By TAREK ALI AHMAD — arabnews.com — LONDON: The clock is ticking ever closer to a moment of reckoning. The Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), which was established to investigate and prosecute those responsible for the 2005 assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri, has run out of money and is due to permanently close at the end of July. In the midst of an unprecedented national economic crisis, authorities in Lebanon said they are no longer able to cover their 49 percent share of the tribunal’s $40 million-a-year operating costs. The remaining 51 percent is provided by 28 donors, including the US government and several European states. The STL announced its verdict almost a year ago. Despite repeated government appeals for financial assistance to help the STL fully fulfill its mandate, and impassioned defense of its achievements so far by experts in international criminal justice, donor nations appear content to allow it to adjourn for good.

At the time of its launch there was widespread support for the tribunal, as Lebanon reeled from one of its worst atrocities since the civil war. On Valentine’s Day 2005, a massive car bomb exploded outside St. Georges Hotel in Beirut. It killed Hariri and 21 other people, and left 269 wounded. The international community responded by issuing a number of UN Security Council resolutions and setting up an investigative commission to assist the Lebanese authorities in investigating the murder and other political crimes. Four years after the assassination, UN Security Council Resolution 1757 established the STL, based in Leidschendam in the Netherlands, kick-starting the task of seeking the truth and obtaining justice for the victims. The tribunal issued its judgment on Aug. 18 last year. It found Hezbollah member Salim Jamil Ayyash guilty of launching the attack, but acquitted three co-defendants. After long delays, attacks on investigators, intimidation of witnesses, and routine trouncing by the media, the STL’s verdict was greeted with an almighty shrug. Coming as it did close on the heels of the devastating August 4 Beirut port explosion, the decision was seen by many as proof that the process had failed because it “convicted only one person.”

by english.ahram.org.eg — In a meeting with the commander of the Lebanese army Joseph Aoun, Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi expressed his appreciation for the role of the Lebanese Armed Forces in keeping the balance and stability in Lebanon, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement. In the meeting on Wednesday with Aoun, who is currently […]

by nna-leb.gov.lb

ونوه سليمان ب”الدور المحوري الريادي للمؤسسة العسكرية التي تثبت في الاستحقاقات والمحطات كافة، جدارتها وقدرتها على كسب ثقة اللبنانيين في حين باتت ثقة الشعب شبه مفقودة بأكثرية مؤسسات الدولة”، داعيا “كل القوى السياسية إلى الوقوف خلف الجيش ليبسط سلطته الكاملة في الداخل وعلى الحدود”.

by Gareth Browne — thenationalnews.ae — The EU is pushing ahead to finalise a package of sanctions on Lebanon despite Monday’s nomination of Najib Mikati as prime minister-designate, European diplomats have told The National. Several officials told The National that, although they noted this week’s movement on forming a new Lebanese government, they were sceptical that Mr Mikati – a two-time former prime minister – can finalise an administration. Lebanon needs a new government that could introduce the reforms required to stave off a wave of sanctions on the country’s political class and unlock international financial support. “Nothing has changed until we see concrete reforms. Mikati’s nomination is a still long way from that,” one European diplomat in Beirut said. “It’s not a case of buying them time because the sanctions were never just about government formation – they were about blocking the reforms Lebanon desperately needs. “Until the reform happens, sanctions stay on the table.”

Brussels has been working on a package of sanctions to punish those blocking government formation and vital structural reforms in Lebanon for months. Germany and France have been leading the efforts. “I can say that the objective is to complete this by the end of the month,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said earlier this month. “I am not talking about the implementation of the regime, just the building of the regime according to sound legal basis.” The EU sanctions would include asset freezes and travel bans. One European diplomat said that Mr Mikati would need to make sure his government formation efforts do not drag on. “Mikati said himself he wants to be fast. He said he is not going to do the same as Saad Hariri. If in a few weeks nothing is done, then we will take that into account,” they said.

الحل ليس بالانتخابات المبكرة وليس بالصلاحيات الاستثنائية وان يكن لا ضرر من حصولهما. الحلّ قبل كل شيء هو في تصويب السياسة العامة باتجاه التحييد والتخلي عن السلاح غير الشرعي وضبط الحدود البرية وتصحيح السياسة الخارجية

DUBAI, (Reuters) by Lisa Barrington Raya Jalabi – Until a few months ago, 32-year-old Michelle Chaaya was a human resources professional at a multinational firm in Lebanon. Now she works as a bartender in Dubai, sending cash to her family back home where a financial crisis has left many destitute. The United Arab Emirates has long been a destination for Lebanese businesses and professionals, propelled by instability in their tiny country. Those who like Chaaya came to the UAE in the past year are leaving behind a Lebanon that was already in dire straits before a huge chemical blast tore through Beirut in August, exacerbating a financial meltdown that has seen the currency collapse and jobs vanish. “After the explosion we felt like we were hopeless. So the first opportunity to travel outside Lebanon, I took it,” Chaaya said.

Fadi Iskanderani, one of Lebanon’s few paediatric surgeons who this month moved to Dubai, said the plummeting currency meant his wages had fallen by around 95% for the same workload. Having trained overseas, he moved back to help rebuild his country after years of civil war. The decision to leave was heart-wrenching. Lebanon’s crisis has propelled more than half the population into poverty, locked depositors out of bank accounts and worsened shortages of basic goods. The country’s prized education and medical sectors have seen talent leave in droves: around 1,200 doctors are estimated to have left Lebanon. read more

by reuters — Lebanese businessman Najib Mikati secured enough votes in parliamentary consultations on Monday to be designated the next prime minister, and now faces the difficult challenge of forming a viable government to tackle a financial crisis. Mikati has been prime minister twice before and, unlike many Lebanese leaders, does not represent a political bloc or hail from a dynasty. He received 72 votes out of a total of 118 members of parliament. Mikati won the votes of the most prominent blocs, including the Future bloc, Hezbollah’s bloc, the Progressive Socialist Party bloc, and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri’s bloc. But the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) bloc, which is the political group affiliated with Aoun, refrained from nominating anyone as the FPM and Mikati failed to see eye-to-eye on the 2011 government’s political performance. Like previous nominee Saad al-Hariri, he must navigate the sectarian, power-sharing structure and secure agreement on a cabinet equipped to address the financial meltdown in Lebanon, one of the world’s most heavily indebted states. “I don’t have a magic wand and I can’t work miracles,” Mikati said after his nomination, but added that he had been studying the situation and had “the necessary international guarantees”.

Mikati is the third person to be nominated since Hassan Diab’s government resigned after an explosion at Beirut’s port area on Aug. 4 last year that killed more than 200 people and flattened large areas of the city. Diab’s government has stayed on in a caretaker capacity since then, but Lebanon’s currency has collapsed, jobs have vanished and banks have frozen accounts in the country’s worst crisis since the 1975-90 civil war. Mikati said he was confident he could form a government, and its first priority would be to implement a reform plan by former colonial power France. The French roadmap envisioned a government of specialists capable of implementing reforms and engaging the International Monetary Fund.

  By Katerina Hakmeh — beirut.com — A documentary on Lebanon by Australian-Lebanese filmmaker, journalist, and entrepreneur Daizy Gedeon has received the Better World Fund’s Movie That Matters Award at the Cannes Film Festival 2021. Gedeon’s movie brings attention to the dire economic and social situation in Lebanon, but mostly gives hope and highlights the […]

by theguardian.com — Amid so much trouble around the world, the crisis in Lebanon has received relatively little attention, especially from British politicians and media. This is a serious oversight. It’s not inconceivable Lebanon could soon become a “failed state” on a par with Libya or Yemen. That would be a disaster for its people, but also, as recent history shows, for the region, Europe and the UK. The crisis has many aspects. The most pressing is the mounting human cost. The chronic devaluation of the Lebanese pound – it has lost about 90% of its value in the past 18 months – is taking a terrible toll on ordinary families. About 30% of Lebanese children go to bed hungry, the UN says. Most households are short of food. At least half the population has slipped into poverty. Resulting hyperinflation, caused by adverse trading conditions during the pandemic but also by grossly irresponsible financial mismanagement by Lebanon’s politicians and bankers, means subsidies of essential foodstuffs, medicine and fuel no longer cover their true cost. People with deadly diseases such as diabetes or heart conditions cannot get the help they need. Protestors and the relatives of victims of the Beirut port explosion carry empty coffins and portraits during a demonstration in Beirut, Lebanon, 13 July 2021.

More than 30% of the workforce is unemployed. Those in work see the value of their wages plummeting. Pensioners’ savings are evaporating. To the misery caused by shortages of imported goods are added regular power blackouts. Unicef warns the neglected public water system is “on life support”. Its collapse would put 71% of the population – more than four million people – at immediate risk. The ramifications of the crisis spread much further. Lack of security and increased lawlessness are of growing concern. The army wants $100m just to cover the immediate needs of its 80,000 troops. A soldier’s average monthly salary before the crisis was worth the equivalent of $800. Now it’s about $80. The military is reportedly struggling to patrol the borders with Syria and Israel due to lack of fuel. This in turn feeds fears that terrorists may exploit the situation through cross-border attacks and arms smuggling. Last week, rockets were fired into Israel, prompting a brief military retaliation. In calling for strengthened border defences, the Israeli army worries the Lebanese state could fracture into sectarian fiefdoms with Hezbollah controlling Shia areas in the Beka’a valley and the south.

By Kareem Chehayeb — aljazeera.com — Beirut, Lebanon – Former Lebanese premier Najib Mikati is on course to become Lebanon’s prime minister-designate on Monday after receiving the endorsement of Lebanese Sunni leaders. The Tripoli MP and billionaire businessman on Sunday received the support of Sunni political leaders, including former prime minister Saad Hariri. Speaker Nabih Berri and the Amal Movement have also backed Mikati, and fellow Shia party Hezbollah will reportedly follow suit. The Druze-majority Progressive Socialist Party also announced today that they would back Mikati. However, Mikati lacks support from the majority of Christian parliamentarians. The Lebanese Forces’ 15 MPs announced that they would not name a candidate, while the Free Patriotic Movement’s 31 MPs have reportedly opposed Mikati as an option, seeing him as too close to Hariri. President Michel Aoun scheduled binding parliamentary consultations for Monday, where MPs announce their prime minister-designate of choice. A nominee that receives a majority of votes in parliament is then tasked with forming a government

. In Lebanon’s political system, the post of prime minister is held by a Sunni Muslim, the presidency is held by a Maronite Christian, and the speaker of parliament is a Shia Muslim. The country has been without a full-fledged government for almost a year since caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab resigned following the Beirut Port explosion last August. Lebanon continues to struggle from a crippling financial crisis that has rendered half its population into poverty and devalued the Lebanese pound by more than 90 percent. The international community has repeatedly called on Lebanon to form a government committed to enact structural reforms and unlock development loans and aid to restructure and recover its economy.