source NNA –– Maronite Patriarch indicated during his Sunday homily in Bkerke, “the right to express an opinion is born with the human being,” warning against violating it, and transferring the country to a police regime, and methods that do not resemble Lebanon. Rahi explained that “excessive repression establishes a popular uprising,” stressing that “in the face of the sad state of the judiciary, we wonder where the judges are to protect the judicial body.” He wondered about the goal of the strict measures in the judiciary, pointing out that “the parliamentary elections must be held on time, and the next president must pull the country out of the axes.”

Cardinal Mar Bchara Boutros Al Rahi, the Maronite Patriarch, addressed the political officials, asking, “What are you doing to save your population from the misery you put them in? Isn’t it past time to issue a judgment in the Beirut Port Blast?” In his Sunday sermon, he added, “How long do you politicians continue to oppress our people and blow up solutions to impose sanctions on Lebanon?”

by naharnet.com — In his Sunday Mass sermon, al-Rahi also criticized what he called “selective, vindictive, electoral, political and fabricated” judicial measures. He accordingly urged an end to “the fabrication of accusations and lawsuits” and to the “inaction” towards some “obvious” offenses, while criticizing those who have sought to obstruct the Beirut port blast probe. The patriarch also decried perceived attempts to “undermine the main institutions and banks” as well as “the seizure of depositors’ money and the harm against free economy.” Apparently referring to Judge Ghada Aoun’s latest lawsuit against prominent talk show host Marcel Ghanem and MTV, al-Rahi warned against encroaching on freedom of expression.

By Najia Houssari — arabnews.com — BEIRUT: “Lebanon always needs Arab sponsorship, and (I hope) all the Gulf countries, in particular, will restore ties with Lebanon, which needs its Arab environment to embrace it,” Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said during his visit to the Doha Forum on Saturday. Mikati met Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani at the forum’s headquarters. His media office said he discussed ties between Lebanon and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. Mikati also met his Qatari counterpart, Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al-Thani. In a press conference following the two meetings, Mikati said: “What is meant to be shall be, and Lebanon is meant to always have excellent relations with the Arab countries and the Gulf states. Lebanon is one of the founders of the Arab League and we strongly believe in such ties.” Lebanon is meant to always have excellent relations with the Arab countries and the Gulf states. Lebanon is one of the founders of the Arab League and we strongly believe in such ties.

Speaking about Lebanon’s diplomatic crisis with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, Mikati stressed: “It was a summer cloud that passed. God willing, it will entirely fade out with the visits that I will make to the Arab countries, and with the restoration of diplomatic ties between Lebanon and the Gulf states. We need these ties, especially with Saudi Arabia.” Mikati said that the Emir promised that the Qatari foreign minister would visit Beirut in the coming weeks to personally check Lebanon’s needs. He talked about the Lebanese government’s efforts to resolve the country’s economic crisis, saying: “The current economic situation is an accumulation of over 30 years’ worth of problems. It cannot be resolved overnight. The government is striving to achieve economic recovery. God willing, we’ll soon get there.” Mikati said: “The IMF delegation will arrive in Beirut next Tuesday to resume negotiations. The delegation is headed by the IMF chairperson and the next round of negotiations will run for two weeks, after which a preliminary agreement would be signed. “We have no choice but to cooperate with the IMF to put Lebanon on the path to recovery.”

arabnews.com — By Najia Houssari – BEIRUT: Lebanese media outlets expressed concern on Friday over creeping examples of “employing the judiciary for sectarian and electoral political goals.” It followed controversial Lebanese judge and Mount Lebanon state prosecutor Ghada Aoun’s fresh measures against the country’s embattled banking sector. Aoun issued a new decision on Thursday evening banning six banks from transferring funds abroad. The move coincided with the judiciary tightening the noose around the governor of the Banque du Liban, Riad Salameh. The first investigative judge in Mount Lebanon, Nicolas Mansour, summoned Salameh for a hearing next Thursday. The judge stressed that an arrest warrant would be issued against the central bank governor if he failed to attend the hearing.

Mansour also issued an adversarial arrest warrant against Salameh’s brother, Rajah Salameh, ordering he be kept in custody until next week based on charges of alleged illicit enrichment and money laundering. In response to Aoun’s recent decision, the Association of Banks in Lebanon said in a statement on Friday that such decisions showed a lack of knowledge of banking activity and its role in the national economy, and a complete disregard for the law. The statement said the judge’s decision could harm depositors who “will not obtain their rights once banks collapse and the country follows.” The association added: “The funds transferred by banks feed their accounts abroad, allowing them to fulfill their obligations, especially those resulting from opening credits for imports. “Preventing banks from transferring funds abroad leads to shutting down their accounts and preventing imports, directly affecting the banks’ local clients.”

By Sunniva Rose – thenationalnews.com — A Lebanese military court has charged Samir Geagea over the deadly violence in Beirut last October, a judicial source told Reuters, a move that could stoke political tension two months before an election. Mr Geagea’s Christian Lebanese Forces Party told The National that it rejected the charges, branding it […]

by lb.usembassy.gov — In response to growing food security needs in Lebanon, the United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is providing nearly $64 million in additional humanitarian assistance to help feed vulnerable people in Lebanon. Lebanon is facing increased food insecurity amid the country’s ongoing economic crisis, as well as prolonged […]

الحياةُ السياسيّةُ في لبنان مُكَلَّسةٌ. سكونُ قبورٍ من دونِ خشوعِ السَرْوِ. كلُّ خبرٍ يَزيدُ القرفَ والإحباط، وكلُّ موقفٍ يَفرِزُ مشاكلَ جديدةً لا حلولًا. كلّما تَكلّم مسؤولٌ جاوز خِطابُه الخِيانة. وكلمّا صَرّحَ بعضُ السياسيّين عانَقَت الشتيمةُ البَذاءةَ وحَضَنَ الانتقامُ الكراهيَة. الحكمةُ هَجَرت العقولَ والمحبّةُ القلوبَ، فوقَفَ الضميرُ حائرًا حيالَ مصيرِ الضمائر. حين يكــثُـــرُ السياسيّون تَقِلُّ السياسةُ ويَندُرُ رجالُ الدولة. وأساسًا نَفتقِدُ الدولةَ والرجال. في لبنان يوجدُ سياسيّون لكن لا تُوجد سياسة. ما نَظنُّه سياسةً هو مُتحوِّرٌ أفْرزَهُ الصَّدأُ السياسيُّ. هذا المتحَوِّرُ يُصيبُ المجتمعاتِ الوطنيّةَ التي لا تَتجَدّدُ ولا تَضع كِمامةً ضِدَّ من أساءَ إليها ورَعى انهيارَها.

بموازاةِ هذا الصدأِ، نَشهَدُ نزوحَ أحزابٍ وتيّاراتٍ لبنانيّةٍ عن ثوابِتها وحتّى عن وفائِها لتاريخِها ورموزِها، ونُبصِرُ ارتحالَ الأجيالِ الجديدةِ عن الأحزاب. في الهَجْرِ مُتعَةٌ. لكنْ، لا الأحزابُ عَثرَت على شعبيّةٍ بديلة، ولا الأجيالُ اللبنانيّةُ وَجَدت وجهةً أخرى. في الانتظار، لجأ الشبابُ إلى مجموعاتٍ وجمعيّاتٍ لا تَبتغي الربحَ (صارت تَبغي، وتَبتغي الربح) للمشاركةِ في الشأنِ العامّ. إنّه لجوءٌ موَقَّتٌ لا يَرقى إلى مرتبةِ الالتزامِ الوطنيِّ والوِجدانيّ، ولا يُغني عن أطرٍ سياسيّةٍ ثابتة.

هذه النزعةُ تؤثّرُ على انتظامِ الحياةِ الديمقراطيّةِ وعلى صدقيّةِ الانتخاباتِ النيابيّةِ. رغم ذلك لم نَـجِد بعدُ نظامًا أفضلَ من الديمقراطيّةِ لضمان الحريّات، ولم تَجد الديمقراطيّةُ آليّةً أفضلَ من الانتخاباتِ لتمثيلِ الشعب. بَيْدَ أنَّ الانتخاباتِ النيابيّةَ التي كانت شرطًا ضروريًّا وكافيًا لصُحّةِ التمثيلِ الشعبيّ، صارت اليومَ شرطًا ضروريًّا لكنّه غيرُ كافٍ. كلتاهما، الديمقراطيّةُ والانتخاباتُ، فَقدَت رونقَها. الديمقراطيّةُ تبدو ضعيفةً أمام أعدائِها، والانتخاباتُ تتحوّلُ من استحقاقٍ دستوريٍّ إلى مِهرجانٍ شَعبويّ. الانتخاباتُ قوّةُ الديمقراطيّةِ وضُعفُها. في الدولِ الديكتاتوريّةِ يَعتبرُ المواطنون أنْ لا فائدةَ من تصويتِهم، فالانتخاباتُ عَرْضٌ برتوكوليّ. وفي الدولِ الديمقراطيّةِ فَقدَ المواطنون نخوةَ التصويتِ وتلاشَت ثقتُهم بالسياسيّين.

by reuters — Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati proposed on Wednesday inviting central bank governor Riad Salameh to a forthcoming Cabinet meeting, the information minister said, an apparent show of support after Salameh was charged with illicit enrichment. Salameh has denied the charge brought against him by a Lebanese judge on Monday. It was the first charge to be brought against the governor, whose wealth is also being probed by authorities in at least five European countries. Information Minister Ziad al-Makary said Mikati had proposed during Wednesday’s Cabinet session to invite Salameh “after lots of discussion about the matter of the relationship with the banks.” It was an apparent reference to a standoff between Lebanese banks and members of the judiciary who have frozen the assets of seven lenders this month. Banks went on strike earlier this week in protest at the judicial orders. No date had been set for Salameh to attend a cabinet meeting, Makary said.

Denying the charge against him, Salameh said on Monday he had ordered an audit, which showed public funds were not a source of his wealth. His tenure has faced increased scrutiny since the financial system imploded in 2019, the most destabilising crisis since Lebanon’s 1975-90 civil war. Judge Ghada Aoun charged Salameh in absentia. Last week, Aoun charged his brother Raja Salameh in the same case and ordered him arrested, and he has since been in detention. Raja Salameh’s lawyer has said allegations of illicit enrichment and money laundering against his client were unfounded.

By Najia Houssari — BEIRUT: Lebanese President Michel Aoun has sparked Christian anger by defending Hezbollah during his Vatican visit. In an interview with the Italian daily La Repubblica, Aoun said that Hezbollah’s weapons had “no influence in any way” on the security situation of the Lebanese and that “resisting the (Israeli) occupation” was not terrorism. His words led Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi to reiterate his position on the importance of Lebanon’s neutrality. Lebanon’s top Christian cleric told MTV on Wednesday that the country was not a ground for conflict and that its interest lay in neutrality which, he said, maintained its sovereignty and preserved it from Israel and other hostile elements.

There was online anger, with activists sharing photos of dates and events where Hezbollah’s weapons had been “directed at Christians and not in their defense.” These included the assassinations of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, the pilot Samer Hanna, and Hezbollah opponents Hashem Suleiman and Luqman Slim. The activists cited a military conflict from May 7, 2008, between Hezbollah militias and pro-government Sunnis after an 18-month-long political crisis spiraled out of control. They also mentioned the clashes that erupted in Beirut’s Tayouneh neighborhood last October between Hezbollah and the Amal Movement, unidentified gunmen, and the armed forces. Activists said the president’s position at the Vatican did not represent them and reminded him that Hezbollah was “listed as a terrorist organization by the nations of the world, including the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council.”

by reuters — Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry has said it welcomed the “positive points” in a statement by Lebanon’s prime minister, in a sign that Beirut’s tensions with Gulf Arab countries are easing. Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati stressed in a statement on Monday the need to stop all Lebanon-originated activities that affect the security and stability of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab countries. He added the Lebanese government is committed to strengthening cooperation with Saudi Arabia, following a phone call with Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah.

The Saudi ministry on Tuesday said it welcomed Mikati’s statement, adding it hoped that it will “contribute to the restoration of Lebanon’s role and status on the Arab and international levels”. Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries expelled Lebanese envoys last year in a diplomatic spat that has deepened Lebanon’s economic crisis, following critical comments about the Saudi-led military intervention in Yemen by Lebanon’s former Information Minister George Kordahi. Riyadh says the crisis with Lebanon had its origins in a Lebanese political setup that reinforces the dominance of the Iran-backed Hezbollah armed group and continues to allow endemic instability.

By Sunniva Rose — thenationalnews.com — A Lebanese judge told The National on Monday that she has charged central bank governor Riad Salameh and his brother with illicit enrichment. Judge Ghada Aoun confirmed in a message that she had charged both men and that Raja Salameh, 61, remained in custody at the time of writing. She ordered his detention on Thursday after interrogating him about his role in allegedly helping Riad to launder money through property purchases in France and Luxembourg.

Riad, 71, defended himself by referring to an audit of the central bank that he commissioned in November. “This audit report was submitted to the relevant authorities in Lebanon and abroad,” he said in response to a question sent by text message from Reuters. Financial experts told The National that the document, which is not public, has no legal value and that Riad handed over information of his choosing. Riad, governor of the Banque du Liban since 1993, did not attend a hearing scheduled for Monday, and Ms Aoun charged him in absentia, Reuters reported. Ms Aoun unsuccessfully tried to force Riad to attend a hearing after he failed to show up three times. Riad told the media that he was at home and at his office in Beirut. He has repeatedly denied accusations of money laundering and illicit enrichment and said his personal fortune came from a past salary as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch and from his inheritance.