by arabnews.com — Najia Houssari — BEIRUT: France is organizing a virtual conference next Thursday “to mobilize support from the international community for the Lebanese army,” following an official visit to France from Lebanese Army Commander Gen. Joseph Aoun at the end of May. Aoun met with French President Emmanuel Macron and discussed “providing urgent food and medical aid to the security forces in the hope of maintaining law and order.” The US and Lebanon also held a conference at the end of May, with Washington renewing its commitment to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) by increasing its its military aid by $15 million, reaching a total of $120 million in the fiscal year 2021. “We have a permanent military aid program with the US, but we do not need weapons right now. We need in-kind aid for the army,” a military source stressed. These developments take place as external warnings continue about the possibility of chaos prevailing in Lebanon, as the economic and social situation hits rock bottom.

Foreign observers fear that security forces may not be able to prevent unrest that may prove more violent than the protests of 2019 and 2020. Political bickering continues, and the caretaker government has refrained from performing any role that its head, Hassan Diab, considers to be in violation of the constitution. A military source told Arab News the political conflicts “affected the morale of the army and other security forces.” However, the source stressed theys had been successful in dealing with protest movements so far. The source added: “It is true that the army is suffering and understands what the people are feeling, but its priority is to protect civil peace and stability; harming civil peace is crossing a red line. “The military institution has no new plan to prevent chaos if it occurs, so it will exercise the role assigned to it.”

By ZEINA KARAM and FADI TAWIL — BEIRUT (AP) — Hospitals in Lebanon warned Thursday they may be forced to suspend kidney dialysis next week due to severe shortages in supplies, the latest in Lebanon’s accelerating crises and collapsing health sector. Lebanon is grappling with an unprecedented economic and financial crisis that has seen the local currency collapse and banks clamp down on withdrawals and money transfers. As the Central Bank’s foreign currency reserves dry up, the country has been witnessing shortages in medicines, fuel and other basic goods, with long lines forming outside petrol stations. The once-thriving health care system has been among the hardest hit, with some hospitals halting elective surgeries, laboratories running out of test kits and doctors warning in recent days that they may even run out of anesthesia for operations. On Thursday, doctors said they may be forced to suspend kidney dialysis next, blaming shortages on a dispute between medical importers and the Central Bank over subsidies. “It is a crime against humanity,” said George Ghanem, chief medical officer at the Lebanese American University Medical Center – Rizk Hospital, reading a statement on behalf of the doctors. “The hospitals and medical sector cannot continue this way. We are approaching very difficult days where we will no longer be able to receive patients,” he added.

Ghanem appeal to the United Nations and the World Health Organization, urging them to step in by sending aid directly to hospitals or the Red Cross, bypassing the Lebanese government and Central Bank. “Otherwise there are patients tomorrow who will not have their dialysis, patients who will not be diagnosed, and patients who will not be operated on,” he said. Already, there were 350 brands of basic medications that were in short supply, he added. The crisis in Lebanon, which is rooted in decades of corruption and mismanagement by an entrenched political class, has driven more than half of the population into poverty, caused the local currency to lose more than 85% of its value. The World Bank on Tuesday said Lebanon’s crisis is one of the worst the world has seen in the past 150 years. The crisis has worsened considerably because of politicians’ inability to agree on a new government amid colossal challenges the country faces. The Cabinet of outgoing Prime Minister Hassan Diab resigned days after a massive explosion at Beirut’s port last August, and the country has been without a fully functioning government since. Locked in a power struggle, Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun and prime minister-designate Saad Hariri continue to trade blame as the country sinks deeper into crises that every day become more intractable.

لقاء الجمهورية:
نبه “لقاء الجمهورية” في بيان بعد اجتماعه الدوري عبر تطبيق “زوم” من الافراط في الشعبوية على حساب المنطق، ما يضاعف الضرر وخيبات الأمل، مؤكداً ان الحلول موجودة دائماً لكن الارادة غير حاضرة، تنتظر مصلحة من هنا وحصة من هناك.
وسأل: ماذا يُمكن ان يفعل الوزير المسيحي الاضافي لانقاذ لبنان حتى يستفحل الخلاف على مرجعية تسميته، ويؤخر تشكيل الحكومة، على الرغم بتسليم الغالبية ان الحكومة بأكملها غير قادرة على تقديم الاصلاح المطلوب في غياب السيادة الناجزة وفي عدم اعتماد سياسة خارجية محايدة تسهر على ترميم علاقات لبنان بالمجتمعين العربي والدولي.
وتوجه “اللقاء” بالشكر للدول الداعمة للجيش وفي طليعتها الولايات المتحدة الأميركية وفرنسا، مؤكداً ان الدعم الأكبر للمؤسسة العسكرية التي تشكل العمود الفقري للدولة، يأتي من خلال العمل على حصر السلاح بيد الجيش.

by thenationalnews.com — French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday he was working with international partners to create a financial path to ensure important public services can continue to operate in Lebanon, despite its deep political and economic crisis. Lebanon is struggling to find enough foreign currency to pay for fuel and other basic imports, […]

سجعان قزي
وزير سابق
@AzziSejean

مع تشريعِ قانونِ “الكابيتال كونترول”، يولدُ في لبنان أوّلُ حالةٍ شيوعيّةٍ جديدةٍ بعد سقوطِ الشيوعيّةِ العالميّةِ سنةَ 1991. مَذمَّةٌ أن يُصبحَ لبنان أوّلَ نظامٍ شيوعيٍّ في القرنِ الحادي والعشرين، وقد كان لبنانُ أوّلَ نظامٍ ليبراليٍّ في العالمِ العربيِّ في بدايةِ القرنِ العشرين. سَمِعوا الكلمةَ واتَّجَهوا بنا شرقًا شرقًا أكثرَ مِـمّا أرْشَدَ إليه أمينُ عامّ حزبِ الله. نعيش على الأيّامِ والمآسي. نُختارُ ولا نَختار. تَدَجَّنَّا على السَجِيّة. البعضُ أصبح لبنانيًّا من دون أن يريد. والبعضُ بات عروبيًّا من دون أن يؤمن. والبعضُ أمسى فارسيًّا من دون أن يدري. وجميعُنا صِرنا شيوعيّين ولم نُرِدْ، ولم ننَتفِضْ. يا عارَ الأجيال.
وأيُّ شيوعيّة؟! غايةُ الشيوعيّةِ في مفهوم كارك ماركس هي سعادةُ الإنسان. أما في “الواقعِ الشيوعيِّ” اللبنانيِّ فهي شقاوةُ الإنسان. قد لا تكونُ هيكليّةُ النظامِ اللبنانيِّ شيوعيّةً، لكنَّ نظامَ عَيشِ اللبنانيّين هو نظامُ الشعوبِ في الدولِ الشيوعيّة السابقة. تقنينُ الماءِ والكهرباء، حِصَصٌ غذائيّةٌ، اختفاءُ الأدويةِ، نَزْرٌ في المحروقات، نقضٌ في الموادِّ الحياتيّةِ، اختلالُ نظامِ العرضِ والطلب، انتعاشُ السوقِ السوداءِ والتهريب، فِقدانُ العُملاتِ الأجنبيّة، غيابُ الرقابةِ باستثناء الرقابةِ البوليسيّة. كسادٌ وفسادٌ واستبداد، إلخ…

by foreignpolicy.com — David Enders — BEIRUT—The 12-year-old United Nations-backed international tribunal prosecuting the assassinations of Lebanese political figures will cease operations this month unless funds are secured, as Lebanon’s currency crisis continues to worsen. The Special Tribunal for Lebanon, based near The Hague, was set to begin appellate hearings in July in the case […]

By Najia Houssari – arabnews.com — BEIRUT: In a speech seen as an act of defiance against the Lebanese state and the US, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Wednesday insisted that Lebanon should be “negotiating with Iran to buy gasoline and diesel with the Lebanese currency if Lebanon’s shortages persist.” Seemingly unconcerned about the possibility that this might result in international sanctions being imposed on Lebanon, he said, during a televised speech: “Shipments of fuel will arrive at Beirut’s port, and let the state prevent their access to Lebanon.” Nasrallah’s speech came hours after reports that the Iraqi government has agreed to double a previous promise to supply Lebanon with oil, from 500,000 to 1 million tons. His comments provoked varying reactions among the Lebanese public.

Some were surprised and some rejected the idea of buying oil from Iran, given the risk of sanctions. Washington still has sanctions in place on Iran and has designated the military and political wings of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. “Nasrallah used a high tone when he talked about bringing fuel from Iran,” MP Bilal Abdallah told Arab News. “The Lebanese are suffering from shortages in drugs, food and fuel. Their suffering should not be used to establish stronger bridges with Iran.” He said such matters “should be discussed within the state, as the Iraqis did. When things happen outside the framework of the state and parliament, I am not sure they can be beneficial for the country.” Abdallah added: “People’s suffering cannot be used for political purposes that affect Lebanon’s relations with its neighbors and the international community.”

Elias Hankhash, a politician who along with his Kataeb Party colleagues resigned from the parliament after the Beirut explosion last year in protest against government negligence, said that “Hezbollah controls all the state’s assets, including the illegal border crossings and the legal facilities and is a cover for the corrupt mafia.” He blamed Hezbollah “for the bankruptcy, hunger and the international isolation the Lebanese are facing” and said that “buying fuel from Iran exposes Lebanon to sanctions and more isolation.” He added: “It would be better for them to bring the fuel directly to Syria and stop the smuggling from Lebanon into Syria. We know exactly who is behind the smuggling of subsidized goods from Lebanon, which has humiliated the Lebanese waiting in never-ending queues at gas stations to fill their cars.” During his speech, Nasrallah had attempted to show sympathy for the Lebanese public by saying that “humiliating the people is unacceptable.”

By Najia Houssari — arabnews.com —BEIRUT: The Lebanese pound hit a new low on the black market, reaching 14,000 for $1 after it had been somewhat stable in recent weeks at 12,000. This coincided with a new circular from the Banque du Liban (BDL) instructing commercial banks to gradually repay foreign currency deposits from July. The circular comes into effect as of June 30 for one year, subject to change or renewal. Under the circular, a depositor can withdraw $400 per month either in banknotes, by transferring it abroad or via bank card transactions that can be used in Lebanon and abroad. The circular also stipulates that a depositor can withdraw in parallel the equivalent of $400 in Lebanese pounds per month at the prevailing exchange rate on Sayrafa, BDL’s official platform. Commercial banks have yet to reveal whether their financial capabilities will allow them to implement the circular.

Meanwhile, the Capital Control bill to control the movement of dollars and prevent their transfer outside Lebanon, except in exceptional cases that do not harm the public interest, was approved by Parliament’s budget and finance committee. “The BDL circular and the approval of the Capital Control draft bill are long overdue,” Dr. Ahmed Al-Lakkis, director general of the Administrative and Financial Affairs Department in Parliament, told Arab News. “Lebanon may experience the same scenario as Greece, which had around 400 banks before the (financial) crisis but ended up with six afterward. Some banks in Lebanon can handle the new situation, but some may not be able to do so,” he added. “The fact that the exchange rate has risen by 1,000 Lebanese pounds against the dollar within two days may be caused by the anticipation of the money that will enter the market in light of BDL’s circular. However, I believe that those who’ll be able to withdraw dollars won’t spend them … but rather hide them at home because they trust neither the state nor the banks.”

By NAJIA HOUSSARI — arabnews.com — BEIRUT: Lebanese President Michel Aoun has approved an exceptional loan of up to LBP300 billion ($197 million) for the state electricity company to import fuel before supplies run out, according to an official statement. His approval came days before the country was due to experience a total power blackout. The hours for electricity rationing in various regions reached minimum levels on Monday morning, with supply to some areas no longer exceeding half an hour a day, and there were increased protests from people after generator owners hiked their service tariffs so that bills became more than LBP700,000 a month, whereas the minimum wage is LBP675,000 a month. The head of the General Confederation of Lebanese Workers in Lebanon, Bechara Al-Asmar, said that less than 5.51 percent of the population enjoyed the “blessing of electricity, fuel, communications and food in their palaces, not concerned with the daily deaths at the doors of hospitals, the oppression and the anger in people’s hearts every moment.” He warned of a “great explosion” that would spare nobody, no matter how high up they were or what position they occupied.

On May 28, the finance minister in the caretaker government, Ghazi Wazni, sent a request to the Banque du Liban (BDL) to open four credits worth $62 million to supply electricity production plants with fuel, but the BDL requested government approval. On Monday afternoon, Aoun agreed to issue the “exceptional approval” for the credits so that Electricite du Liban (EDL) could purchase fuel through the treasury advance. “The rationalization of subsidies will not currently include fuel or diesel used by generators,” a Finance Ministry source told Arab News. “It is currently limited to gasoline, along with medicines for incurable diseases and wheat, in order to ensure the continuation of pumping life into the arteries of the state.” The source also said that the BDL governor, Riad Salameh, had “reduced the reserves from $15 billion to $14 billion in order to be able to spend.”

By Agnes Helou — defensenews.com — BEIRUT — The Lebanese Navy expects to receive seven offshore patrol vessels, including four with help from France and three Protector-class OPVs that are part of U.S. military aid. “Currently, there is coordination with French shipbuilders to supply Lebanon with four OPV frigates, of 65- and 75-[meters] length each,” Navy Commander Senior Capt. Haissam Dannaoui, told Defense News recently. The French ships are not part of that country’s military assistance to Lebanon, he added, but they will be financed through a loan from France in accordance with the Rome 2 Conference, a 2018 ministerial meeting in Italy in support of Lebanon’s armed forces. France is expected to open a credit line of 400 million euros (about $488 million) to allow the Lebanese government to purchase French military equipment. “In regard to the specifications and cost of these vessels, we are still negotiating them, and we hope to reach an agreement soon,” Dannaoui responded June 3 to Defense News questions. In early May, the U.S. Defense Department notified Lebanon of planned delivery in 2022 of the three Protector-class patrol boats. The ships will help counter regional threats and keep maritime passages open, the U.S. State Department said May 21 in a statement after the first Defense Resourcing Conference to discusses deepening the two countries’ security collaboration.

Overall, the State Department announced $120 million in fiscal 2021 for Lebanon from the foreign military financing program, administered by the Defense Department. The amount increased $15 million from the year before. “These vessels will help protect the Lebanese coast and territorial waters. The Lebanese coast length is about 150 km, and patrol vessels will secure customs protection, prevent smuggling and illegal immigration, and the territorial waters against terrorist attacks,” said Lebanon Parliament member Wehbe Katicha, a retired Army general. He pointed out that the timing of receiving the vessels will facilitate securing the Lebanese oil exploration in the Mediterranean.