by reuters — The United States on Sunday denied a report by Iran’s state television that the arch-foes had reached a prisoner swap deal in exchange for the release of $7 billion frozen Iranian oil funds under U.S. sanctions in other countries. Iranian state television said on Sunday that Tehran would free four Americans accused of spying in exchange for four Iranians held in the United States and the release of the frozen Iranian funds. The U.S. government denied that an agreement has been reached. Iran’s envoy to the United Nations, Majid Takht Ravanchi, said the report could not be confirmed, adding that Tehran has always called for a full prisoner exchange with Washington. The state TV, quoting an unidentified Iranian official, also said British-Iranian national Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe would be released once Britain had paid off a debt on military equipment owed to Tehran.

A British Foreign Office official played down that report. Iran and world powers are holding talks to revive the 2015 nuclear accord that Washington abandoned three years ago and reimposed sanctions on Tehran. Iranian officials told Reuters last month that an interim deal could be a way to gain time for a lasting settlement that involved unfreezing Iranian funds blocked under U.S. sanctions. “Informed source says Biden administration has agreed to release four Iranian prisoners jailed for bypassing U.S. sanctions in exchange for four American ‘spies’,” the Iranian state TV report said on Sunday.

by reuters — Lebanon’s public prosecutor has launched an investigation into central bank governor Riad Salameh, a judicial source said, after a Swiss legal request alleged that more than $300 million had been embezzled from the bank through a company owned by his brother. The senior judicial source told Reuters the offices of Salameh’s younger brother Raja had been sealed off, with computers and files confiscated in the course of the investigation. The public prosecutor had no comment. For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app. Riad Salameh, who denies any wrongdoing, had no comment when asked by Reuters about the opening of the investigation, the sealing of his brother’s office and the confiscation of the files. “The governor declared that all his actions and the actions of the Central Bank of Lebanon are legal and that no funds at the detriment of the central bank exist,” the central bank told Reuters in a statement. “Not one dollar has ever been paid from central bank money or funds or any budget as commission,” the statement said.

The central bank declined to provide contact details for Raja Salameh, and Reuters was not immediately able to ask him for comment. The Swiss attorney general’s office said in January that it had requested legal assistance from Lebanon in investigating “aggravated money laundering” and possible embezzlement relating to the Lebanese central bank, the Banque du Liban. The Swiss request, seen by Reuters, alleges that Forry Associates, a company owned by Raja Salameh with a bank account in Switzerland that took commission on sales of Lebanese Eurobonds and Treasury bills, was paid $326 million by the central bank between 2002 and 2014 in transactions labelled as fees and commissions. Most of the payments to Forry were then transferred to an account in Raja Salameh’s name. More than $7 million were also transferred from Forry Associates between 2008 and 2012 to an account in Riad Salameh’s name, the document said. Reuters was unable to find any contact details for Forry Associates. The Swiss attorney general’s office had no comment about the content of the legal request other than repeating its statement from January. It has not said whether Riad Salameh is a suspect.

by thearabweekly.com — PARIS–France has begun imposing entry restrictions on certain Lebanese figures as a sanction for their role in Lebanon’s political crisis or corruption, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Thursday. “We reserve the right to adopt additional measures against all those preventing an exit from the crisis, and we will do so in coordination with our international partners,” added Le Drian, without naming which figures targeted by the measures. France has spearheaded international efforts to rescue Lebanon from its deepest crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war, but after eight months has failed so far to persuade squabbling politicians to adopt a reform roadmap or form a new government to unlock international aid.

With the European Union, Paris has been working on creating a sanctions regime for Lebanon that could ultimately see asset freezes and travel bans. However, that is likely to take time. As part of efforts to raise pressure on key Lebanese actors, France intends to stop issuing visas to certain officials, diplomats have said. “On a national basis, we have started to implement restrictive measures in terms of access to French territory against personalities involved in the current political blockage, or involved in corruption,” Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in remarks alongside his Maltese counterpart. “It’s not just words in the air,” said a French diplomat. They (Lebanese officials) can reassure themselves that it’s not just threats.” Two diplomats said a list of names had been put together and people were being made aware. The French foreign ministry did not respond to requests for comment. As many senior Lebanese politicians have homes, bank accounts and investments in the EU and France and send their children to universities there, a withdrawal of that access could be a lever to focus minds.

سجعان قزي

وزير سابق

@AzziSejean

يستطيعُ حزبُ الله أو أيُّ حزبٍ آخَر أن يطالبَ بتعديلِ دستورِ لبنان. هذا حقٌّ شرعيٌّ لأيِّ مواطنٍ أو جماعة. نحن أيضًا لدينا ملاحظاتٌ على الدستورِ، إذ نُطالب بإدخالِ مبدأِ الحيادِ عليه. لكن ما هو غيرُ مسموحٍ لنا ولحزبِ الله أن نَعملَ على تغييرِ المجتمعِ اللبنانيّ. قبلَ أن يكونَ لبنانُ دولةً وكِيانًا كان مجتمعًا؛ وهذا ما ساعَدَنا على الصمودِ قبلَ نشوءِ دولةِ لبنانَ الكبير وبعدَ نشوئِها. هو المجتمعُ، لا الدولةُ، ما أتاح للبنانيّي الجبلِ مواجهةَ الاحتلالَين الـمَمْلوكيّ والعُثماني. وهو المجتمعُ، لا الدولةُ، ما مَكَّنَ لبنانيّي السيادةِ والاستقلالِ والتحريرِ من مواجهةِ الاحتلالَين السوريّ والإسرائيليّ. وهو المجتمعُ، لا الدولةُ، الذي حافظَ سنةَ 1975 ـــ وما بعدَها ـــ على لبنان رغمَ انقسامِ مؤسّساتِ الدولةِ الدستوريّةِ والأمنيّةِ والعسكريّة. وكان مجتمعُنا الوطنيُّ يَملِكُ قضيّةً مُثلَّثةَ الأضلع: أمنٌ، حريّةٌ، وحضارة.

طوالَ ثلاثينَ سنةً أمضاها في مرابعِ لبنان، غَيّرَ الاحتلالُ السوريُّ الطبقةَ السياسيّةَ الاستقلاليّةَ، وفرَضَ مجموعةً تابعةً له وتركَها خلْفَه وديعةً تُرَفْرِف. لكنّه لم يبالِ كثيرًا بتغييرِ المجتمعِ اللبنانيّ، لا بل فُتِنَ السوريّون، ضبّاطًا وسُيّاحًا، في حياةِ بعضِ اللبنانيّين وزاغوا وتَغلْغلوا في الليالي واقتَبسوا جوانبَ سطحيّةً نَقلوها إلى الشام. إلّا أنَّ ما خالَطَه السوريّون آنذاك ما كان المجتمعَ اللبنانيَّ الصامِد، بل مجتمعَ أوراقِ تسهيلِ المرور…

by Farrah Berrou — eater.com — The modern nation of Lebanon might be only 100 years old, but the wine trade here has been around for more than 5,000 years, thanks to a longitudinal coastline that runs the entire length of the country. Ancient Phoenicians shared amphorae with bustling port cities across the Mediterranean and shipped wine and other goods to the rest of the stops on their route, from Alexandria, Egypt, to Cádiz, Spain. Today’s Lebanese wine industry is small — its total production would barely match the output of one boutique winery in Italy — but mighty. Its growth really hit its stride in the early 2000s after the end of the 15-year civil war, and the country’s numerous vineyards now produce grapes for close to 80 official and unofficial local wineries. With Syria to the east and Israel/Palestine to the south, Lebanon’s limited square footage for wine production is often split into four or five distinct appellations and further segmented into varying microclimates clustered across the Bekaa Valley, where the majority of grapes are harvested.

Contrary to the grainy, yellow filter deployed by Hollywood, Lebanon is not made up of sand dunes. What it does have are mountain ranges cresting at nearly 10,000 feet above sea level, a valley floor at 3,000 feet, a natural water table, predominantly limestone soils, and 300 days of sunshine each year. The overall weather and topography are ideal for the kind of diverse, low-intervention grape-growing that makes for truly great wine. The irony in this overview is the enduring need for it to be included here in the first place — or in any piece of writing on the subject of Lebanese wine.

by reuters — A Lebanese music composer close to the president’s party is believed to be detained in Saudi Arabia for unknown reasons, according to local media reports confirmed by two sources close to him and a security source. An official source said Lebanon’s foreign ministry had tried to ask Saudi authorities about the whereabouts […]

BY EDWARD GABRIEL, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR — TheHIll — In a last-ditch effort to wake up Lebanon’s political leadership, Undersecretary of State David Hale recently visited Lebanon to underscore the urgent need for a reform-minded government before the country becomes a fully failed state. Upon his departure, he said, “(The Lebanese are) suffering because (their) leaders have failed to meet their responsibility to put the country’s interests first and to address the mounting socio-economic problems … but it’s not too late.” Unfortunately, Hale’s plea appears to have fallen on deaf ears. Joblessness, lack of access to basic health care, and inability to feed their families are factors that continue to erode the lives of hundreds of thousands of Lebanese citizens. Lebanon’s leaders apparently cannot be convinced to quit their sectarian and self-serving bickering over an economic rescue plan or a new government. Although Hale said it’s not too late to form a government capable of addressing the citizenry’s needs, it is becoming increasingly evident that the country could face financial collapse within weeks. Now is the time for the Biden administration to switch gears to protect U.S. interests in Lebanon. Three immediate actions would be wise:

First, it is imperative that the U.S., along with the French and others, outline a plan that assures the Lebanese people that the world has not forgotten them and is prepared to assist them, the International Monetary Fund, and other partners with a recovery program — once an effective government is put in place.

by thenationalnews.com — Gareth Browne — Lebanon’s farmers are rushing to find new buyers for their produce 48 hours after a Saudi ban on fruit and vegetable imports from the country sent prices dropping. At the fruit and vegetable market in Beirut’s Madina Al Riyadiye, the wholesale price of lemons has dropped by 40 per cent in two days, while the price of bananas is down more than 50 per cent. A ban on all fruit and vegetables transiting or originating from Lebanon was introduced by Riyadh on Sunday morning, after millions of amphetamine pills were discovered hidden in a shipment of pomegranates. Saudi Arabia says it has seized more than 600 million pills coming from the country over the past six years and claims Lebanon is being to flood the region with narcotics. Lebanon’s Syndicate of Fruit and Vegetable producers criticised the suggestion that a Lebanese farmer was responsible for the pomegranate shipment that put the industry at risk. Lebanon orders crackdown on smuggling after Saudi Arabia bans produce The ban has left crises-hit Lebanon with yet another problem to deal with: a vast excess of fruit and vegetables.

Exports to the Gulf account for 55 per cent of trade in this sector, the Lebanese farmers’ association says. As the surplus of produce causes domestic prices to collapse, traders are desperately trying to find other buyers for their fruit with sell-by dates approaching. “It’s not only Saudi Arabia. It’s about all the Gulf markets,” says Mahmoud Al Sanousi, floor manager at Al Fadl trading company’s banana-processing plant in Adloun. “We have refrigerated products that transit through Saudi Arabia to Kuwait and Qatar. “We have trucks currently on the road to Dubai and Kuwait. Now they have to go back or dispose of the products. “If this is not solved soon, we are going to be throwing a lot of fruit out.”

by arabnews.com — NAJIA HOUSSARI — BEIRUT: A pomegranate shipment hiding millions of Captagon pills entered Lebanon in stages through the Masnaa border crossing with Syria, a Lebanese customs official has claimed in an interview with Arab News where he tried to lessen his country’s responsibility for the drug-stuffed fruit shipment which has recently caused Saudi Arabia to ban all fruit and vegetables imports from Lebanon. The narcotic-stuffed shipment was seized in Dammam last Friday. On Monday President Michel Aoun said Lebanon was keen not to endanger the safety of any country, while caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab said neither Lebanon nor its people would accept any harm caused to the Saudis. “We are with the Kingdom in combating smuggling networks and pursuing those involved,” Diab said.

Preventing smuggling from Lebanon’s borders was the focus of a meeting chaired by Aoun, with ministers and officials from security and customs services taking part. Saudi Arabia was urged to “reconsider” its ban, which came into effect on Sunday, and Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmi was assigned to communicate and coordinate with the Kingdom’s authorities to “follow up the procedures to discover the perpetrators and prevent the recurrence of such odious practices.”​ But a customs source revealed the scale of the challenge, as well sharing insights into the smuggling process. “It is a constant war with smugglers and it needs advanced equipment while we work manually,” the customs source told Arab News. “The quantity of pomegranates that contained Captagon tablets entered Lebanon in stages on more than one truck at the end of January through the Masnaa border crossing with Syria. Documents of the consignments indicated that the pomegranates were imported for internal Lebanese consumption and bear a certificate that they are of Syrian origin and not intended for transit.”

NNA – Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Beshara Boutros Rahi, called on Lebanese officials to keep the judicial body away from the vicious circle of polarizations and political polemic. “We insist on restoring rights, especially bank deposits. But what happened recently was contrary to judicial principles and legal rules, as it affected the prestige and respect of […]