A Bundle Of English Reports, News and Editorials For March 08-09/2020 Addressing the On Going Mass Demonstrations & Sit In-ins In Iranian Occupied Lebanon in its 144th Day
Compiled By: Elias Bejjani
March 09/2020
Titles For The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on March 08-09/2020
Secret facility at Hizballah’s Beirut hospital cares for Iranian high-ups down with corona/DebkaFiles/March 08/2020
Aoun calls for ‘unifying personal status law’
Berri: We renew the commitment to continue the struggle alongside women
Hariri: Lebanese women have proven their true worth
32 coronavirus cases in Lebanon
Lebanon Confirms Four More Coronavirus Cases
After Debt Default Move, Lebanon Faces Reform Challenge
Kubis Urges Lebanon to Ensure Women are ‘More Involved’ in Political Life
Kubis: Honest statement of PM Diab opens the way out of the crisis
Hizbullah Urges ‘Solidarity’ with Govt. on Eurobond Decision
Sami Gemayel Slams Lack of ‘Measures, Reforms’ in Diab’s Default Speech
Al-Rahi: We Won’t Allow Lebanon’s Downfall
Police Shut Nightclubs that Did Not Abide by Coronavirus Closure Order
Lebanon Debt Talks Won’t Last More than 9 Months if Well-Intentioned, Says Minister
Lebanon Bondholders Stepping up Efforts to Form Creditor Group
Kataeb: Shooting at ‘Kataeb Central House’ in Saifi at dawn today
Musharrafieh: Women will have most prominence in the Ministries of Social Affairs and Tourism
Majzoub extends educational institutions’ closure until the evening of March 15
Al Shamsi praises women’s achievements on International Women’s Day: Left a distinctive mark in building their homelands
Is Lebanon on the verge of collapse/Rami Rayess/The Arab Weekly/March 08/2020
Lebanese women to press for equal personal status rights on International Women’s Day/Samar Kadi/The Arab Weekly/March 08/2020
The Latest English LCCC Lebanese & Lebanese Related News & Editorials published on March 08-09/2020
موقع دبيكا: حزب الله يعالج كبار المسؤولين الإيرانين من الكورونا في معهد الرسول الأعظم الصحي الكائن في الضاحية الجنوبية
Secret facility at Hizballah’s Beirut hospital cares for Iranian high-ups down with corona
DebkaFiles/March 08/2020
تقرير من موقع دبيكا نشر أمس افاد بأن حزب الله يبنقل من إيران إلى بيروت كبار المسؤولين الإيرانيين المصابين بفيروس الكورونا ليقوم بعلاجهم في مستشفى معهد الرسول الأعظم الكائن في الضاحية الجنوبية التي هي عملياً دويلته الخارجة عن نطاق سلطة الدولة اللبنانية
Hizballah’s Al-Rasool Al Aatham University hospital in south Beirut has been converted to a secret facility for treating high Iranian officials infected with coronavirus, various Lebanese sources reveal. Tehran’s Lebanese proxy boasts that its hospital operates according to strict Shiite Islamic tenets.
Transferring high-profile victims outside the country to a secret venue appears to be part of the Islamic regime’s cover-up of the real figures and death toll from coronavirus in a country of 80 million which, alongside Italy, is seen as a primary source of global contagion.
The Hizballah-Iran operation flies high Iranian officials down with the disease from Tehran to Beirut by direct flight. This is one means of concealing the true scale of the infection across the country, but also high officials benefit from better treatment than they would in Tehran. There are no details about the numbers of these transfers. The regime only reports the deaths of prominent officials post factum. The last death reported on Thursday, March 5, was of Mohammad Mirmohammadi, who was a member of the Expediency Council which chooses national leaders and a close adviser to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. On Friday, a female member of parliament Fatima Rahabar, succumbed to the virus.No international health authority engaged in halting the spread of coronavirus has laid hands on reliable information for determining the scale of Iran’s contagion. It is also kept secret from the domestic authorities in Tehran. If anyone has the true figures of the numbers of Iranians infected and/or dead of corona-19 it would most likely be a very tight circle of regime leaders within the supreme ruler’s inner circle and top commanders of the Revolutionary Guards.
In the early stages of the virus, cases were reported in the shrine city of Qom, a popular center of international Shiite pilgrimage, and therefore a primary source of contagion to other parts of the Shiite world.
https://www.debka.com/secret-facility-at-hizballahs-beirut-hospital-cares-for-iranian-high-ups-down-with-corona/
Aoun calls for ‘unifying personal status law’
NNA/March 08/2020
“On International Women’s Day, we remember all women who have been victims of society, violence or injustice,” President of the Republic, Michel Aoun, said via Twitter on Sunday, on the occasion of International Women’s Day. He added: “A unified personal status law that respects the articles of the Human Rights Charter is the first step towards lifting the repression of women in Lebanon.”
Berri: We renew the commitment to continue the struggle alongside women
NNA/March 08/2020
House Speaker Nabih Berri considered, in a statement today, that “March 8th is a juncture in which we renew the commitment to continue the struggle alongside Lebanese women, in order to establish their right to partnership in all aspects that create life, development and prosperity of the human being, and Lebanon.”He added: “To the Lebanese women, to mothers, all mothers, the mothers of the martyrs and the resistance, the sincerest wishes on their day…May each year bring you goodness!”
Hariri: Lebanese women have proven their true worth
NNA/March 08/2020
Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri tweeted Sunday on the occasion of International Women’s Day, saying: “A salute to women everywhere, especially to Lebanese women who have proven their true worth and competence, and leadership role in our society and in shaping its future.”
32 coronavirus cases in Lebanon
Perla Kantarjian/Annahar/March 08/2020
According to the Rafic Hariri University Hospital report, over the last 24 hours, its emergency unit received 100 people suspected to have contracted the virus.
BEIRUT: With four new cases on Sunday, the number of coronavirus cases in Lebanon was announced to be 32. According to the Rafic Hariri University Hospital report, over the last 24 hours, its emergency unit received 100 people suspected to have contracted the virus.
Only 19 were required to be quarantined in the hospital, while the rest were advised in-home quarantine. Among the 116 people who underwent the necessary tests, 112 tested negative while 4 tested positive.According to the statement, the number of cases within RHUH is 28, while the other 4 cases are being transferred to the hospital by a team from the Ministry of Health. Additionally, RHUH declared that all cases have a stable medical condition, except for 3 who are in critical condition.
Lebanon Confirms Four More Coronavirus Cases
Naharnet /March 08/2020
Lebanon on Sunday confirmed four new coronavirus cases, taking the overall tally to 32, according to the state-run Rafik Hariri University Hospital. A statement issued by the hospital said it received 100 cases at its coronavirus section over the past 24 hours. “They all underwent the necessary medical examinations and 19 of them needed to be kept in quarantine according to the overseeing doctor’s evaluation while the rest will observe home isolation,” the statement said. Lab tests were meanwhile conducted for 116 individuals of whom 112 tested negative and four tested positive. The statement said 28 of those who tested positive are in the hospital’s quarantine unit while the other four will be transferred later. It added that three out of those infected are in a critical condition while the rest are in a stable condition. Lebanon has closed schools, sport clubs, nightclubs, fairs and other venues and urged against gatherings, after Health Minister Hamad Hasan announced that the country is no longer in the containment phase regarding the virus.
After Debt Default Move, Lebanon Faces Reform Challenge
Agence France Presse/Naharnet /March 08/2020
Lebanon, shaken by street protests and economic crisis and now set to default on its Eurobond debt, has pledged reforms that will serve as a litmus test for its new government. “The real question is: will politicians do what’s necessary to fix the problem?” asked Sami Nader, director of the Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs. “If defaulting does not go along with a clear-cut commitment to reform, this will accelerate collapse.”Lebanon’s debt burden, long among the largest in the world, is now equivalent to nearly 170 percent of its gross domestic product. Prime Minister Hassan Diab said Saturday his government would suspend payment of a $1.2 billion Eurobond maturity due on Monday and seek debt restructuring because of dwindling foreign currency reserves. He also announced plans to slash state spending and downsize an inflated banking sector. His self-styled technocratic government, nominated in January to tackle a financial meltdown and unprecedented anti-government protests, must now prepare for talks with creditors and decide on whether to a seek the help of the International Monetary Fund. With a long track record of chronic political gridlock, corruption and financial mismanagement, many expect Lebanese politicians to stumble. The demonstrators who have rallied since October don’t believe the government will carry through with the necessary changes. “We want to remind the ruling class that the solutions have been available for years but, just like today, we lacked courageous political will,” said activist group Taqaddom in a statement. Another group, Shabab al-Masref, warned that the government pledges may just be “ink on paper”.
IMF debate
Despite its turbulent history, the small Mediterranean country has never before defaulted, but in recent months it has grappled with its worst economic turmoil since the 1975-1990 civil war. Foreign currency has become increasingly scarce, Lebanon’s pound has plunged in value and banks have imposed tough restrictions on dollar withdrawals and transfers. Diab met last month with an IMF delegation to discuss technical assistance to tackle the spiraling financial crisis, but he has yet to request funds amid internal divisions. Banking experts have argued in favor of an IMF rescue, saying it would secure international assistance that the cash-strapped country desperately needs and provide the kind of assurances creditors are looking for. “The IMF is the only option moving forward if politicians want an exit,” Nader said. But Hizbullah, which along with its allies holds a majority in parliament, has emerged as a vocal critic. Last week it said it rejected conditions and “ready-made recipes” which global bodies could impose, warning against what it called “foreign guardianship” over the economy. In some troubled economies, the IMF has in the past recommended subsidy cuts, tax hikes and a floating currency to address state insolvency, at times fueling the kind of street protests that have already shaken Lebanon for months.
Exposed to danger
An-Nahar newspaper, Lebanon’s oldest daily, however warned the country could be exposed to more “danger” because the government has decided to embark on the default path without IMF assistance. The IMF is a “necessary international mediator that could have helped Lebanon by providing it with cover” against creditors who may consider legal action, it said in an editorial Sunday. As Lebanon braces to enter restructuring negotiations, a credible and feasible economic rescue plan is “the main prerequisite,” said Mohamad Faour, a post-doctoral research fellow in banking and finance at University College Dublin. Creditors usually prefer for such reform plans to be part of an IMF package, he said, warning that “kick-starting the negotiations with no concrete plan would be a non-starter.” Diab on Saturday reiterated Lebanon’s commitment to reforms pledged at a Paris conference in April 2018, including spending cuts and electricity sector reform, as well as plans to downsize a bloated banking sector. The economist Jad Chaaban, a prominent critic of Lebanon’s political elite, blamed the crisis on decades of mismanagement by the state, including of commercial lenders, many of which are owned by politicians themselves. He said in a Facebook post that the prime minister’s latest announcement marked the “end of a system that saw banks covering up the corruption of the ruling elite.””Political parties are in trouble, bank owners are in trouble, and the tug of war between the two will only get worse.”
Kubis Urges Lebanon to Ensure Women are ‘More Involved’ in Political Life
Naharnet/March 08/2020
U.N. Coordinator for Lebanon Jan Kubis on Sunday called on Lebanon to ensure that women are “more involved” in the country’s political life, in a statement marking International Women’s Day. “Lebanon is encouraged to take measures to ensure women are more involved and allowed to actively take part in the realization of change and in shaping the image of their country’s future through greater inclusion and participation in decision-making processes,” Kubis said in his statement.“This year, the commemoration of International Women’s Day takes place at a pivotal moment in Lebanon’s history. Having historically stood at the forefront of rights movements, Lebanon’s women have, once again, proven to be a catalyst for social progress by taking the lead in calls for change and reform. Their efforts to protect the non-violent character of Lebanon’s popular movement and their united stance against a downslide towards strife demonstrated their essential role in building peaceful societies,” he said. “Yet, the contributions of women to the social, economic, political, legal, academic and all other spheres in Lebanon can only attain its optimal level once the barriers still hindering gender parity in leadership positions are lifted,” Kubis added. Commenting on the presence of six women in Lebanon’s 20-member new government, the U.N. official said that while the 30% women rate in the Cabinet and the adoption of the 1325 National Action Plan constitute positive leaps and can be effective tools for women’s empowerment, a long way is still ahead. “Women in Lebanon continue to face many forms of discrimination, while inequality in different fields is still predominant, gender-based violence is not adequately combatted, and their concerns, rights, and interests are only rarely prioritized,” he said. Kubis added: “Achieving gender equality is a key factor for the establishment of a stable, peaceful and prosperous Lebanon. Bold political, legal, economic and social steps are needed, especially through the adoption and effective implementation of the necessary relevant laws, to ensure women get to exercise their role as half of society and as pioneers of change and advancement on all levels.”Kubis also promised that the United Nations in Lebanon, through its different agencies, funds and programs will “continue to press for the equal rights of women and will maintain its unwavering support for their empowerment, participation and representation in all fields.”
Kubis: Honest statement of PM Diab opens the way out of the crisis
NNA/March 08/2020
United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jan Kubis, tweeted Sunday over Lebanese Prime Minister’s address yesterday, saying: “Honest statement of PM Hassan Diab about the failure of the previous economic model opens the way out of the crisis. I encourage creditors to work with the government to avoid disorderly default following the suspension of the 9 March Eurobonds payment…dictated by the critical situation of the country.”
Hizbullah Urges ‘Solidarity’ with Govt. on Eurobond Decision
Naharnet/March 08/2020
A senior Hizbullah official announced Sunday that his party “backs the government in its decision related to the Eurobonds,” urging the people and all political forces to “show solidarity with it and support its stance.”
Everyone should “cooperate with it so that it takes its decisions bravely, away from intimidation and blackmail,” the deputy head of Hizbullah’s Executive Council, Sheikh Ali Daamoush, said. “The government’s decision not to pay the dues and to restructure the debt instead is less negative than paying, because paying without finding solutions to secure liquidity might lead to bankruptcy and to heading to the International Monetary Fund to be subject to its conditions,” Daamoush said. “Can Lebanon and the Lebanese bear the conditions of the IMF?” he wondered. He warned that the IMF would impose conditions such as “hiking the (VAT) tax to 20%, selling the state’s properties, privatizing institutions and floating the Lebanese pound.” Daamoush added: “When we announced that we are against heading to the IMF, some parties unleashed the media mouthpieces against us, although we are not against the IMF as a financial institution but rather against placing Lebanon under the international fund’s tutelage, dictations and conditions, the same as we are against the tutelage of any international or regional side over Lebanon.”“We don’t want our country to lose its sovereignty and national decision under the pressure of the financial and economic crisis, at a time that there are solutions that can prevent collapse without putting the country under any side’s hegemony or burdening the people with new taxes,” Daamoush went on to say. He said the alternative course requires “a national will and understandings in addition to bold decisions.”
Sami Gemayel Slams Lack of ‘Measures, Reforms’ in Diab’s Default Speech
Naharnet/March 08/2020
Kataeb Party chief MP Sami Gemayel has criticized a speech delivered by Prime Minister Hassan Diab in which he announced that Lebanon will default on its March 9 Eurobond debt.
“No legal measures were announced, no practical and instant reforms were announced, no economic and social steps for rescue were announced and no containment measures were announced to confront the repercussions from the default decision,” Gemayel lamented in a tweet. “All what we heard was a declaration of the state’s bankruptcy and a disclosure of the reality of net foreign currency reserves at the central bank,” he added. On Saturday, Diab said that “the Lebanese state will seek to restructure its debts, in a manner consistent with the national interest” through negotiations with creditors. Diab’s government was nominated in January to handle the economic crisis amid unprecedented protests that began in October demanding a complete overhaul of the political class. He said a default — the first decision taken by his government — was the “only way” to stop reserves from depleting. In taking this path, Diab’s administration is in effect overruling objections from banks who say it would pile added pressure on domestic lenders and compromise ties with foreign creditors. The move also exposes the country to legal action by creditors.”How could we pay creditors while the Lebanese people are unable to access their own money in their bank accounts?” Diab said. Despite a series of crises, the country has never before defaulted, but in recent months it has grappled with its worst economic turmoil since the 1975-1990 civil war. Foreign currency has become increasingly scarce, Lebanon’s pound has plunged in value and banks have imposed tough restrictions on dollar withdrawals and transfers. Diab said debt restructuring is part of a wider economic rescue plan, that seeks to cut state spending and save more than $350 million annually. He said downsizing the banking sector is part of the reform plan. Seeking to assuage public concern, the prime minister pledged to protect bank deposits, especially those of small depositors. He assured foreign backers of Lebanon’s commitment to reforms pledged at a conference dubbed CEDRE in Paris in April 2018. But an $11 billion (10 billion euro) aid package pledged at the conference has not been unlocked by donors due to a lack of commitment to reforms. Diab said Lebanon must now enter into debt restructuring negotiations, which “will take time, effort, and will require painful measures.”
Al-Rahi: We Won’t Allow Lebanon’s Downfall
Naharnet/March 08/2020
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Sunday warned against “tampering with Lebanon’s fate,” as he stressed that the church “will not allow its downfall.”“It is a must to remind that the free financial and economic system – of which the banking sector is a key part and in which the Lebanese stash their lifelong savings – is a pillar of the pillars of the Lebanese entity which was established by the venerable patriarch Elias Hoayek 100 years ago,” al-Rahi said in his Sunday Mass sermon. “Beware of harming it and beware of jeopardizing the future of the Lebanese through attacking it, because the reason (behind the financial crisis) is found in another place,” the patriarch warned. He said the government’s duty is to “address the reasons immediately and punish those manipulating the national currency.”“We remind that free economy is at the heart of the constitution, but the church wants it to have a social dimension that guarantees justice, solidarity and the human’s dignity and rights,” al-Rahi added.
Police Shut Nightclubs that Did Not Abide by Coronavirus Closure Order
Naharnet/March 08/2020
Two units from the Tourist Police aided by members of the Internal Security Forces overnight hit the streets to “shut down all nightclubs that did not abide by the closure order” issued by Tourism Minister Ramzi Msharrafiyeh and Lebanon’s anti-coronavirus panel. Al-Jadeed TV said the security forces moved at the instructions of Prime Minister Hassan Diab, Msharrafiyeh and Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmi. Lebanon’s government-linked anti-coronavirus committee had on Friday recommended extending the closure of educational institutions and nurseries until March 14 and called for shutting down sport clubs, nightclubs, cinemas, fairs, theaters and other venues that witness gatherings. It said nightclubs should be closed until next Sunday. Health Minister Hamad Hasan warned Friday that Lebanon is no longer in the “containment phase” regarding the virus, citing the arrival of infected Lebanese citizens from countries not categorized as hotbeds of the virus, such as Egypt and the UK. Lebanon’s confirmed coronavirus cases rose to 28 on Saturday after six new cases were recorded.
Lebanon Debt Talks Won’t Last More than 9 Months if Well-Intentioned, Says Minister
Asharq Al-Awsat/Sunday, 8 March, 2020
Negotiations to restructure Lebanon’s foreign currency debt should not last more than nine months if well-intentioned, the economy minister told a local broadcaster, as the country headed for its first sovereign default. Hit by a major financial crisis, Lebanon declared on Saturday it could not pay forthcoming maturities – the first of which is a $1.2 billion bond due on Monday. The prime minister called for fair restructuring negotiations. The default will mark a new phase in a crisis that has hammered the economy since October, slicing around 40% off the value of the currency, denying savers free access to their deposits and fueling unemployment and unrest. The financial crisis is seen as the biggest risk to Lebanon’s stability since the end of the 1975-90 civil war. Face-to-face negotiations between Lebanon and bond holders are expected to begin in about two weeks, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. Prime Minister Hassan Diab, in a televised address to the nation on Saturday, said foreign currency reserves had hit a “critical and dangerous” level and were needed for basic imports. Lebanon had therefore, suspended the March payment. The financial crisis came to a head last year as capital inflows slowed and protests erupted over decades of state corruption and bad governance. “The negotiation process will last for months and if we have good intentions will not go on for more than nine months,” Raoul Nehme, the economy minister, told broadcaster al-Jadeed in comments published on its website overnight. Reuters could not immediately reach him for comment. “The government is now waiting for the position of the Eurobond holders,” Nehme said, adding that he expected them to adopt “positive” positions. Referring to the possibility of Lebanon being sued abroad, he said creditors may bring legal cases against the central bank but would not win. Lebanon has some $31 billion in dollar bonds that sources say the state wants to restructure. Lebanon’s public debt has reached around 170% of gross domestic product, meaning the country is close to being the world’s most heavily indebted state, Diab said. Lebanon’s banks, big holders of the debt, are ready to talk with foreign creditors as the government seeks to restructure, a source familiar with the matter said on Saturday. There was no timetable yet for any restructuring and the discussions with foreign creditors are likely to start slowly, the source said. The Lebanese banking association has appointed Houlihan Lokey as financial adviser to help with the process. There has been no sign of a bailout from foreign states that aided Lebanon in the past. Western governments insist Beirut first enact long-delayed reforms against waste and corruption. Many analysts believe the only way for Lebanon to secure financial support would be through an IMF program. But this is opposed by Hezbollah, which has said conditions the IMF would seek to impose would cause a “popular revolution”. Lebanon has however sought IMF technical assistance.
Lebanon Bondholders Stepping up Efforts to Form Creditor Group
Asharq Al-Awsat/March 08/2020
A set of Lebanon’s bond holders are to step up efforts to form a creditor group in the coming days after the country’s presidency signaled on Saturday it would default, one of the members of the group said. Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced later on Saturday that Lebanon cannot meet its forthcoming debt maturities, setting the heavily indebted state on course for a sovereign default. “We think it (creditor group) will come together soon,” the member of the group said, requesting anonymity. “From what we understand the government wants to be reasonable and so do most creditors. They understand the country is in a difficult situation.”So far, the group had been more informal, with distressed debt veterans Greylock Capital and Switzerland-based Mangart Advisors facilitating discussions between bond holders and other interested investors. The group member told Reuters that amid the prospect of a default, potential legal and financial advisors had been sounded out. Lebanon’s government itself has hired investment bank Lazard and law firm Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP to help steer its efforts. “From what we understand the government wants to be reasonable and so do most creditors. They understand the country is in a difficult situation,” said the group member. “We think if this is approached in a constructive way that something can be achieved.” Diab declared the suspension of a bond payment of $1.2 billion due on March 9, saying foreign currency reserves had hit dangerously low levels and were needed to meet basic needs. Diab said Lebanon’s public debt had reached around 170% of gross domestic product, meaning the country was close to being the world’s most heavily indebted state.
Kataeb: Shooting at ‘Kataeb Central House’ in Saifi at dawn today
NNA/March 08/2020
The Lebanese Kataeb Party disclosed, in an issued statement on Sunday, that unknown gunmen opened fire at dawn today at the Central Kataeb House in Saifi, hitting its eastern façade with six bullets. The Party placed this assault in the custody of the state and its security services, to track down and reveal the identity of the perpetrators. “The Kataeb Central House that has embodied independence and freedom, which was labeled by the October 17 Revolution as the House of the People, and which became the meeting place for revolutionaries and free men of various sects, affiliations and orientations, will remain open to all Lebanese and the spearhead in the battle towards sovereignty, liberty and a decent life,” the Party pledged in its statement. It concluded by asserting that the Kataeb will never be undermined or intimidated by such “cheap and trivial political messages.”
Musharrafieh: Women will have most prominence in the Ministries of Social Affairs and Tourism
NNA/March 08/2020
Minister of Social Affairs and Tourism, Ramzi Musharrafieh, tweeted Sunday on the occasion of Women’s Day, saying: “On International Women’s Day, a salute to disabled women, elderly women, abused women and working women…”He added: “In the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Ministry of Tourism, women will have significant presence and most effective roles, for they are the foundation of society.”
Majzoub extends educational institutions’ closure until the evening of March 15
NNA/March 08/2020
Higher Education Minister Tarek al-Majzoub requested that classes continue to be suspended in all public and private educational institutions until Sunday evening, March 15, 2020, in a circular addressed to elementary and secondary schools, vocational institutes and public and private universities today. “In order to preserve the health and safety of students and administrative and educational bodies, and after communicating with the Public Health Minister and the official bodies tasked with following-up on the fight against the Coronavirus, and based on public interest requirements, all directors of public and private educational institutions are requested to continue to suspend classes in all public and private educational institutions until Sunday evening, March 15, 2020,” the circular read. It also called for “completing the preparation of emergency programs to end the educational curricula and compensate for the lessons lost by the students.”
Al Shamsi praises women’s achievements on International Women’s Day: Left a distinctive mark in building their homelands
NNA/March 08/2020
On the occasion of International Women’s Day, United Arab Emirates Ambassador to Lebanon Hamad Saeed Al Shamsi, hailed the significant accomplishments of women, saying: “International Women’s Day pushes us every year to appreciate the important and pioneering role that women play in our societies, especially since women have left a distinctive mark in building their nations.” In an issued statement marking the event which falls on the 8th of March of each year, Al Shamsi said “the UAE participates in the appreciation and recognition of the role of women and their active contribution to the process of political, cultural, social and economic development.” He noted that “this day has become a global occasion to discuss and present women’s achievements and future aspirations for further progress. “The UAE has attached great importance to empowering citizens, male and female alike, since its foundation in 1971. The constitution guarantees equal rights for all, and before the law in obtaining health, education and work,” Al Shamsi maintained. He continued to stress that “women have been recognized as an equal partner to men in the development of our nation for a long time. Although our country is newly established, evidence of our success in empowering women to work is their presence in leadership positions in a number of government agencies, the army, businesses and in different sectors of society.” The UAE Ambassador highlighted his country’s pioneering position in “topping many global and regional indicators on gender equality and women’s accomplishments, and in women’s access to education, literacy and job opportunities, as well as in the index of treating women with respect, among other indicators.” Al Shamsi concluded by congratulating women on their international day, deeming them as “well-deserving of appreciation, gratitude and praise being half of society, and perhaps even the whole society,” adding, “All the best to the Emirati women who charted the path of success and brilliance and exerted strenuous and relentless efforts in building our state.”
Is Lebanon on the verge of collapse?
Rami Rayess/The Arab Weekly/March 08/2020
As Lebanon passes through the most severe and unprecedented economic and fiscal crisis in its contemporary history, there are increasing doubts that its new cabinet is capable of confronting the enormous upcoming challenges. The Arab and international communities upon which Lebanon traditionally relies for aid have expressed a cold attitude towards the cabinet headed by Hassan Diab. Lebanese Foreign Minister Nassif Hitti recently made his first European visit to Paris, with the new cabinet relying on the French to revive the CEDRE Conference resolutions that pledged almost $11 billion in aid to Lebanon.
The conference was orchestrated by French President Emmanuel Macron, convened in the French capital in April 2018 and called on Lebanon to initiate reforms that would introduce drastic changes to the economy.
Lebanon’s power sector squanders $2 billion a year in estimated losses, a figure that has increased the country’s deficit and public debt to no avail because the country still suffers electricity shortages in vast areas. In effect, the new cabinet has copy-pasted the former government’s plan as-is without amendment.
The plan postpones the assignment of an independent supervisory committee, which is a precondition for donors, to increase transparency and secure efficient administering of the sector. The pretext is that there is a need to change the regulatory law first. Criticisms have also been voiced against this postponement, considering that this is a step that would allow the Energy Ministry to complete all huge tenders without the supervision of the committee.
Information leaked from Paris indicated that France had lost enthusiasm to extend aid to Lebanon unless it seeks aid from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), a step that would deepen division among Lebanese political parties. Hezbollah has explicitly rejected any deal with the IMF because it considers the fund a Western tool used to dominate crippled countries such as Lebanon. On the Arab front, Diab has reportedly asked to visit Saudi Arabia, part of a Gulf tour that would also see him travel to Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and other countries. Riyadh has yet to respond. Qatar has said it would welcome a visit from Diab, regardless.
The new government’s plan promised Qatar Petroleum one out of the three grand Floating Storage Regasification Units to be built in Lebanon. Another enormous challenge that confronts the cabinet is the $1.2 billion Eurobond set to mature March 9, with other bonds requiring repayment in April and June. Lebanese Finance Minister Ghazi Wazni, a veteran financial expert, said the country “has the option to choose between the worse and the worst.”After the Central Bank announced that it was the sole responsibility of the cabinet to deal with this debt, there are fears that abiding by those payments would lead to a sharp decrease in the Central Bank’s foreign currency reserves, something that would exacerbate the liquidity crisis in the country. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri warned against making the forthcoming payment, saying it would lead to catastrophic results at the social level. The revolt that started October 17, 2019, toppled the government headed by Saad Hariri but has lost momentum, with a few exceptions of cutting roads or breaking into ministries and public departments. The call for early parliamentary elections, though supported by several political forces, seems to be blocked by Hezbollah, which is of the view that parliament should complete its designated term, which ends in 2022. As a result of this, political and economic deadlock is looming. Once more, Lebanon finds itself at a crossroads as it has always been. No matter where it goes and how it goes, difficulties are at the forefront.
Lebanese women to press for equal personal status rights on International Women’s Day
Samar Kadi/The Arab Weekly/March 08/2020
BEIRUT – Although a record of six female ministers sit in Lebanon’s cabinet, Lebanese women struggle to achieve equal gender rights in a country where discrimination against them is facilitated by 15 religion-based personal status laws.
Family law in Lebanon falls under the ruling of religious courts so each sect dictates its own rules concerning marriage, divorce, inheritance and custody, which are mostly unfair to women across all confessions. A video of a divorced Shia woman grieving her daughter’s death after she was denied the right to see her for years and forbidden from attending her funeral sent crowds demonstrating outside the Supreme Islamic Shia Council, the community’s highest religious authority. Men and women chanted that corruption had infiltrated the turbans of religious leaders who refuse to listen to demands for more just rulings.
Unfortunately, another International Women’s Day is marked and women in Lebanon, who are educated and hardworking, are still fighting for basic rights, said Mona Fayyad, a sociologist and Lebanese University professor.
“One of the most flagrant forms of discrimination against Lebanese women is not having the right to give their nationality to their children if they are married to non-Lebanese, whereas men grant their non-Lebanese wives full citizenship in no time,” Fayyad said. “Discrimination is also inherent in the personal status laws of all sects and religions. It is a matter that harms both genders because it consigns them to their sect and places them at the mercy of the clergy in matters of marriage, divorce, inheritance, et cetera.”“Definitely women are doubly harmed because religious laws do not grant them the same rights as men when it comes to inheritance or children custody or even the right to divorce in the Shia community,” Fayyad added.
Zeina Ibrahim, a member of the Protecting Lebanese Women organisation, has been campaigning for seven years to raise maternal custody within the Shia community to 7 years for boys and 9 years for girls, as well as shared custody afterward. “We have many clerics who back us and they are part of the campaign because they consider our demands are rightful and can be achieved since it does not go against religion,” Ibrahim said, noting that all other sects have amended the custody regulations except the Shia. “Of course, we hope there is a common equitable civic law for personal status affairs that applies to all religions and sects. Besides personal status issues, many discriminate laws need to be amended to become fairer to women and fulfil their rights,” Ibrahim added. Prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Ahmad Taleb called for reforms in religious courts. He said he supports raising the age of custody and that immediate reforms should be made within the courts, Ibrahim noted. A report by Human Rights Watch, called “Unequal and Unprotected” listing forms of discrimination facing women in Lebanon, said, across all confessions, women faced legal and other obstacles when terminating unhappy or abusive marriages; limitations on their pecuniary rights; and the risk of losing their children if they remarry or when the so-called maternal custody period ends.
“Gender inequality in Lebanon is among the worst in the world,” Fayyad said. “There is no equality between people (the haves and have nots) in general and no equality between male and female citizens especially under the authority of the clergy. What we need is hands-off from the clergy over personal status laws.”Equal rights in a civil state are among the demands of anti-government demonstrators who have been protesting since October against a ruling class accused of corruption and mismanagement that pushed Lebanon to the brink of economic collapse. Meanwhile, events dedicated to women’s rights were set for International Women’s Day under the theme “I am Generation Equality: Realising Women’s Rights.”
Those included a female march on March 8, panel discussions of women’s role in the protest movement and a 2-day event — “Women in the spotlight” — that includes talks, discussions, stand-up comedy, yoga workshops, garage sales and live music. The activities were organised by women architects, artists and activists who started local initiatives that are environmentally sensitive. One event was designed to honour pioneering Lebanese women athletes who defied social stigmas and thrived through determination and perseverance and a public talk on how to “build resilience in a time of crisis” will provide tips to deal with the socio-economic crisis gripping Lebanon; mentally, financially and physically.
