by the961.com — Miguel Hadchity — Hannibal Gaddafi, the son of the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, revealed information about the disappearance of Imam Mousa Al-Sadr in August 1978 as well as the details of his detention in Lebanon. In a message to Al-Arabiya Al-Hadath, he said: “I am a hostage of a political arrest, […]

سجعان قزي

@AzziSejean

الّذين حَضروا مؤتمرَ الطائف سنةَ 1989 اتّفقوا على لبنانَ وطنًا نهائيًّا وليس على الطائفِ دستورًا نهائيّا. هذا يعني وجوبَ احترامِ الطائف لئلّا يُصبحَ تغييرُه مُستَوجَبًا. وهذا يعني أيضًا وجوبَ الاعترافِ بلبنانَ وطنًا نهائيًّا لئلّا تَنبُتَ حواضرُ لبنانيةٌ ومدائنُ كما كانت الحالُ منذ الفينيقيّين حتى المتصرفيّة… جُرمٌ شنيعٌ أنَّ هذا الوطنَ، لبنانَ الكبير، وقد انبَثقَ أساسًا من نضالِ البطريركيّةِ المارونيّةِ، يَتعرّضُ اليومَ للسقوطِ بتغطيةِ مسؤولِين موارِنة. صَنعت البطريركيّةُ المارونيّةُ هذا الوطنَ من أجلِ شعبٍ، ويُدمِّرُه موارنةٌ طارئون من أجلِ شخص. هؤلاءِ الموارنةُ يتواطأُون مع مُكوّناتٍ لبنانيّةٍ اعترفَت نهائيًّا بأوطانٍ أخرى وسَجَدَت لدساتيرِها، وراحَت تَسعى إلى السيطرةِ على لبنان من دون الاعترافِ به بقَصْدِ تغييرِ الطائف وتجييرِ لبنان إلى تلك الأوطان.

تجاه خطورةِ هذا الواقع، تُصبح التفسيراتُ الدستوريّةُ بشأنِ مَن يتولّى الشرعيّةَ في حالِ حصولِ شغورٍ رئاسيٍّ لزومَ ما لا يَلزَم. الدستورُ واضحٌ ويَنصُّ على انتقالِ صلاحيّاتِ رئيسِ الجُمهوريّةِ إلى مجلسِ الوزراء، وأيُّ تفسيرٍ آخَر مناقِضٌ للدستور. الإشكاليّةُ هذه المرّةَ، أنَّ الحكومةَ الحاليّةَ مستقيلةٌ، وبالكادِ تُصرِّفُ أعمالَها وتَفُكُّ الاشتباكاتِ الناشبةَ بين وزرائِها، فكيف لها أن تَتولّى جميعَ سلطاتِ الجمهوريّةِ وتَتّخذَ القراراتِ المصيريّةَ الدستوريّةَ والسياسيّةَ والإصلاحيّةَ وتكونَ المحاوِرَ الشرعيَّ الوحيدَ باسمِ لبنان مع العالم؟ لذلك ناشدْنا، بكلِّ محبّةٍ واحترام، رئيسَ الحكومةِ المستقيلَ والمستقيلةِ، المهندس نجيب ميقاتي، تشكيلَ حكومةٍ جامعةٍ توحي بالثقة وتكونُ بمثابةِ مجلسٍ رئاسيٍّ، فيُسقِطُ بذلك جميعَ الفذْلكات العشوائيّةِ المحيطةِ بانتقالِ السلطةِ طبيعيًّا إلى مجلسِ الوزراء بعد الشغورِ الرئاسي. إنَّ عدمَ تأليفِ حكومةٍ جديدةٍ يُخالف منطوقَ اتفاقِ الطائف ويُحلِّلُ للمتربِّصين به شرًّا الطعنَ به، ويفَتحُ البابَ أمامَ اجتهاداتٍ دستوريّةٍ “غِبِّ الطلَب” تُشكِّكُ بمبدئيّةِ انتقالِ سلطةِ رئيسِ الجُمهوريّةِ إلى الحكومة. نحن بحاجةٍ إلى جهودٍ لتأليفِ حكومةٍ جديدةٍ عن بَكْرةِ أبيها، لا إلى اجتهادات تُثبِّتُ حكومةً مستقيلةً.

by By: Denison Rey A. Dalupang — sports.inquirer.net — MANILA, Philippines—Playing with zest and vengeance all night long, the Philippines on Friday morning faltered late against Lebanon, 85-81, in the Fiba World cup Asian Qualifiers in Beirut. The Nationals had no answer against Wael Arakji, who came through in the most critical of moments at […]

by gulfnews.com — Khitam Al Amir, Chief News Editor — Dubai: An audio-recorded threat from a Saudi dissident to attack the kingdom’s embassy in Beirut has put Lebanese forces on high alert, local media reported on Wednesday. In the recording, Ali Hashem, who lives in Beirut’s southern suburbs, says: “If anything happens to any member […]

NNA – The Lebanese Army Command on Wednesday announced in a statement that the logistic brigade has received 150 Humvees through Beirut Port as a donation from the US authorities. This donation is a part of the US aid programs allocated to the Lebanese Army.

by trenddetail.com — (translated from arabic) Attempts to impose a “new government” through new decrees have suggested the predominance of serious efforts over the turbulent movement against the Free Patriotic Movement and its leadership, according to what was indicated by the “brigade” in its issue last Monday. From this angle, and in parallel with the revitalization of international and regional efforts to reach an understanding on a new President of the Republic, Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati will visit Baabda Palace, and President Michel Aoun will meet to discuss the government file, from the angle of the 24 ministers he submitted to the President of the Republic on June 29, and the amendments Required, or to disregard any change, as well as looking into the possibility of forming a government of 30 ministers, adding 6 ministers of state to the current government, in terms of numbers. Yesterday, visitors to Baabda conveyed the president’s desire to form a new government in agreement with the designated prime minister in accordance with the rules of the constitution and national partnership, and to give the opportunity to discuss to reach a practical understanding.

Well-informed political sources pointed out to the “Liwaa” that the morning meeting between the President of the Republic and the designated president will continue the discussion of the government file, without meaning that the decision is approaching. She confirmed that Presidents Aoun and Mikati will google the formation without knowing whether the points of disagreement have been reduced in terms of the President of the Republic’s approval of replacing the Minister of Economy and Minister of Energy. On the other hand, former MP Walid Jumblatt refused to nominate any Druze candidate as an alternative to the Minister of the Displaced, Essam Sharaf al-Din.

By NADIA AL-FAOUR — arabnews.com — DUBAI: Even before the economic collapse in Lebanon, Syrian and Palestinian refugees living there were struggling to get by. Many chose to uproot themselves once again and set out in search of greater security overseas, often turning to people smugglers for help. Now, the situation looks so hopeless that a growing number of Lebanese citizens who lack the means to pay for safe and legal passage abroad are also risking the same dangerous, illegal sea crossings to Europe. In early June, the Lebanese military apprehended 64 people in the north of the country who were attempting to board a smuggling vessel bound for Cyprus. Among them were several Lebanese citizens, driven to desperation by severe economic hardship. “I cannot feed my family. I feel like less of a man every day,” Abu Abdullah, a 57-year-old delivery worker from Tripoli, the poorest city in the country, told Arab News. “I would rather risk my life at sea than hear the cries of my children when they grow hungry.”

Inflation, unemployment, shortages of food, fuel and medicine, a crumbling healthcare system, and dysfunctional governance have created a perfect storm of poverty and hopelessness. Shortage of grain as a result of the war in Ukraine has compounded Lebanon’s economic woes, with the prices of staples skyrocketing. Queues for bread are a common sight in many towns while public-sector workers have often gone on strike demanding better pay. The nation’s currency has lost about 95 percent of its value since 2019. As of July, the minimum monthly wage was worth the equivalent of $23 based on the black market exchange rate of 29,500 Lebanese pounds to the dollar. Before the financial collapse, it was worth $444. About half of the population now lives below the poverty line. “My salary barely lasts a few weeks and the tips I get amount to nothing,” said Abu Abdullah. “One of my sons roams around the neighborhood dumpster diving, looking for tins and plastic to sell. It breaks my heart having to see him do this. But in order to eat we don’t have another choice.”

By Sami Haddad — yalibnan — In April 2021 Last year Lebanese President Michel Aoun reportedly phoned Syria’s Bashar al-Assad to discuss the demarcation of Lebanon-Syria maritime borders, according to former Lebanese caretaker Foreign Minister Charbel Wehbe. Aoun’s call came after a Russian oil company signed an agreement with Syria for exploration in the Mediterranean Sea in an area that is claimed by Lebanon in its 2011 border demarcation decree Assad ratified the contract with Petrozavodsk-based Capital Oil in March 2021 , under a contract initially drawn up in April 2020. However, 750 square kilometers of the area assigned for exploration is in the Lebanese economic waters. Lebanon demarcated its exclusive economic zone in 2011 through Decree No. 6433, which was sent to the United Nations. Syria objected to the unilateral Lebanese demarcation in the north, sending a protest letter to the UN in 2014. Since then, the two countries have failed to resolve the dispute, despite Russia proposing itself as a mediator between the two countries in 2019.

Illegal claim

Diana Kaissy, executive director of the Lebanese Oil and Gas Initiative (LOGI), told Middle East Eye in April 2021 that Damascus’ complaint was made on an illegal basis, as Syria is not a signatory country of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Although the maritime border dispute between Lebanon and Syria has been politicized in Lebanon, experts agree it can be solved on a technical basis. According to analysts , the problem for Lebanon is that president Aoun’s key ally the Iranian backed Hezbollah is a staunch ally of the Syrian regime . Ever since Aoun was elected in 2016 Hezbollah has been running the show in Lebanon since it has been in control of all the 3 top branches of government .

by english.alaraby.co.uk — Iraq has summoned its ambassador to Jordan after he was pictured hosting Lebanese pop star Ragheb Alama and his wife, according to reports. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is bringing the ambassador of the Republic of Iraq to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Haider Al-Adhari, to Baghdad,” a statement by the authority […]

By Najia Houssari — arabnews.com — BEIRUT: The National Museum of Beirut is in darkness as the diesel allocated by the Ministry of Culture to turn on the generators at this major tourism facility has run out. The museum has seen fewer tourists since the beginning of the summer. Its management has changed its opening […]