BEIRUT (AP) By ZEINA KARAM and SARAH EL DEEB  — Lebanon’s information minister resigned Friday, a move many hope could open the way for easing an unprecedented diplomatic row with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab nations that has compounded the small country’s multiple crises. George Kordahi, the minister and a prominent former game show host, said he took the decision to step down ahead of French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Saudi Arabia on Saturday. The resignation, Kordahi said at a press conference in the Lebanese capital, may help Macron start a dialogue to help restore Beirut-Riyadh relations. But the crisis goes deeper than Kordahi’s comments aired in late October, in which he was critical of the Saudi-led war in Yemen. His resignation is unlikely going to be a game changer in the dynamics of the crisis. It is rooted in Saudi Arabia’s uneasiness over the rising influence of Iran in the region, including in Lebanon, once a traditional Saudi ally and recipient of financial assistance from the oil-rich kingdom. It is also unlikely to diffuse internal divisions in Lebanon and a government paralysis made worse during the diplomatic crisis.

Saudi Arabia, which has been joined by other Gulf Arab states in a boycott of Lebanon, is unhappy with the dominance of the Iran-backed militant Hezbollah group and its allies on the levers of power in Lebanon. “The Saudi view is that any initiative that does not address that core issue will not succeed nor receive its blessing,” said the risk consultancy Eurasia Group in a statement Friday. “As a result, a minister’s resignation will be viewed as somewhat constructive but largely irrelevant to the much larger issue at hand.” Prospects of significant financial assistance to Lebanon are therefore dim, the group said. That crisis has added to immense economic troubles facing Lebanon, already mired in a financial meltdown. Following Kordahi’s televised comments, the kingdom recalled its ambassador from Beirut and banned all Lebanese imports, affecting hundreds of businesses and cutting off hundreds of millions in foreign currency to Lebanon. That aggravated Lebanon’s economic crisis, the worst in its modern history, which has plunged more than three quarters of the nation’s population of 6 million, including a million Syrian refugees, into poverty.

الجمهورية: لتعزيز القدرات السيادية للجيش وحصر السلاح بيده وحده  شدد “لقاء الجمهورية”خلال اجتماعه الدوري الالكتروني على” ضرورة عودة الحكومة إلى الاجتماع بعد استقالة وزير الاعلام، لأن وجود حكومة فاعلة هو شرط أول على طريق العودة من الجحيم الاقتصادي الناجم عن سياسات جهنمية وضعت لبنان في “بوز المدفع” بدلا من تحييده عن نيران الحروب المشتعلة هنا […]

وطنية – الفاتيكان – يحتل لبنان في قلب الفاتيكان مكانة مميزة، إذ ان البابا فرنسيس يلفت دائما الى قربه من بلد الأرز. وخلال لقائه رئيس مجلس الوزراء نجيب ميقاتي قبل نحو أسبوع، قال الحبر الأعظم: “لبنان رسالة وهو أيضا وعد علينا أن نناضل من أجله”.
ماذا حملت زيارة ميقاتي الى الفاتيكان في ظل الظروف الضاغطة التي يعيشها لبنان اجتماعيا وسياسيا واقتصاديا، وهل حققت هدفها؟ مندوب “الوكالة الوطنية للاعلام” في الفاتيكان حمل هذه الأسئلة وغيرها الى سفير لبنان لدى الكرسي الرسولي فريد الياس الخازن الذي قال: “زيارة ناجحة، شكلا ومضمونا، قام بها رئيس الحكومة نجيب ميقاتي الى حاضرة الفاتيكان. رافق الرئيس ميقاتي وفد كبير ضم أفراد العائلة بالإضافة الى الوفد الرسمي. اتصالات سابقة للزيارة أجريت لتسهيل استقبال الوفد الكبير، نظرا للإجراءات الوقائية المتخذة لأسباب مرتبطة بجائحة كورونا. ولقد ترك اللقاء بين الرئيس ميقاتي وقداسة البابا أثرا إيجابيا خارج إطار الشكليات البروتوكولية على المستويين الخاص والعام.
استغرق اللقاء بين الحبر الأعظم والرئيس ميقاتي نحو 25 دقيقة، تبعه دخول البابا الى الصالة الكبرى لمباركة الحضور وأخذ الصور التذكارية. وتناول اللقاء مسائل مبدئية تخص الأوضاع المأزومة في لبنان والحاجة الماسة لمعالجتها بكل الوسائل المتاحة”.

by Reuters — CAIRO, (Reuters) – Lebanese Information Minister George Kordahi confirmed to Lebanon’s MTV on Friday that he will announce his resignation today at 1 p.m. local time (1100 GMT). He also said to the local television that his resignation may ease the crisis between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. He said “since the first […]

By SARAH EL DEEB – apnews.com — BEIRUT (AP) — A Lebanese DJ was days away from moving to Riyadh to play for a month in one of the newest entertainment centers in Saudi Arabia’s capital when a brief, polite Whatsapp message informed her that the contract won’t go through. The head of a Beirut-based communications agency had been negotiating to revive a two-year-old contract derailed by the pandemic for hundreds of thousands of dollars. After two days of silence her Saudi client, in an apologetic call, said now is not the time. A business owner who for years exported stationary to the kingdom had to return 20 containers of notebooks and paper ready for shipping to his warehouse outside of Beirut. “Please freeze everything,” Ziad Bekdache recalled the handlers telling him.

These are some of the victims of Saudi Arabia’s furious backlash against Lebanon in October after a Lebanese minister criticized its war against Iran-backed rebels in Yemen. At the root of the crisis is a years-old regional rivalry with Iran, and Saudi unease about the increasing clout of Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah group. Lebanon is caught in the middle. In response to the minister’s comments, Saudi Arabia recalled its ambassador and banned Lebanese imports ranging from chocolate to chemical products, which used to bring in about $240 million a year. The diplomatic crisis is causing anxiety among Lebanese, particularly those who work in Gulf countries, at a time when Lebanon is already enduring an unprecedented economic meltdown. “I felt bad, not just for my part, but for my country and for the expats,” said DJ Chloe. “We all have families abroad.”

Remittances from more than 350,000 Lebanese working and living in the Gulf have been essential, particularly as the meltdown drives up inflation and unemployment in the once middle-income country. The World Bank said remittances of over $6.2 billion, mostly from Gulf countries, made up 18.9% of Lebanon’s GDP in 2020, one of the highest in the world. While the dollar value of exports to Saudi Arabia has declined in past years, the kingdom had been a top importer of Lebanese products, including soap, printed books and some canned food.

سجعان قزي

@AzziSejean

في بيتِنا إيرانُ، فماذا نفعل؟ بعضُنا يعتبرُها في بيتِها. وبعضُنا يَعتبرُها احتلالًا. وهناك من وَجدَ فيها، مَهدِيًّا مُوَقّتًا إلى أن يأتيَ الـمَهْديُّ المنتظَر. حَوّلت إيرانُ لبنانَ جُزءًا من استراتيجيّتِها كونَه: 1) يمثِّلُ الدولةَ الوحيدةَ التي في الشرقِ الأوسطِ يَحكُمها مسيحيُّ. 2) يَضمُّ وجودًا شيعيًّا تاريخيًّا ذا شأنٍ. 3) تلعبُ فيه الطائفةُ السُنّيةُ دورًا مؤثّــِرًا. 4) يَقعُ على الحدودِ الشماليّةِ لدولةِ إسرائيل. 5) يُشكِّلُ المدى الجنوبيَّ ـــ الغربيَّ في مشروعِ الهلالِ الشيعيِّ. 6) يتفاعلُ إيجابًا مع دولِ الخليج العربيّةِ. 7) يتعاون برحابةِ صدرٍ مع أميركا وأوروبا. 8) يَسهُلُ التدخّلُ في شؤونِه والسيطرةُ عليه بسببِ تركيبتِه الطوائفيّةِ الهشّة وضُعفِ وِحدتِه.

إيرانُ اعتمَدت لبنانَ مَلعبًا فسيحًا تُبارزُ فيه العربَ والعالمَ في غيابِ أيِّ حَكَمٍ محليٍّ أو حُكمٍ وطنيٍّ أو رادعٍ عربيٍّ ودوليّ. في البَدء لم يَكترِث اللبنانيّون كفايةً للمخطّطِ الإيرانيِّ، الذي تَكشَّف لاحقًا تدريجًا، للأسباب التالية: 1) أنَّ القوّاتِ المتعدِّدةَ الجنسيّاتِ الموجودةَ آنذاك في بيروت ستَصُدُّ التمدّدَ الإيرانيَّ، لكنَّها جَبُنت ونَكَثَت بوعدِها وانسحبَت 2) أنَّ الشيعةَ اللبنانيّين الّذين تميّزوا عمومًا بولائِهم الوطنيِّ، لن يذهبوا بعيدًا في المشروعِ الخمينيّ. 3) أنْ تَنكَفِئَ إيران إثرَ هزيمةِ سنةَ 1988 أمامَ العراق. 4) ألّا يَسمحَ النظامُ السوريُّ، الذي كان حاكِمًا لبنان آنذاك، لإيران أن تُشاطِرَه السيطرةَ، وإذا هو توانى، تقوم إسرائيلُ بتدميرِ الآلةِ العسكريّةِ لحزبِ الله. 5) أنَّ سوريا، وحتى إيران، ستَسْتخدِمان حزبَ الله في الجنوبِ حَصريًّا بديلًا عن المنّظماتِ الفِلسطينيّةِ إلى حين توقيعِ سوريا السلامَ الذي كان على الأبوابِ في أواسطِ التسعيناتِ بعد مؤتمرِ مدريد واتفاقيّةِ أوسلو ورسائلِ اسحق رابين إلى حافظ الأسد.

by al-monitor.com – Lebanon will impose a three-week curfew for unvaccinated residents beginning Dec. 17 and mandate vaccines for certain workers in an effort to stave off the new Omicron coronavirus variant. Those without at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose or a negative PCR test in the past 48 hours will be subject to a curfew from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. Under new rules unveiled by Lebanon’s COVID-19 committee on Wednesday, public servants and workers in the security, military, health, education and tourism sectors must be fully vaccinated by Jan. 10 or pay for their own PCR test twice a week. The coronavirus committee also decided to extend by several days the winter holiday for schools and universities in order for students to have more time to get vaccinated. Bars and restaurants will be required to turn away customers who are not at least partially vaccinated or have tested negative.

The small Mediterranean country has yet to confirm any cases of the Omicron variant, but its strained health care system is still struggling to tamp down COVID-19 cases. On Wednesday, the Health Ministry announced 1,892 new infections and 10 deaths from the virus, raising the country’s total to more than 670,000 cases and over 8,700 deaths since the start of the pandemic. A number of other Middle East countries have rolled out travel restrictions and other containment measures to slow the spread of the new variant, which was discovered in South Africa and has since been identified in more than 20 countries.

By Sunniva Rose — thenationalnews.com — Lebanese officials are closing in on a $600 million World Bank loan to fund a regional power deal that would provide Lebanon with six more hours of electricity per day in the coming months, Energy Minister Walid Fayad has said. Egypt has committed to selling a minimum quantity of gas to Lebanon equivalent to 650 million cubic metres per year to provide 450 megawatts of electricity, said Mr Fayad. Jordan is expected to transfer 250MW from its power grid to Lebanon. The World Bank will fund the deal which is aimed at alleviating Lebanon’s worsening electricity shortages via a loan that will be disbursed over the next two years, Mr Fayad told The National on Tuesday.

“We are rounding the funding to make sure the full amount is available for both the Jordanian and Egyptian gas deals because they are likely to happen simultaneously rather than sequentially,” he said. “That would amount to about $300m in total for the Egyptian deal. For Jordan, my estimate is approximately about $200m. I’d say the total reaches about $600m,” he said. Following the mapping of the Arab Gas Pipeline, Egyptian gas sent to Lebanon must go through Syria.

Countries involved in the deal will be able to avoid US sanctions on Syria issued in 2019 via the Caesar Act by paying in kind instead of in cash for transit services, with Damascus keeping a small portion of the gas. “Jordan and Egypt received letters of reassurance from the US administration [regarding US sanctions] but they need to continue the due diligence process to make sure all companies are properly listed,” said Mr Fayad. Lebanon will pay Egypt between $7 and $10 per million BTU (British Thermal Unit) — a measure used for energy sources including natural gas — of which Syria would take the equivalent of $0.75 per BTU, said Mr Fayad. It remains unclear whether or not the 650 million cubic metres of gas will include the portion that goes to Syria.

By Timour Azhari and Maha El Dahan MAARAB, Lebanon (Reuters) – Lebanese Forces Political Leader Geagea accused foe Hezbollah and its allies of working to postpone a parliamentary election set for March over fears of electoral losses, warning such a move would condemn Lebanon to a “slow death”. Western donors that Lebanon is relying on to stem its financial implosion have said the vote must go ahead. Politicians from all sides, including Shi’ite Muslim Hezbollah, have repeatedly said it should happen otherwise the country’s standing would be dealt a further blow. But Samir Geagea, leader of the Lebanese Forces and an ally of Saudi Arabia, pointed the finger at Hezbollah and its ally President Michel Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement for moves to delay it “because they are near certain that they will lose their parliamentary majority”.

Aoun said this month he would not sign authorisation for the vote, approved by parliament, to be held on March 27 as the date was too early. Asked whether a postponement would lead to more fighting after clashes last month between the Lebanese Forces and Hezbollah, Geagea, said: “Not fighting, but to more slow death.” “With the current way things are going, state institutions – and so the state – is dissolving day by day,” he told Reuters at his residence in the mountains overlooking the coastal town of Jounieh. Lebanon has no reliable opinion polling but should the election take place, Geagea’s party is widely expected to make gains, with the Free Patriotic Movement expected to lose seats, potentially robbing Hezbollah of its majority. Without an election to shake up parliament “you will see more of the same”, Geagea said. The United Nations says the economic meltdown has left nearly 80% of people in poverty.

الى من يعارض الحياد لانه لا يتناسب مع الموقف الوطني من العدو الاسرائيلي، كيف يفسر الانحياز والاصطفاف في محور اقليمي ضد الدول الصديقة والشقيقة ؟