Khazen

Jefford on Monday: Back in Beirut

lebanese wines, andrew jefford

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I’ve visited the Lebanon three times in
the last quarter century.  The first occasion, in 1993, followed the
end of the 1975-1990 civil war, when Beirut was still in ruins and the
old Mercedes cars picked their way gingerly around the rubble.  By 2003,
in times of uneasy peace, the SUVs had moved in; Beirut’s enduring zest
for both business and pleasure was again evident (the country consumed
three million bottles of wine in that year, almost half of it
imported).  My latest visit, a couple of weeks ago, concluded with
hornet-like Ferraris noisily out-darting each other in the small hours
of a Saturday morning as they zipped past the serenely restored
Phoenicia hotel and the gleaming new office blocks nearby.

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Lebanon marks 73rd Independence Day

Lebanon, Lebanon independence day, Lebanon Michel Aoun, Michel Aoun, latest news, latest world news

independence-day-lebanon-73

aoun-berri-salam-hariri

Lebanese soldiers marched in formation and helicopters flew overheard in
a military parade in central Beirut Tuesday headed by the newly elected
president, the first such celebration in two years, to mark the
country’s Independence Day. Armored vehicles and tanks rolled down a
major thoroughfare in downtown Beirut, soldiers on horseback marched to
military tunes, and a choir performed national songs while organizers
released balloons in the colors of the Lebanese flag

BEIRUT, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) — Lebanon celebrated Tuesday its 73rd Independence Day with an official ceremony including a military parade by the Lebanese Armed Forces and other Security agencies, staged at Shafiq al-Wazzan Boulevard in Downtown Beirut. President Michel Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri and Caretaker PM Tammam Salam attended the ceremony.

During the parade, hundreds of red, white and green balloons representing the colors of Lebanon’s flag were launched skywards after military helicopters overflew marching soldiers.
Aoun, Berri, Hariri and Salam later headed to Baabda palace where they received well-wishers.
Lebanese Independence Day commemorates the country’s liberation in 1943 after 23 years of governance by French Mandate that succeeded the Ottoman rule at the end of the First World War in 1918.

Aoun hailed on Monday the Lebanese army for “gaining citizens’ confidence and being their source of security and serenity,” calling for “liberating civil servants from the culture of corruption.”

He has said in a televised address to the nation on the eve of Lebanon’s Independence Day “when dangers threaten the country, the army remains its security valve and the firm core of its national unity.” “We must immunize independence through refraining from seeking help from foreign forces to achieve partisan interests at the expense of the public interest,” the president noted.
In addition to the pledges of economic growth and security, Aoun said in his oath of office that Lebanon must work to ensure Syrian refugees “can return quickly” to their country.
He also urged to endorse an “independent foreign policy” and to protect Lebanon from “the fires burning across the region.”

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Saudi Arabia invites Lebanese president to visit the kingdom

November 21 BEIRUT — Saudi Arabia on Monday invited the newly elected Lebanese president Aoun to visit Saudi Arabia kingdom. Saudi Prince Khaled al-Faisal  current Governor of Makkah Province told reporters after meeting President Michel Aoun at Baabda Palace near Beirut that the president has accepted the invitation and agreed to visit after a new […]

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Eight reasons why Fairouz is the greatest Arab diva of all time

By thenational.ae She could be 80 or 81 – while her age is disputed, one thing for sure is November 21 is Fairouz’s birthday. The legendary Lebanese artist, real name Nouhad Wadie’ Haddad, has performed on all the world’s greatest stages, ranging from the Royal Albert Hall in London to Carnegie Hall in New York. […]

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Ten years on, Lebanese leaders remember Pierre Gemayel

BEIRUT:
Lebanon leaders Monday remembered late Pierre Amine Gemayel, who was
assassinated 10 years ago in broad daylight by a group of masked gunmen. “He was a promising young man full of energy and people loved him,”
Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri told Voice of Lebanon radio
(100.5). “His assassination was a big loss for Lebanon and all the
Lebanese.”

Hariri mourned the “loss of a brother, who was a very important person in my life.” “We will always remember you Pierre. You were an honest man with all
the Lebanese and honest in your work for Lebanon and its people,” he
said.

Gemayel was a prominent figure in the “Cedar Revolution,” which
forced the Syrian Army out of Lebanon in 2005. He then took on the
Industry Ministry portfolio under the Cabinet of former Prime Minister
Fouad Siniora. Kataeb chief MP Sami Gemayel, Pierre’s brother, said via Twitter that
“we will remain loyal to you and our cause,” using the hashtag
#steady_serving Lebanon.

“Pierre Amin Gemayel embodies the Lebanon of tomorrow and everything
we aspire to be,” MP Marwan Hamade said, adding that Kataeb leader was
continuing in his brother Pierre’s path.

The March 14 rally, dubbed the “Cedar Revolution,” was the climax of a
month-long series of rallies that followed the assassination of former
Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, in a massive truck bomb on Feb.
14, 2005.

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Lebanon’s Arab Tawhid Party unveils brigades in parade

The Arab Tawhid Party staged a parade in a Mount Lebanon village Sunday, displaying for the time its members in a military context. khazen.org rejects creation of any new “militia” or “Brigades” or so called “volunteers forces” outside of the Lebanese government, Lebanese institution control. This is very worrying and we request our Lebanese security […]

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Lebanon celebrates the flag day

Part of the article from Ya Libnan – The newly elected Lebanese President Michel Aoun held a ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Baabda on Sunday to celebrate the country’s Flag Day. An enormous flag, 15 meters in height and 10 meters in  width (nearly 50ft x 33 ft) was displayed inside the palace’s courtyard. […]

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Lebanon constructing ‘security wall’ around Palestinian refugee camp

Ein El-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp

Parts of the Articles by Middle-East Monitor

The Lebanese authorities have begun constructing an isolation wall
around one of the country’s largest Palestinian refugee camps, as they
begin a process of securitising refugees who have been living in Lebanon
since the State of Israel forced them out of their homes in 1948.

Munir al-Maqdah, the head of the Joint Palestinian Security Forces, told
Sky News Arabia that “the wall is being built outside the camp and far
away from residential areas.” The military informed Palestinian
leaders in Lebanon that “the wall and [watchtowers] are being built for
security concerns, which we accepted,” Maqdah added.

He acknowledged, however, that the wall will have a bad effect on camp
residents. “The psychological implications of a wall will be negative
and difficult [to overcome],” he said, adding that the military agreed
to a number of Palestinian proposals to amend the wall’s path and the
watchtowers’ locations. Lebanese authorities say that Ain al-Hilweh has become a refuge for
terrorists who are planning to carry out attacks on Lebanese targets.

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