A Bundle Of English Reports, News and Editorials For March 05-06/2020 Addressing the On Going Mass Demonstrations & Sit In-ins In Iranian Occupied Lebanon in its 141th Day
Compiled By: Elias Bejjani
March 06/2020
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on March 05-06/2020
Aoun tackles monetary situation with Sfeir
Ministry of Health advises citizens to avoid unessential travel and crowds over corona outbreak concerns
Financial Prosecutor Says Assets Freeze a Warning to Banks
Prosecutor Freezes Assets of Twenty Lebanese Banks
Dollar Exchange Rate Spirals Again
Lebanese Woman Coming from UK Tests Positive for Coronavirus
First UK Coronavirus Death Recorded as Cases Jump to 115
Govt. Approves Bank Secrecy Bill, to Meet on Eurobonds Saturday
Politicians Slam Financial Prosecutor’s Banks Ruling, Berri Distances Himself
Report: PM to Announce ‘Rescue’ Plan Besides Decision on Eurobonds
STL to Issue Verdicts in Hariri Case in Mid-May
Nehme, Najm Affirm ‘Practical’ Steps on Consumer Protection
U.S. Contractor Charged with Giving Up Military Secrets to Hizbullah-Linked Lebanese
Airplane from Rome lands in Beirut, no coronavirus symptoms among passengers
Protest march sets out from Antelias Square towards Jal El Dib
Loyalty to Resistance’ bloc: For political and popular support for government’s Eurobond decision
Geagea: Hezbollah most capable of assisting government
Msharrafieh tackles cooperation with international organizations
Lebanon prosecutor orders assets frozen at 20 local banks/Timour Azhari/AlJazeera/March 05/2020
U.S contractor accused of leaking classified information to Lebanon’s Hezbollah/Georgi Azar/Annahar/March 05/2020
Lebanon’s Rafik Hariri University Hospital Suffers from Neglect in the Midst of Crises/Youssef Diab/Thursday, 5 March, 2020
Hezbollah may pay the price of any Russian-Turkish deal/Khaled Abou Zahr/Arab News/March 05/2020
Since You Cannot Protect Us, Resign/Hanna Saleh/Asharq Al-Awsat/March 05/2020
The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on March 04-05/2020
Aoun tackles monetary situation with Sfeir
NNA/March 05/2020
President of the Republic, Michel Aoun, received this Thursday at Baabda Palace, the Chairman of the Association of Banks in Lebanon, Salim Sfeir, accompanied by his adviser, Antoine Habib. Discussions reportedly touched on the current financial and monetary situation and the work of banks, as well as the measures to be adopted to deal with Eurobonds.
Ministry of Health advises citizens to avoid unessential travel and crowds over corona outbreak concerns
NN/March 05/2020
Minister of Public Health, Dr. Hamad Hassan, on Thursday issued a memorandum related to avoiding travelling and crowds as much as possible to reduce the outbreak of the corona epidemic: “In light of the World Health Organization’s announcement on 30/1/2020 that the corona virus is a global threat, and since this epidemic continues to spread rapidly in most countries of the world, and in preservation of the health of citizens and public safety, the Ministry of Public Health advises all citizens to limit travelling abroad, especially to countries in which the epidemic is witnessing local spread, unless it is absolutely necessary.” Memorandum added: “The Ministry also calls on all concerned sides to postpone, whenever possible, the religious, sports, cultural, tourism and other sort of activities engaging crowds, in order to preserve the health of citizens and to limit the local spread of infection with this virus.”
Financial Prosecutor Says Assets Freeze a Warning to Banks
Naharnet/March 05/2020
Financial Prosecutor Ali Ibrahim on Thursday said his decision to freeze the assets of 20 Lebanese banks is “not only aimed at protecting depositors but also at rattling the banks and telling them that none of them is above accountability.”In a phone interview with the National News Agency, Ibrahim voiced surprise about the “exaggerated uproar” over his decision, noting that “this decision is like the other judicial files that we are handling.”“Preventing the disposal of assets simply means that it will be prohibited to dispose of shares, real estates, cars, properties and buildings,” Ibrahim added. As for the next step, the prosecutor said that he will pursue the investigations and request further papers and documents. Ibrahim had earlier on Thursday ordered an asset freeze for 20 banks and their board directors, in the latest move targeting the crisis-hit country’s under-fire banks. Lebanon has been gripped since October 17 by mass protests against the political class and banking sector, even as it faces its worst economic crisis in decades. Banks have since September imposed increasingly tight limits on dollar withdrawals and transfers abroad to tackle a severe liquidity crisis, sparking frustration among ordinary depositors. Ibrahim’s move comes after the prosecutor separately called in 15 banks on Monday over more than 2 billion dollars in capital flight despite the restrictions in the two months after the start of the protests. Lebanon is currently facing its worst economic crisis since its 1975-1990 civil war. The value of the Lebanese pound has plummeted on the black market, prices have risen, and many businesses have been forced to slash salaries, dismiss staff or close. Lebanon is one of the most indebted countries in the world, with a public debt equivalent to 150 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP). The country is now under pressure to pay a $1.2 billion Eurobond maturing on March 9, with a decision expected on Saturday on whether or not to default.
Prosecutor Freezes Assets of Twenty Lebanese Banks
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 05/2020
Financial Prosecutor Ali Ibrahim put a “prevention of disposal” signal on the assets of twenty Lebanese banks, the National News Agency reported on Thursday. He also imposed a freeze on the assets of the heads and members of boards of directors of these banks, said NNA. Assets to be frozen in an apparent move to bring the banks under pressure included “real estate, cars and companies,” a judicial source told AFP. A second source said it was “a preliminary measure that will be followed by others according to the response of the banks and their treatment of small depositors.” Both sources said the decision still needed to be approved by central bank head Riad Salameh, but that he was likely to agree to avoid a collapse of the banking sector. LBCI obtained the names of these banks listing them as follows: Bank Audi, BLOM, Fransbank, Byblos, Societe Generale, Bank of Beirut, BankMed, Banque Libano-Française, Credit Libanais, Al-Mawarid Bank, Intercontinental Bank of Lebanon, FNB, Lebanon and Gulf Bank, BBAC, MEAB, Federal Bank of Lebanon, BSL Bank, Lebanese Swiss Bank, BML, Saradar Bank and Cedrus Bank. The decision came after Monday’s hearing when Lebanese banking association head Salim Sfeir, as well as representatives from 14 banks appeared before Ibrahim over more than 2 billion dollars in capital flight in past months despite strict banking restrictions in the crisis-hit country. Banks have since September imposed increasingly tight limits on dollar withdrawals and transfers abroad as part of measures to tackle a severe liquidity crisis. But bankers stand accused of having sent millions of dollars abroad despite those limitations since mass anti-government protests erupted on October 17.
Dollar Exchange Rate Spirals Again
Naharnet/March 05/2020
The price of U.S. dollar to the Lebanese pound recorded a new increase on Thursday at the parallel market reaching LBP 2,680 for buying and LBP 2,600 for selling. According to owners of money exchange houses, the price of the dollar is closely affected by an unstable economic situation in the country, and “uncertainty” on whether Lebanon will pay or default on $1.2 billion Eurobonds maturing on March 9. On Wednesday, anti-government protesters blocked roads across Lebanon to denounce the financial and economic deterioration and the rise in the dollar exchange rate. Money changers were on Wednesday selling the dollar for more than LBP 2,550 and buying it for around 2,540. Money changers in protests-hit Lebanon did not abide by a decision they agreed on in January to cap the dollar exchange rate at 2,000 pounds as part of efforts to curb the local currency’s devaluation on the parallel market.The Lebanese pound is officially pegged to the greenback at a rate of 1,500 to the dollar but the country’s sharp economic downturn has sent the currency into a tailspin in foreign exchange offices.
Lebanese Woman Coming from UK Tests Positive for Coronavirus
Naharnet/March 05/2020
Lebanon’s coronavirus cases rose to 16 on Thursday after a Lebanese woman coming from Britain tested positive for the virus, the Health Ministry said. The woman had been admitted into the American University of Beirut Medical Center on Wednesday. In a statement, AUBMC said the woman was suspected to be infected with the virus after she showed high fever and other symptoms. “She was transferred to the Rafik Hariri University Hospital for diagnosis and further isolation and treatment measures,” AUBMC added. There are now 90 confirmed coronavirus cases in the UK after Scotland announced Thursday that three more patients had contracted the disease.
First UK Coronavirus Death Recorded as Cases Jump to 115
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 05/2020
Britain on Thursday announced its first death from coronavirus within the country, as the total number of confirmed cases jumped to 115. “I am very sorry to report a patient in England who tested positive for COVID-19 has sadly died,” England’s chief medical officer Chris Whitty said in a statement. The patient, being treated in the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading, west of London, was elderly and had “underlying health conditions”, he said. The patient is believed to have contracted the virus in Britain. One British man had previously died from coronavirus, after being infected while quarantined aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship near Tokyo. Health authorities meanwhile updated their travel advice for people returning from Italy, which has badly hit by the outbreak that has infected more than 97,000 people and killed over 3,300 around the world. It urges anyone returning from the country in the past fortnight who develops symptoms to self-isolate. Prime Minister Boris Johnson expressed his sympathy for the family of the victim who died, but said the nationwide situation had not changed significantly. Britain is still trying to contain the outbreak, but is moving towards implementing an action plan to delay its spread until the warmer months. The state-run health service is currently under strain as it deals with winter outbreaks of flu and norovirus. “The situation is pretty much as it has been in the sense that we are still in the contain phase, though now our scientists and medical advisers are making preparations for the delay phase,” Johnson said. “What they are looking at in the next few days, in the near future, is what kind of measures might be necessary to retard the spread of the disease. “As soon as they’ve decided that the moment is right to announce those, we will be absolutely clear with the public about what needs to be done. “But for the moment things are as they have been.” Measures to be introduced when the virus spreads could include asking people to work from home, reducing large gatherings such as football matches and shutting schools. On Thursday, rugby union officials announced the postponement of England’s Six Nations match on March 14 in Rome against Italy where 11 towns are under quarantine.
Govt. Approves Bank Secrecy Bill, to Meet on Eurobonds Saturday
Naharnet/March 05/2020
The Cabinet on Thursday approved a draft law on lifting bank secrecy, Information Minister Manal Abdul Samad said, describing it as “an important achievement for the government, which will not hesitate to hold accountable any corrupt person.”Speaking after a Cabinet session at the Baabda Palace, Abdul Samad added that the Cabinet will convene Saturday to discuss the financial situations and mull the issue of whether or not to pay a $1.2 billion Eurobond debt which matures on March 9. “We have chosen to carry the ball of fire because the country is in great danger and we cannot stand idly by in the face of all that is happening. We will do the impossible to address the accumulations, and unfortunately there are individuals who are doing the impossible to strangle the country,” Prime Minister Hassan Diab said during the session, according to Abdul Samad. “We will carry on with our national mission of rescuing the country and we won’t be affected by the intimidation they are practicing and the truth won’t change despite falsification,” Diab added. “The government’s value lies in its solidarity and unity in fighting the battle for Lebanon and I’m confident that each of the ministers is at the level of the challenges,” the PM went on to say. Economists have warned that paying the March 9 Eurobend debt on time would eat away at Lebanon’s plummeting foreign currency reserves, while bankers say a default would damage the country’s reputation with lenders. Bank of America Merill Lynch in a November report estimated that around 50 percent of Eurobonds were held by local banks, while the central bank had around 11 percent. Foreign investors owned the remainder, or around 39 percent, it said. But these figures may have changed, with local media reporting that local banks have recently sold a chunk of their Eurobonds to foreign lenders.
Politicians Slam Financial Prosecutor’s Banks Ruling, Berri Distances Himself
Naharnet/March 05/2020
A number of politicians on Thursday blasted a decision by Financial Prosecutor Ali Ibrahim to freeze the assets of 20 Lebanese banks, as Speaker Nabih Berri denied influencing the prosecutor’s ruling.
“Some suspicious TV networks aired news claiming that the parliament speaker was behind the decision taken by Financial Prosecutor Ali Ibrahim towards the banks. The press office of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri stresses that Mr. Speaker has not and will never interfere in the work of the judiciary,” the office said in a statement, noting that the reports are “totally baseless.”Al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri meanwhile slammed Ibrahim’s ruling as “an uncalculated, populist political message that does not preserve the rights of small and big depositors nor the confidence of friends and brothers in Lebanon.”“Putting the hand on banks in the declared manner is a coup against the economic system and a step that takes Lebanon back to the era of totalitarian regimes,” Hariri warned. Progressive Socialist Party leader ex-MP Walid Jumblat had earlier described Ibrahim’s move as “the beginning of a plan to nationalize banks and other institutions in a country characterized by conflicting authorities.” “It seems that they want to bury Greater Lebanon on its centenary,” Jumblat added in a tweet. MP Michel Mouawad of the Strong Lebanon bloc for his part said Ibrahim’s “very dangerous” decision “plunges Lebanon into the unknown, follows the Venezuela-like model, changes Lebanon’s face, impoverishes the Lebanese and eliminates any chance to regain confidence and draw foreign investments.”“What’s more dangerous is that this decision aims to present a scapegoat in order to protect the political class, instead of beginning the implementation of the serious financial, economic and administrative reforms,” Mouawad added, alleging that the decision was taken “in the offices of political leaders” and not by the judiciary. TV networks meanwhile said that State Prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat was expected to suspend Ibrahim’s decision later on Thursday, following talks between President Michel Aoun and Banks Association chief Salim Sfeir.
Ibrahim had earlier on Thursday ordered an asset freeze for 20 banks and their board directors, in the latest move targeting the crisis-hit country’s under-fire banks. Lebanon has been gripped since October 17 by mass protests against the political class and banking sector, even as it faces its worst economic crisis in decades. Banks have since September imposed increasingly tight limits on dollar withdrawals and transfers abroad to tackle a severe liquidity crisis, sparking frustration among ordinary depositors. Ibrahim’s move comes after the prosecutor separately called in 15 banks on Monday over more than 2 billion dollars in capital flight despite the restrictions in the two months after the start of the protests. Lebanon is currently facing its worst economic crisis since its 1975-1990 civil war. The value of the Lebanese pound has plummeted on the black market, prices have risen, and many businesses have been forced to slash salaries, dismiss staff or close. Lebanon is one of the most indebted countries in the world, with a public debt equivalent to 150 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP). The country is now under pressure to pay a $1.2 billion Eurobond maturing on March 9, with a decision expected on Saturday on whether or not to default.
Report: PM to Announce ‘Rescue’ Plan Besides Decision on Eurobonds
Naharnet/March 05/2020
Prime Minister Hassan Diab is expected to announce Lebanon’s decision whether to pay or default on a $1.2 billion Eurobond maturity on March 9, along with a “rescue” plan that the government shall adopt in that regard, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Thursday. The decision will be announced later this week from Baabda after a senior meeting between President Michel Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri and Diab. Minister of Finance Ghazi Wazni, Minister of Economy Raoul Nehmeh, Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh and banking association head Salim Sfeir will “likely” attend the meeting, said the daily. In parallel with the announcement, Diab shall declare a government “rescue plan” while specifying the positive reasons that prompted the government to take its decision not to pay, according to al-Joumhouria. The matter will be discussed during the cabinet session that will be held today, added the daily. Intense consultations have been made in the past few hours at the presidency level, premiership and banking senior officials, which according to the daily have all revolved around “defaulting” Lebanon’s debt.
STL to Issue Verdicts in Hariri Case in Mid-May
Naharnet/March 05/2020
The Trial Chamber of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon announced Thursday that it will deliver its verdicts in the case of the 2005 assassination of ex-PM Rafik Hariri and his companions in a public session in mid-May 2020. In a filing issued Thursday, the Judges stated that they would specify the precise date of the public pronouncement of the Judgment as soon as possible. The U.N.-backed STL has tried several Hizbullah operatives in absentia over the crime. Hizbullah has denied involvement in the murder, describing the tribunal as a U.S.-Israeli scheme and vowing that the accused will never be found.
Nehme, Najm Affirm ‘Practical’ Steps on Consumer Protection
Naharnet/March 05/2020
Ministers of Economy and Justice held a joint press conference on Thursday assuring that measures were underway to control the prices of goods and services and vowing “empirical” steps and “heavy” fines on violators. Justice Minister Marie-Claude Najm said: “The ministry received a letter about manipulation in prices of goods. Based on the principle of cooperation between ministries, I forwarded a copy of it to the head of the Judicial Inspection Authority and to the discriminatory Attorney General to activate prosecutions and expedite issuance of decisions.” Asserting practical steps in that regard, she said that people always complain that penalties are never taken against violators, but assured that heavy fines will be applied on violators. For his part, Economy Minister Raoul Nehme stressed the necessity to coordinate efforts with the justice ministry because “consumer protection measures are often established by law,” he said and assured that penalties will be painful. “Penalties will grow and the names of violators will be publicized this time,” emphasized Nehme. To help citizens report violators, the ministry established a consumer protection hotline and a mobile application for the purpose, he noted. Nehme said the ministry is understaffed and needs members to help it report the violations. “We have opened the door for volunteers,” he said.
U.S. Contractor Charged with Giving Up Military Secrets to Hizbullah-Linked Lebanese
Associated Press/Naharnet/March 05/2020
A U.S. Defense Department contract linguist has been charged with giving classified information, including the names of American intelligence assets, to a Lebanese national with ties to Hizbullah, the U.S. Justice Department annonced Wednesday. Federal prosecutors accused Mariam Taha Thompson, 61, formerly of Rochester, Minnesota, of turning over information that placed in danger those intelligence assets and American military personnel. Thompson was due in court later Wednesday for an initial appearance. She was arrested last week on the espionage-related allegation. Prosecutors said that during a six-week period starting in late December, when U.S. airstrikes targeted Iranian-backed forces in Iraq, Thompson repeatedly accessed dozens of files that she had no need to review. Those files included the names of human assets, their photographs and cables detailing the information that the sources provided to the U.S. government. Prosecutors said that when officials searched her living quarters, they found a handwritten note in Arabic concealed under her mattress with information about Defense Department computer systems and warning of a Defense Department target. They said she had given the information in the note to a co-conspirator, in whom she had a romantic interest. The co-conspirator, who was not identified, worked for the Lebanese government and “has apparent connections” to Hizbullah, according to prosecutors. They said Thompson, who had a top secret government security clearance, was arrested last Thursday at an overseas U.S. military facility. It was not identified.
Airplane from Rome lands in Beirut, no coronavirus symptoms among passengers
NNA/March 05/2020
A Middle East Airlines plane with 73 passengers onboard has landed in Beirut airport coming from Rome, National News Agency correspondent reported on Thursday. Thermal screening conducted by medics assigned to the airport by the Ministry of Public Heath showed no symptoms of coronavirus among the arriving travelers.
Protest march sets out from Antelias Square towards Jal El Dib
NNA/March 05/2020
A march under the slogan of “No Confidence” set out this evening from Antelias Square towards Jal El Dib, in protest against the simmering current situation, NNA correspondent reported. Protesters are also demanding early parliamentary elections.
Loyalty to Resistance’ bloc: For political and popular support for government’s Eurobond decision
NNA/March 05/2020
The “Loyalty to the Resistance” parliamentary bloc on Thursday highlighted the importance of political and popular support for the government’s decision on Eurobonds, stressing that this is a national issue and just a monetary one. In a statement issued following its weekly meeting, the bloc renewed rejection of any conditions that would be imposed by international sides and that would tamper with the rights of the Lebanese people or with the situation in the country. Touching on the novel coronavirus, the bloc heaped praise on the efforts made by the concerned ministries and the health workers at Rafik Hariri International Hospital.
Geagea: Hezbollah most capable of assisting government
NNA/March 05/2020
Lebanese Forces party leader, Samir Geagea, emphasized that “some were surprised by the return of the [popular] movement (…) when the latter did not stop for a single moment, even if its pace subsided and its street activities recently receded.”
Geagea stressed that the movement will not cease to exist as long as the circumstances of its objective formation persist, “especially in light of the insistence of the ruling trio to continue to grab hold of power and follow the same practices that generated the same disastrous outcomes, hence leading towards more poverty, misfortune and slide to the bottom of the abyss.”Awaiting “the rescue plan that the government will announce later this week,” Geagea believed that “the party most capable of helping the government is Hezbollah, through a series of steps that start by closing all illegal crossings and locking the doors to waste and corruption at the port and airport, and by lifting the entire cover off of its corrupt allies who wreak havoc [in the country]. The party should also withdraw from the crises in the region, for Lebanon to start coming out of its Arab and international isolation. It should finally hand over its weapons to the State so that the latter can become an actual State and the international and Arab communities can start treating it on this basis.”
Msharrafieh tackles cooperation with international organizations
NNA/March 05/2020
Minister of Social Affairs and Tourism, Ramzi Msharrafieh, held this Thursday a series of meetings with representatives of international organizations, meeting first with the Director of the United Nations Development Program, Celine Muiru, where it was agreed to strengthen the program to support Lebanese host communities and carry out developmental projects with a sustainable dimension, in addition to boosting computerization in the Ministry of Social Affairs. Msharrafieh then discussed with the director of the WFP in Lebanon, Abdullah Al-Wardat, means of cooperating with the organization to meet pressing needs, especially for the Lebanese society that is beset by the economic and social crisis. IOM Office Director Fawzi Zayoud also visited the minister and discussed with him the prospects of cooperation with the Ministry of Social Affairs, especially in the field of combating human trafficking. It was also agreed to activate coordinate with the Organization in Lebanon and Syria to secure a decent and safe return of the displaced Syrians to their countries.
Lebanon prosecutor orders assets frozen at 20 local banks
Timour Azhari/AlJazeera/March 05/2020
Assets of banks’ executives and boards of directors have also been ordered to be frozen as part of an investigation.
Beirut, Lebanon – A Lebanese financial prosecutor on Thursday ordered the assets of 20 local banks, their executives and boards of directors be frozen as part of an investigation into billions of dollars transferred out of the cash-strapped nation. The decision by Judge Ali Ibrahim comes amid a worsening economic and financial spiral that has Lebanon staring down the barrel of defaulting on a Eurobond repayment due next week. An acute foreign currency shortage has seen the Lebanese pound devalue on parallel markets to lows unprecedented since it was pegged to the US dollar in 1993.
Lebanon’s economy is dependent on inflows of foreign currency from its large diaspora, but they have dried up as the country descends deeper into a crisis rooted in corruption, government mismanagement, a dilapidated power sector that bleeds billions and the civil war next door in Syria.
The dollar shortage has made the scenario of a default on the country’s enormous $87bn public debt – the third highest in the world compared with its gross domestic product (GDP) – increasingly likely. The cabinet will meet on Saturday to decide whether to make good on a much-anticipated $1.2bn Eurobond repayment due on March 9. “Given the negotiations on the Eurobonds with the banks, [Ibrahim’s] decision can be seen as a pressure tool on them to accept government conditions,” Jad Chaaban, an associate professor of economics at the American University of Beirut, told Al Jazeera.
A senior banking source told Al Jazeera that they view the decision as a further attempt by politicians to shift blame for the country’s dire situation onto banks and away from a political class that has ruled Lebanon since its 1975-90 civil war.
“There is political pressure on the judge to do this. It’s as if we are the ones who stole money and hired thousands of people, and wrecked the electricity sector and wasted money on deals. It’s a scapegoat,” the source said.
The source said Ibrahim’s decision may mean the banks will not be able to open. “If all our assets are frozen it means we can’t access our accounts, which means we can’t open.”
Chaaban said such a decision should be seen as the latest escalation in a tug-of-war between banks and politicians. “I am sure the banks will retaliate with some form to put pressure back [like close down],” he said. Ibrahim’s decision is officially tied to severe, informal capital controls that banks have put in place since November, following a two-week closure as anti-establishment protests swept the nation. Despite controls that have limited transfers of money abroad to “urgent matters” and withdrawals of foreign currency to between $100 and $1,000 every two weeks, billions of dollars have been transferred out of the country. Allegations have swirled that the lion’s share of those transfers was made by politicians, those with connections, and bank executives themselves.
Ibrahim’s decision includes top-tier Lebanese banks such as Bank Audi, BLOM Bank, Bank Med and Byblos Bank.
He had called in the heads of 14 banks on Monday for questioning over the transfers of money out of Lebanon, in addition to a mass sell-off of Eurobonds by local banks, as the prospect of default looms. Ibrahim is set to hear testimony from a number of other top bank executives in the coming days.
Salim Sfeir, the head of the Association of Banks in Lebanon, said they had sold off Eurobonds to gain much-needed liquidity. However, the added liquidity has not translated into depositors being allowed greater access to their foreign currency-denominated accounts. “Why have people not felt any difference?” Lebanese journalist Hussein Noureddine tweeted on Thursday. “Is this liquidity for the family?” Popular anger continues to grow as people are forced to queue for hours simply to retrieve just a few hundred dollars in a country where the local currency and the greenback were formerly used interchangeably.
On Thursday, the glass facade of CreditBank north of Beirut was destroyed, reportedly by a depositor who was barred access to his cash. The government has promised to uphold the rights of depositors and hold corrupt officials accountable.
On Thursday, the Lebanese cabinet also approved a law to lift the “bank secrecy” of public sector officials. It is unclear exactly how the law would do this, and it will still require the approval of parliament.
U.S contractor accused of leaking classified information to Lebanon’s Hezbollah
Georgi Azar/Annahar/March 05/2020
U.S Federal prosecutors accuse Mariam Taha Thompson, 61, of leaking the names of U.S. intelligence sources and compromising their identities while on active duty.
BEIRUT: A U.S Defense Department linguist was charged with espionage Wednesday for allegedly supplying classified information to a Lebanese national with links to the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah.
U.S Federal prosecutors accuse Mariam Taha Thompson, 61, of leaking the names of U.S. intelligence sources and compromising their identities while on active duty. “If true, this conduct is a disgrace, especially for someone serving as a contractor with the United States military,” Assistant Attorney General John Demers said. “This betrayal of country and colleagues will be punished,” he added. Thompson was arrested by FBI agents at a U.S. military facility in Erbil, Iraq, where she held a top-secret government security clearance.
“While in a war zone, the defendant allegedly gave sensitive national defense information, including the names of individuals helping the United States, to a Lebanese national located overseas,” he said.
On the day protesters stormed the U.S. embassy in Iraq in response to U.S. airstrikes against Iranian-backed forces in Iraq, Thompson allegedly sought access to classified information that was unconnected to her duties. This raised suspicion which then led to a court-authorized search of Thompson’s living quarters on February 19, 2020 and the discovery of a handwritten note in Arabic concealed under her mattress. “Specifically, during a six-week period…Thompson accessed dozens of files concerning human intelligence sources, including true names, personal identification data, background information and the photographs of the human assets,” prosecutors claimed.
The U.S accuse Thompson of transmitting the classified information in a handwritten note to her Lebanese co-conspirator, with whom she had “a romantic interest.””The FBI’s investigation revealed that Thompson knew the co-conspirator was a foreign national whose relative worked for the Lebanese government,” Demers said. “The investigation also revealed that the co-conspirator has apparent connections to Hezballah. Further investigation revealed that, in a separate communication, Thompson also provided information to her co-conspirator identifying another human asset and the information the asset had provided to the United States, as well as providing information regarding the techniques the human assets were using to gather information on behalf of the United States.”
Thompson was charged with “Delivering Defense Information to Aid a Foreign Government in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 794(a) and conspiring to do so in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 794(c).” If convicted, Thompson faces a maximum punishment of life in prison. Hezbollah is designated as a terrorist organization by both the U.S and U.K.
Lebanon’s Rafik Hariri University Hospital Suffers from Neglect in the Midst of Crises
Youssef Diab/Thursday, 5 March, 2020
All eyes turn to Rafik Hariri University Hospital whenever there is a public health crisis caused by an epidemic. It is also where many of those injured in wars or security incidents are taken for treatment. However, it has been neglected by the Lebanese state, especially the ministry of health, which has taken it out of the list of Lebanon’s most modern hospitals. With the spread of the coronavirus, however, it has come under the limelight since it is the only health center that is able to treat patients who have caught the virus. The Rafik Hariri University Hospital building is located on a spacious property in Beirut’s Bir Hassan area, and consists of three stories with 400 beds, making it one of the largest hospitals in Lebanon. The health ministry has equipped a hospital ward, which includes 137 beds, so that it can receive those infected or suspected of being infected with the virus, and it is ready to turn all its departments into a health center for infected people in the event of an increase in the number of patients. Despite the responsibilities assigned to the hospital, it suffers from two major issues. The first revolves around the need to improve its equipment. The other is the mistreatment of its employees – whether in administrative or medical positions – who suffer from delays in the payment of their salaries compared to other public sector staff. Hospital personnel protested near its headquarters on Wednesday to remind officials of their demands, and they made their voices heard to Minister of Health Hamad al-Hassan in conjunction with the press conference that was held to update the public on the status of coronavirus patients in Lebanon. Hospital employees demanded their right to benefit from the pay raises to public sector employees that they are entitled to. There are many reasons behind the state’s neglect of this hospital, a source from inside the Rafik Hariri University Hospital told Asharq Al-Awsat, the first being that private hospitals in its vicinity are owned by political figures that have no interest in developing the institution. The second is that health ministers have been dealing with the hospital in accordance with their political background and interests. They link any initiative to developing the facility or its medical and nursing staff to political services. A ministry source denied these claims. “Attending to the needs of Rafik Hariri University Hospital is a top priority for the ministry,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat. The official also denied that political considerations interfered with its management. “Most of spending on hospitalization goes to this hospital, taking into consideration the share received by private and public universities for treating patients at the ministry’s expense”. He considers that “the employees’ objections are shared by public sector staff in general; it is not a problem unique to the ministry of health.”
Hezbollah may pay the price of any Russian-Turkish deal
Khaled Abou Zahr/Arab News/March 05/2020
The battle for Idlib province seems set to be the final chapter in the Syrian revolution-turned-regional conflict and, therefore, the stakes are high. Last week, for the first time, Turkish forces initiated a drone and airstrike on Syrian and Iranian positions, in retaliation for the killing of more than 33 Turkish soldiers. The Turkish response resulted in the deaths of at least eight Hezbollah fighters and 21 Afghan and Pakistani Shiite fighters from brigade forces also guided by the Iranian regime. The presence of Hezbollah in this battle was a reminder, if needed, of the key strategic role given by Iran to the Lebanese group on a regional level. This is aimed at pursuing, covertly and militarily, the interests of the Iranian regime, which seeks to expand and impose its influence. This strike was also a reminder of the presence in Syria of armed Shiite brigades that Hezbollah essentially helped create and train, and today it commands under the tight supervision and logistical support of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Quds Force.
Even though Lebanon is in crisis, Hezbollah is still fighting in Syria in support of the Assad regime in order to safeguard Iranian interests. In these conditions, how can analysts still refer to it as a Lebanese political party? This is simply a fighting unit of the IRGC that uses Lebanon as cover. This situation again reminds us that Hezbollah has no respect for state sovereignty or borders; its assigned mission is what matters. Hezbollah has no respect for state sovereignty or borders; its assigned mission is what matters
Yet Hezbollah has suffered severe losses in recent months, which some analysts have linked to the death of Quds Force commander Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani and a weakened power structure on the battlefield. Losses in Syria have also been putting more pressure on the proxy in Lebanon from its own militants, as they keep questioning the reason for their presence in Syria while they face financial difficulties in light of US sanctions, as well as the general situation of the country. Despite these conditions, Hezbollah will find ways to survive, whatever the outcome in Lebanon, and keep its community’s loyalty. This is mainly because it can count on Iranian financial support, which has allowed it to build parallel institutions to the state. It also has a few scapegoats in the shape of corrupt allies it can sacrifice to ease the pressure if needed. Yet, in the case of total chaos endangering its control and any of its networks, as a last resort Hezbollah might decide to directly take over the entire government and impose a new regime in Lebanon that is in direct alignment with Iran. Analysts recently pointed out that Iranian illegal trade is increasing, and alternative financial instruments can be activated.
It is in Syria that Hezbollah is at risk of paying the price of any deal between Russia and Turkey under US approval, especially as Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan are looking for ways to de-escalate. Despite their different positions on the future of the Assad regime, Moscow and Ankara agree on having a smaller Iranian presence and influence in Syria. Turkey does not want to have the IRGC and Hezbollah at its border, while Russia would welcome not having to share too much influence with Iran in key Syrian power centers. This is also in alignment with Israel’s objectives.
When it comes to Lebanon, the final decision center for Hezbollah is ultimately in Iran. Its actions, whether appeasement or escalation, will always be following Iranian goals and strategy. The Iranian regime is certainly not willing to sacrifice its main proxy force in the region by letting it go. The Lebanese should understand this and act accordingly.
• Khaled Abou Zahr is CEO of Eurabia, a media and tech company. He is also the editor of Al-Watan Al-Arabi.
Since You Cannot Protect Us, Resign
Hanna Saleh/Asharq Al-Awsat/March 05/2020
The demonstration did not come late. Hours after the Serail-resident finished his speech in front of the consuls, protesters blocked several bridges and main roads in Beirut and other areas, raising slogans such as, “No confidence… Resign” and “No confidence, leave”!
The Prime Minister explicitly said, “Honestly, the state in its current condition is no longer capable of protecting the Lebanese and providing them with a dignified life”. He then added: “In all transparency, the state has lost the confidence of the Lebanese”. Consequently, on March 2, he confessed failure and incapacity, after 41 days of the birth of his government on 21 January, and 74 days after he was assigned Prime Minister on December 19, a sufficient duration for any serious governor to provide a vision to rescue the country. Sound reason would entail that whoever says those words would continue and say. “I hereby announce the resignation of my government. Let someone else come and lead to protect the people. At least, because behavior and performance did not allow citizens to find out what was really happening in the country”!
Instead, he declared failure and inability to effect any change, and despite that, he chose to remain under the guise that “the other alternatives are more dangerous”. This was the bombshell because it reveals that the real team pulling the strings behind this government of masks is proceeding in a path to impose its solutions on the expense of those who are in need. That is, because of the government, both head and members, settled on the path of not holding whoever caused the crisis accountable, a mafia of deals, brokers, foreign dependency, bankers cartels and money tycoons who have accumulated wealth by looting public funds and the fruit of citizens whose deposits were stolen!
It is a dangerous matter for a Prime Minister to speak like a victim among citizens, while between his hands as the head of the executive authority are the capacities of the entire country and its institutions, and is consequently the one who is responsible for preventing the country’s collapse and inability to protect people. This announcement was like a decision for the state to escape its responsibilities and duties to protect and guarantee rights. It seemed as if he was telling people to go solve their own problems, announce anarchy, and take back what’s theirs with their own hands! In short, the premier’s speech in front of the consuls set a precedence in the history of Lebanese governments in resigning from its responsibilities and then staying in power!
Since October 17 when people took to the streets rejecting decades of violations and humiliations, the majority of Lebanese people chose the alternative to the chaos of brokers and protected deals by the mini-state within the state and naturally revealed in their behavior and practices their ability to build bridges between each other. This returned the smile to their faces despite the frustration and revived hope in their unity that was built on shared interests, a true course towards a rescue that will come with a political change that would allow the Lebanese to retrieve their abducted republic. In all Lebanese squares, there is clarity, and they have declared it since the very beginning that there would be no chance for this formation and no confidence. They considered overthrowing the government to be the pathway towards forcing the cabinet and its head, Diab, to retreat from an alliance that would inevitably lead to trouble, while the latter knows that the Lebanese know who really is in control! The Lebanese are convinced that there are no solutions under this government.
After October 17, citizens found that they were being cheated to an unprecedented degree by those responsible for the loot of an era and who impoverished and starved the country. They began to point their fingers towards the perpetrators one by one, which put the entire sectarian alliance under the accusation of committing all of these crimes, and the people were united under the revolution’s slogan: All of them means all of them. This led to them preventing the political class from accessing public spaces. Subsequently, the street was subjected to all sorts of pressures and violations to weaken and penetrate it in order to diverge it from its course and onto demands that took advantage of people’s suffering of humiliation by banks, but that remained secondary despite their importance. With difficulty, it then corrected its course. This is what the protests on consecutive Saturdays represent, the ability to aim for the corrupt confessional sectarian system that Hezbollah now fiercely defends, as the defender of a formulation that is based on inequality between the Lebanese.
This discourse of bankruptcy, arrogance, and insistence on inequality and blackmailing people’s hunger, and the street’s response demanding the government’s resignation, then Diab rushing to describe his critics as an orchestra that has cherry-picked facts and has resorted to lies and incitement, a familiar matter among politicians who try to cover up one issue with another, thinking that this kind of noise will cover up the process of pushing the country towards bleak choices so that the approach that led the country to collapse continues. These choices are embodied in three flaws that have characterized the regime: Violations of public freedoms, blindly favoring money tycoons over the public, and conspiring against people’s lives!
The most prominent “achievement” started with building walls of hatred around public institutions, parliament, and the government and putting up cement barriers between people and the regime that has lost its public legitimacy. What is meant by this is ignoring the suffering of people and their demands, and this has culminated in calling in hundreds of rebels for investigations and pressuring them with their only crime being standing steadfast against corruption and the corrupt who have yet to be touched. This approach seems clear: going towards some form of a security state and refusing to work to secure people’s rights.
The second “achievement” is more pressure on the judiciary to prevent it from issuing sentences against bankers’ cartels that have legitimized laws to plunder deposits, opening the door for unprecedented looting of the fruits of people’s labor.
The third and catastrophic “achievement” on top of this collapse has been conspiring against people’s lives. It is in Hezbollah’s interest, the real governor of the country, to maintain the aerial bridge between Beirut and Tehran, and now it has become like they’re actually importing Coronavirus. The regime has tricked and misled people, and is falling short of the minimal precautionary measures such as mandatory quarantines to protect people, taking people’s health for granted and satisfying themselves by merely shutting down schools while opening the borders.
The anger of citizens is not manufactured, as they have been patient enough, and the only obvious task is to take back power so that the country and its citizens are liberated from division, arrogance, and violations of rights. The revolution that has gained the confidence of people is their only hope for finding a path that would reformulate the real history of the country.
