Says Lebanon Must Cooperate over Ghosn to Avoid ‘Negative Repercussions’
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/January 07/2020
The Lebanese presidential palace said Tuesday that President Michel Aoun met with Japanese Ambassador to Lebanon Takeshi Okubo, the first known meeting between the president and a Japanese diplomat since the fugitive Carlos Ghosn arrived in Lebanon on December 30.
A statement released by Aoun’s office said Okubo called for more cooperation from Lebanese authorities in order to avoid “negative repercussions” on relations between the two countries. Okubo said the Japanese government and people “are extremely worried” about the case, especially the way Ghosn left Japan and entered Lebanon, according to the statement. Japan’s chief government spokesman said Japanese officials have told Lebanon that Ghosn left the country illegally and that they are seeking cooperation in finding out what happened. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the situation must be handled carefully.Ghosn escaped to Lebanon while he was out on bail awaiting trial for alleged financial misconduct. Lebanon and Japan do not have an extradition treaty. Japanese justice officials acknowledge that it’s unclear whether Ghosn and his wife Carole can be brought back to Japan to face charges. They said they were still looking into what could be done.
Caretaker Justice Minister Albert Serhan told the state-run National News Agency that Ghosn entered Lebanon legally and therefore his “stay on Lebanese territories” is legal. Serhan added that Lebanon has not yet received any requests from Japan regarding an arrest warrant for Carole Ghosn. Earlier Tuesday, Ghosn’s former employer, Nissan Motor Co., said it was still pursuing legal action against him despite his escape. The Japanese automaker said in a statement that Ghosn engaged in serious misconduct while leading the Nissan-Renault-Mitsubishi alliance. “The company will continue to take appropriate legal action to hold Ghosn accountable for the harm that his misconduct has caused to Nissan,” it said, without giving details. Ghosn managed to skip bail and leave the country despite surveillance while he was staying at a home in Tokyo.Japanese news reports Tuesday gave new details of that escape, saying he left his residence alone, met two men at a Tokyo hotel, and then took a bullet train to Osaka before boarding a private jet hidden inside a case for musical equipment. Japanese major business daily Nikkei reported, without citing sources, that dozens of people in various countries helped to plan Ghosn’s clandestine departure. The automaker and Japanese prosecutors allege Ghosn misstated his future compensation and diverted company assets for personal gain. He says he is innocent. Ghosn has not appeared in public since arriving in Lebanon. He is expected to give his side of the story in a news conference planned for Wednesday in Beirut. Earlier, he said the allegations against him were concocted by Nissan, Japanese authorities and others who wanted to block efforts toward a fuller merger between Nissan and its French alliance partner Renault SA. Ghosn said in a statement last week that he wanted to escape “injustice.” Critics of the Japanese judicial system say his case exemplifies its tendency to move too slowly and keep suspects in detention for too long. Nissan said in its statement that an investigation is ongoing in France, and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has found some wrongdoing. Ghosn has not been charged in France or the U.S.Mori and other Japanese officials have defended the nation’s judicial system and denounced Ghosn’s escape as an “unjustifiable” crime. Mori said each nation’s system has its own way of making arrests and granting bail. Although Ghosn is unlikely to face trial in Japan, Greg Kelly, another Nissan former executive, is still facing charges of under-reporting Ghosn’s future compensation. He says he is innocent.
Nissan says it will continue to pursue legal action against Ghosn
News Agencies/Al Jazeera/January 07/2020
Carmaker stands by internal findings of Ghosn’s alleged misconduct, says it will continue to cooperate with authorities. Nissan Motor said on Tuesday that former chairman Carlos Ghosn’s flight from Japan would not affect its policy of holding him responsible for “serious misconduct”. “The company will continue to take appropriate legal action to hold Ghosn accountable for the harm that his misconduct has caused to Nissan,” Nissan said in a statement. Ghosn became an international fugitive after he revealed last week he had fled to Lebanon to escape what he called a “rigged” justice system in Japan, where he faces charges relating to alleged financial crimes. He is planning to hold a news conference in Beirut on Wednesday to express his innocence and argue that his arrest for financial crimes in Japan in November 2018 was part of a plot at the carmaker to take him down. “The consequences of Ghosn’s misconduct have been significant,” the Nissan statement said.Japan said it is in contact with Lebanon regarding Ghosn’s departure.
Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference that Japan had told Lebanon Ghosn’s flight was regrettable, and it would seek cooperation to find the truth. Meanwhile, Nissan is dealing with multiple problems. With profits at decade lows and its stock tanking, the carmaker is rife with internal divisions over the removal of its former leader and the way forward. And Makoto Uchida, who became CEO last month, has a long list of challenges. A top deputy abruptly quit, some 12,500 jobs are on the chopping block, and Uchida needs to refresh an ageing lineup of models.
“The internal investigation found incontrovertible evidence of various acts of misconduct by Ghosn, including misstatement of his compensation and misappropriation of the company’s assets for his personal benefit,” the Yokohama-based carmaker said in the statement.
“Nissan will continue to do the right thing by cooperating with judicial and regulatory authorities wherever necessary.”
Ghosn was arrested slightly more than a year ago at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, kicking off a legal saga that saw him detained for months in solitary confinement before being released on bail, rearrested and bailed out again. The former Nissan executive, who has Lebanese citizenship, plans to reveal the names of people he believes are behind a “coup” to take him down, including those of some in the Japanese government, at the anticipated press briefing, according to Fox Business Network’s Maria Bartiromo, who said she spoke to him last weekend. In his first remarks since the escape, Ghosn reportedly said he would “finally communicate freely with the media, and look forward to starting next week”. Ghosn told Fox that he will say at the Beirut briefing that he is willing to have his case heard by any court, aside from those in Japan. Nissan needs to get its business in order fast, with autonomous vehicles and electrification poised to disrupt the car industry in a once-in-a-generation shift. Ghosn’s arrest also hurt its alliance with top shareholder Renault SA, bringing long-standing tensions between the companies to the fore. “Carlos Ghosn’s escape to the Lebanese Republic without the court’s permission in violation of his bail conditions is an act that defies Japan’s judicial system,” Nissan said. “Nissan finds it extremely regrettable.”
Ghosn saga: How strongly is Nissan going after its former CEO?
Matthew Campbell, Kae Inoue and Reed Stevenson/Bloomberg/January 07/2020
The Japanese carmaker has spent more than $200m investigating its former chief executive.
Nissan Motor Co. and Carlos Ghosn are back on a collision course.
The Japanese automaker is preparing for a renewed legal and public relations battle against its former chairman and chief executive officer as Ghosn vows to hit back at the company he turned around two decades ago, but which he blames for engineering his downfall. Ghosn will hold a news conference Wednesday in Beirut, where he fled to escape trial in Japan on charges of understating his pay and misusing company money.
Nissan has already spent more than $200 million on lawyers, investigators, and digital forensics in its investigation of Ghosn and former executive Greg Kelly, people with knowledge of the matter said, asking not to be identified because the information isn’t public. Arrested in November 2018, Ghosn and Kelly — who both deny wrongdoing — were set to stand trial this year. That’s now looking unlikely without the main defendant, thrusting the conflict into the public arena and possibly the Lebanese courts. Ghosn is seeking to salvage his legacy, while Nissan faces pressure to justify the turmoil brought on by its decision to investigate its leader and try to help prosecutors convict him.
With Ghosn expected to name the people behind what he says was a plot to halt his plans to more closely integrate Nissan with alliance partner Renault SA, the Japanese company is going on the offensive, according to people familiar with its intentions.
Nissan’s first order of business may hit close to home for the fugitive Ghosn. He still has access to an elegant pink villa in Beirut that Nissan purchased for $8.75 million, renovated and furnished for him, according to a person familiar with the matter. Nissan views Ghosn’s continued use of the house as illegitimate, and wants him evicted, the person said. Ghosn’s representatives have resisted efforts to dislodge him through the courts, arguing the house was part of a retirement package to which he’s legally entitled.
Legal action
The carmaker also is looking at bringing legal action against Ghosn in Lebanon, the people said, to recover money it says he used improperly.
Nissan’s capacity to retaliate against Ghosn is considerable. As well as the millions spent on lawyers, it hired computer experts to sift through 6 million emails — stretching back to when Ghosn first came to Nissan in 1999 — at the request of Japanese prosecutors, a person with knowledge of the probe said.
The automaker also engaged private investigators in the Middle East, who have been working for months to unearth potentially damaging material on the former executive, according to people familiar with the moves, asking not to be identified because the information isn’t public.
“Ghosn’s flight will not affect Nissan’s basic policy of holding him responsible for the serious misconduct uncovered by the internal investigation,” the Yokohama-based carmaker said Tuesday, in its first public statement since Ghosn fled. Nissan “will continue to take appropriate legal action to hold Ghosn accountable for the harm that his misconduct has caused.”
Business crisis
Nissan is continuing to plow time and money into pursuing Ghosn even with its business in crisis. Sales and profits have slumped, and the company is set to axe 12,500 jobs as it tries to keep up with the dramatic shifts in the global auto industry. Ghosn’s arrest also hurt its alliance with top shareholder Renault, bringing long-standing tensions to the fore.
Azusa Momose, a spokeswoman for Nissan, declined to comment on the company’s plans for Ghosn and whether it will take legal action in Lebanon. Representatives for Ghosn didn’t respond to requests for comment. Nissan said Tuesday that its “internal investigation found incontrovertible evidence of various acts of misconduct by Ghosn, including misstatement of his compensation and misappropriation of the company’s assets for his personal benefit.”
Ghosn was arrested more than a year ago at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, kicking off a legal saga that saw him detained for months in solitary confinement before being released on bail, re-arrested and released again. Ghosn was facing trials that could land him in prison for more than a decade when, on Dec. 30, he fled to Lebanon to escape what he described as a “rigged Japanese justice system.” The country doesn’t have an extradition agreement with Japan.
Name names
The former auto executive, who has Lebanese, French, and Brazilian citizenship, plans to name the people he believes are behind a “coup” to take him down, including some in the Japanese government, at Wednesday’s press briefing, according to Fox Business Network’s Maria Bartiromo, who said she spoke with Ghosn last weekend.
With its business in jeopardy and shares down almost 40% since Ghosn’s arrest, Nissan is rife with internal divisions over his ouster. Makoto Uchida, who became CEO last month, has a long list of challenges. A top deputy abruptly quit, the company withdrew its dividend outlook in November, and it is under pressure to refresh an aging product lineup. Uchida declined to comment on Ghosn or his escape at a New Year’s reception in Tokyo Tuesday for Japan’s major business groups.
Nissan doesn’t have time to spend more money pursuing Ghosn, said Koji Endo, an analyst at SBI Securities Co. in Tokyo.
“Nissan’s current focus should be to carry out major restructuring immediately following a sharp earnings fall and a dividend cut,” he said.
CEO letter
Ghosn arrived at Nissan when Renault took a one-third stake in the struggling company. Dubbed “Le Cost Killer,” he slashed jobs, cut expenses and restored profitability, eventually becoming CEO of both Nissan and Renault and forming a global auto alliance that now includes Mitsubishi Motors Corp.
In a letter to Nissan’s employees Tuesday, Uchida urged workers to focus on the job at hand.
“Unfortunately, media coverage on the past executive misconduct will continue for a while,” the CEO wrote in the email, which was seen by Bloomberg News. “We can only revive Nissan by everyone contributing and working as one team.”
–With assistance from Ayai Tomisawa, Tian Ying, Tsuyoshi Inajima and Dana Khraiche.
Qassem Soleimani Is Dead… Mourn Khomeinism
Nadim Koteich/Asharq Al Awsat/January 07/2020
Qassem Soleimani was killed, three words that laid down the basis of this new decade in the Middle East in its first few days. It is difficult to imagine an event that will have more significant implications than Soleimani’s absence from the scene, or the many scenes in the Middle East.
The man was more than a metaphor for Iranian imperial ambitions. He was no longer the image of that project, and that has had nothing to do with the position, privileges, or status that he had in the Iranian hierarchy.
The man was not only the leader of a mission. He was the mission. Soleimani was the project itself, synthesizing the imperial with the religious and ideological. He was the project; he was Khomeinism at its peak. What was killed in Baghdad was the project, inside and outside Iran.
Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah was accurate when surveying the “Soleimani Atlas,” from Palestine to Afghanistan and Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen in between. Nasrallah’s rashness led him to admit Iran’s direct role via Soleimani in Yemen, and this is what all respectable international reports are saying, and what official Iranian statements are denying.
This confession of Soleimani’s role will have special meaning the moment that the role itself was assassinated. That role was based on Soleimani’s genius theory to combine the militias and state institutions in every country that Iranian devastation has caused, the prototypes of which were Hezbollah and the Lebanese state institutions and the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and the Iraqi state. Among all of the influential countries in the Middle East, Iran has an advantage. It is the only country that is present on all fronts without having its army directly involved like Turkey, Russia, Europeans, the US, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and others! More than sixty Iraqi militias are funded, trained, and devoted to Iran under the umbrella of the PMF. These have all been legitimized and integrated into the state apparatus while maintaining extensive independence on the field. On the other hand, hundreds of thousands of foreign fighters in Syria are distributed among tens of Shiite militias.
This would not have been possible without Soleimani’s genius and professional weaving of this carpet of militias, like fancy carpet from Kerman, his birthplace. What Donald Trump’s decision killed was precisely that school. This mystery that allowed Iran to be on all fronts and not be at the same time. Trump targeted that ambiguity that gave Iran a large margin for denial. It was not in response to Hezbollah calling for protests in front of the Iranian embassy and did not target the PMF whose leadership clearly led the protests. He validated the signature on the wall of his embassy in Iraq, saying, “My leader is Qassem Soleimani,” pursued him and killed him.
Soleimani’s death broke the fortress that Iran had protected itself with, the fortress with which they had protected their expansionist and destructive project in the region. His official position in the state did not make Soleimani immune to being pursued and killed, just like Bin Laden, Baghdadi, or Abu-Musab al-Zarqawi. This was a strategic violation of one of the pillars of dealing with terrorism. A large part of Soleimani’s reassurance was precisely that ambiguity, that statehood- that was new in his assassination by the US.
Soleimani was killed at the end of a trip that brought him to Beirut where he had met Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s leader, and then Damascus where he met whomever, and then Baghdad where he was received by Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy leader of the PMF, effectively its actual leader.
What is the Iranian general doing with all of these militia leaders in other countries on non-Iranian grounds coming from meetings with militias leaders in at least two different countries? In this context, this assassination takes a new meaning, a renewal in the war against terrorism, and declares the beginning of an entirely new stage.
As the Special Tribunal for Lebanon tells us, Iran, using its militias, killed Rafic Hariri and did not admit having done so. On the other hand, Trump killed the apparatus that in the least sponsored Hariri’s killers. He then held a press conference and adopted this assassination, just like what happened when Baghdadi, Bin Laden, and al-Zarqawi were killed, or when Saddam Hussein was arrested. How does a country so easily and without fear of consequence by international law or on international relations assassinate an official in another country? Saying that it’s just America is not enough, the matter is much more complicated and severe. Henry Kissinger used to say that Iran is a revolution that needs to become a state. Trump modified this by deciding to assassinate Soleimani. Through his transparent execution, he took it from the academic domain to the domain of politics and policies. Trump says that Iran is not only a state, it is also a gang, a gangster-state, so to speak. Or, a gang with the capacities and qualifications of a state, and this is how he will deal with it from now on. Ironically, the world did not object much, and if those who did, did so merely to avoid being reproached.
Soleimani is the final face of the Iranian expansionist project, and assassinating him will be taught as one of the most genius decisions in the history of American foreign policy.
The US President raised the ceiling in the confrontation with Iran to a place that the Iranian regime cannot meet him. His alleged irrationality will make Iranian policies more and more rational, and this is demonstrated by the responses so far, including Nasrallah’s weak speech, which was not satisfactory to those who received his words. It is a new poisoned glass that Iran has to drink just like Khomeini in 1988, and indeed it will.
Lebanon’s Sa‘d al-Hariri is facing a growing credibility problem that may prove to be fatal politically.
مايكل يونغ: يواجه سعد الحريري مشكلة مصداقية قد تكون مميتة له سياسياً
Michael Young/Carnegie MEC/January 07/2020
https://eliasbejjaninews.com/archives/82106/%d9%85%d8%a7%d9%8a%d9%83%d9%84-%d9%8a%d9%88%d9%86%d8%ba-%d9%8a%d9%88%d8%a7%d8%ac%d9%87-%d8%b3%d8%b9%d8%af-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%ad%d8%b1%d9%8a%d8%b1%d9%8a-%d9%85%d8%b4%d9%83%d9%84%d8%a9-%d9%85%d8%b5%d8%af/
These are not good times for Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, Sa‘d al-Hariri. In late October he resigned amid street demonstrations against the political class. His unstated intention was to be renamed prime minister of a cabinet he could better control, but the plan collapsed in mid-December when Hassan Diab was tasked with forming a government. Today, Hariri has lost the financial leverage he once enjoyed as well as the support of his political allies and regional backers, and even of many within his own Sunni community.
It’s never wise to write off a Lebanese politician. Some have come back from failure and ignominy to successfully revive their ambitions. Look at President Michel Aoun. However, Hariri would have major hurdles to clear even if Diab failed to form a government and the caretaker prime minister were asked to have a go himself. In tracing Hariri’s decline, three major political errors he made stand out.
The first is Hariri’s departure from Lebanon in 2011 and his absence from the country for over five years. His exit took place not long after his government was brought down by Hezbollah and its allies in January of that year. During his long period away, Hariri’s patronage networks decayed, a situation exacerbated by the financial problems faced by his Saudi Oger contracting company in Saudi Arabia, which had served as his cash cow. For months and even years, many of his Lebanese employees or associates, particularly in his social aid network and media outlets, received no salaries or other payments, and the situation has little improved since.
The collapse of Saudi Oger in July 2017 was a major blow to Hariri. Once one of the largest contracting companies in Saudi Arabia, Saudi Oger had been the jewel in the crown of the late Rafik al-Hariri, Sa‘d’s father. Through a combination of factors, including mismanagement and the Saudi authorities’ failure to reimburse debts owed to the company, Saudi Oger began having difficulties paying employees by late 2015. The crisis soon extended to Hariri’s Lebanese institutions. All this suggested that he had failed to give due priority to preserving the real source of his power—his financial capacities.
Hariri’s disastrous five years away from Lebanon led to his second major error. In attempting to organize a political comeback in 2016, he allied himself with Michel Aoun and his son in law Gebran Bassil, and by extension with Hezbollah. The quid pro quo was a simple one: Hariri would support Aoun’s bid to become president, in exchange for which Aoun and Hezbollah would approve his return to office as prime minister. To persuade his Saudi backers that the deal was worth making, Hariri reportedly assured them that the opening to Aoun would draw the soon-to-be president away from Hezbollah.
What happened was very different. It was immediately apparent to Aoun and Hezbollah that Hariri was without leverage. He was the one who needed them—both to return to office and revive his patronage networks—not them who needed him. This meant that Hariri was much more liable to make concessions to preserve his newborn partnership with the Aounists and Hezbollah than they were. Indeed, Hariri went along with the outrageous demands made by Bassil during the government-formation process, in which Bassil insisted on naming a lion’s share of Christian ministers. By doing so, however, Hariri also angered his traditional Christian ally, the Lebanese Forces Party, which had greatly strengthened its relations with the Saudi regime in the months prior to that.
Very quickly, Hariri looked less like a partner of the Aounists than a façade for the Aounist-Hezbollah alliance, one who bestowed a measure of Sunni legitimacy on the government. This cost Hariri Sunni communal support, adding to the discontent caused by the fact that Hariri’s institutions had still not paid or compensated their many employees who were Sunnis. At the same time, Hariri’s reputation was further damaged by an ambient sense that he had returned to Lebanon to exploit the country’s financial and patronage networks. The ultimate expression of the cynicism toward his motives (and that of others) was the protests of 2019 against the political leadership.
Hariri’s third strategic mistake was that he allowed his relationship with the Saudis to deteriorate to the point where they no longer viewed him as their main representative in Lebanon. This culminated with his apparent sequestration in the kingdom in November 2017, which let to global indignation at the way a sitting prime minister had been humiliated. However, there was a more pernicious outcome from that episode, namely that something had been broken between Hariri and the Saudis. While both sides have preserved a public front of unity, the reality is that Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries no longer appear to trust Hariri, which has damaged him within his own community. If Hariri is not backed by the region’s leading Sunni power, many Sunnis wonder, what is his value as a communal leader?
The repercussions of this may have been the principal reason why Hariri opted not to form a government in December. His excuse was that the Lebanese Forces would not endorse him in parliamentary consultations to name a prime minister. This would have denied Hariri vital Christian support (as the Aounists had already made clear that they would not back him). That was the official story at least. However, it is more likely that Hariri regarded the Lebanese Forces’ attitude as the result of a Saudi request, or a grasp of Saudi desires. Ignoring it would have further impaired his ties with Riyadh.
When he inherited the political mantle of his father in 2005, Sa‘d al-Hariri had it all: Saudi sponsorship, wealth, and a Sunni community desperately looking for a new leader after the assassination of Rafik al-Hariri. He gradually bought his siblings’ shares in Saudi Oger, gaining the financial means to advance his political agenda. Now, fifteen years later, little is left. Many Lebanese perceive Hariri as being part of the problem of a political class that has lost touch with the population. While functioning in a system dominated by Hezbollah was never going to be easy, Hariri further undermined his situation by making unforced errors that may prove to be fatal politically.
The daunting task of fighting corruption in Lebanon
Samar Kadi/ The Arab Weekly/Januar 07/2020
BEIRUT – Fighting corruption that permeates all public sectors in Lebanon — including the judiciary — is a formidable task that the new president of the Beirut Bar Association has vowed to take on after a landslide victory against the candidate backed by political parties accused of rampant malfeasance.
“Today the judiciary is in bad shape. The first thing we should do is to put an end to political meddling and manipulation of the judiciary,” said Beirut Bar Association President Melhem Khalaf. “We need to have an independent, honest and effective judiciary which is vital for fighting corruption. No nation can be built without justice.”
“Enough is enough we cannot go on like that. Politicians should understand once and for all that they have no right to interfere in the judiciary,” Khalaf said. “The judges should be totally free from any influence and any pressure in order to be able to fulfil their mission properly. We have excellent judges but, in many instances, their hands were tied down.”
Khalaf, a former Red Cross volunteer and vice-chairman of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, is the first independent to head the association in recent years.
“We hope this day will renew democracy within Lebanon’s institutions,” he said after defeating Nader Gaspard, who was backed by the Free Patriotic Movement, the Lebanese Forces, Future Movement and Progressive Socialist Party. Stressing the vital role of the Beirut Bar Association in regaining public trust in the judiciary, Khalaf said: “We will mobilise and push forward through parliament for the introduction of reforms and laws that would reinforce the independence of the judiciary.”
“This is our aim — strong and independent judicial authorities free from any political influence.”Lawyers, backed by the bar association, have volunteered to defend anti-government protesters who were arrested during demonstrations that have swept Lebanon since October 17. Khalaf’s election in November was largely seen as a first win for the protesters who blame the ruling elite of bankrupting the country and shuttering the Lebanese economy.
“We have a national role in defending public freedoms, human rights and any issue that is raised by the civil society. People are resorting to us to get their rights. They feel that there is a party that is there to listen to them and their problems and to try to find solutions,” Khalaf said.
Effective separation of powers is what the state lacks to function properly, he said. “We have to safeguard the state and its institutions by reactivating democracy in our political system through the separation of powers. The parliament should reassume its responsibility in monitoring the performance of the executive authorities, the government should stop being a small replica of parliament and the judiciary should be totally independent,” he said.
The pressing need for judicial reform in Lebanon prompted Lebanese magistrates and legal experts to establish the Lebanese Judges Association in October 2018. The independent NGO is meant to act as an advocacy group against political attempts to control the judiciary.
Judges demand the right to vote for all members of the High Judicial Council, the highest judicial authority in the country. The High Judicial Council includes ten judges: two elected from the Cassation Court, three designated members and the other five appointed by the executive branch, which is controlled by the political elite. Political bickering has often stalled appointments to the body for several months, crippling the judiciary. The judiciary has often been smeared as being biased but Khalaf said he is against public slandering of the core institution of the state. “Defaming the judiciary is not acceptable. Any investigation or purge of corrupt judges should be done from within the judicial system. The judiciary has its own mechanism of monitoring and accountability. This is how you consolidate the judicial authorities,” he said.
Among Khalaf’s long list of things to do is restructuring the 100-year-old Beirut Bar Association.
“We have a huge internal reform workshop to do that includes automation, restructuring the committees, et cetera. It is our role to renovate the pillars for the next 100 years for the sake of our people. We will be reviewing our bylaws, which were set a century ago when the bar association had 3,000 members whereas today we count more than 13,000.”Khalaf is co-founder of Offrejoie (“Granting Happiness”), an apolitical and non-confessional NGO that brings together volunteers from all faiths and regions, as well as friends of Lebanon around the world, to participate in community services.
Offrejoie has helped reconstruct two villages in southern Lebanon, rehabilitated eight prisons and renovated 14 schools. Since 2012, it is also located in Iraq. Despite the difficult task awaiting him, Khalaf is assertive. “There is hope. Even if we feel there is no hope, we have to create hope,” he said.
