Beirut (AsiaNews) Fadi Noun – The Maronite patriarch, Card. Beshara Raï yesterday held a Zoom press conference with a dozen transalpine journalists belonging to the French Diplomatic Press Association (APDF). In the course of the conference he returned to his request for a statute of neutrality for Lebanon and an international conference under the aegis of the UN, focused on the Lebanese problem. Although added nothing new to the issues under discussion, the patriarch provided some clarifications in the answers to the questions posed that allowed for a better understanding of the scope of his campaign. In particular, he said he wanted the United States to align their positions with those of France on a possible solution to the Lebanon question.

On the domestic front, questioned about the responsibility that rests with the head of state in blocking the process for the formation of the government, the patriarch said that it is exclusively attributable to the president but the latter, due to his responsibilities, must “take charge of all the power afforded him by his office”. On the external level he said an international conference is desirable to the extent that a concertation between regional and international sponsors of local political forces can be imposed. Some of these want a settling of scores, while others, like Iran, want to maintain a status quo. However, the head of the Maronite Church spoke out for the request to “internationalize” the crisis. “We never spoke about internationalization – he specified – but about an international conference”.

BEIRUT (AP) — A senior U.S. official warned Thursday that Lebanese politicians who continue to block reforms in the crisis-hit country could face punitive actions by Washington and its allies. U.S. undersecretary of state for political affairs David Hale did not provide details on the nature of the potential actions. But appeared to refer to reports that the United States and its allies may impose sanctions on Lebanese politicians in order to force them to end a monthslong political deadlock and start badly needed reforms to fight corruption.

by NAJIA HOUSSARI — arabnews.com — BEIRUT: A leading US diplomat has urged Lebanese officials to “show sufficient flexibility to form a new government capable of true and fundamental reform.” Visiting US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale on Wednesday said that the urgently needed step offers “the only path out of this crisis.” But he added: “It is also only a first step. Sustained cooperation will be needed if we are going to see transparent reforms implemented.” Hale is on a two-day visit to Beirut at the request of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss Lebanon’s economic and political crisis. On the first day of his visit, Hale said: “The US and its international partners are greatly concerned with the failure here to advance the critical reform agenda long demanded by the Lebanese people.”

The diplomat and foreign specialist had previously visited Lebanon in December 2019 and August 2020. He said that “only little progress has been made regarding the long-overdue financial, economic and governance reforms, while millions of Lebanese endure mounting economic and social hardships on top of the pandemic. “This is the culmination of decades of mismanagement, corruption and failure of the Lebanese leaders to put the national interests as a priority.” Hale said: “The US and the international community are ready to help, but nothing meaningful can be done without a Lebanese partner.” Hale met Parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri, Progressive Socialist Party head Walid Jumblat and caretaker Foreign Minister Charbel Wehbe. He has also scheduled meetings with Lebanese opposition leaders. In a statement issued by the US Department of State, Hale expressed US concerns over the “deteriorating social and economic situation, and the political impasse that has contributed to this deterioration.” After the meeting, Wehbe said that Hale had outlined the new US administration’s approach to Middle East and Lebanese issues that “is closer to our vision.”

خلاء سبيل الرائد نداف ورفاقة خطوة جيدة باتجاه العدالة على امل ان يتم توقيف المسؤولين الفعليين تحية الى روح الشهيد ميلاد النداف الذي تميز بشجاعته واقدامه وحرصه على الانتظام والامن وسيادة الدولة ودفع حياته ثمناً لذلك واورث ابنه جوزف هذه الخصال الوطنية الحميدة

by maritime-executive.com — ANKUR KUNDU —After a huge chemical explosion left Beirut’s waterfront in tatters last year, France’s CMA CGM has put forth a plan for restoring the port to its former glory. Controlled by the French Saade family, which traces its roots to Lebanon, CMA CGM has been actively involved in the port rejuvenation […]

BEIRUT (AP) — A senior U.S. official on Wednesday berated Lebanese politicians for fighting over the formation of a new government for months while millions endure mounting economic hardship. David Hale, U.S. undersecretary of state for political affairs, said America and the international community are ready to help, “but we can do nothing meaningful without […]

صباح الخير من مقال سمير عطالله اليوم هل كانت اللحية علامة من علامات الفخامة؟ لقد فرض بطرس الاكبر الضريبة على صاحبها، ما لم يكن تابعاً لكنيسة الامبراطورية الارثوذكسية. وكان مستشاروه القادمون من الغرب، قد نصحوه بأن يقلّد بريطانيا. إذا شئتَ حقاً ان تكون لك امبراطورية، فعليك بأمرين: الاقتصاد وسلاح البحرية. ونحن جاءنا من سلاح البحرية […]

Beirut (AFP) A coalition of Lebanese civil society groups and parties called Tuesday for a unified electoral bloc to try to defeat traditional leaders in 2022 polls. The joint appeal by 16 groups, including the National Bloc, Beirut Madinati and Mintishreen, marks the most concerted effort yet towards forming an opposition umbrella to take on […]

This is an opinion article may not necessarily represent khazen.org views 

by nationalinterest.org — Maya Carlin — The bloody civil conflict that swept Lebanon on this day in 1975 resulted in more than 150,000 fatalities and 300,000 injuries. Tens of thousands of people currently remain displaced within Lebanon. Although the regional and international context that contributed to the civil conflict is different today, Lebanon again is in crisis. The power vacuum that allowed Hezbollah to seize control in Lebanon is starting to reappear. As economic devastation, corruption, political turmoil, and civil unrest continue to keep Beirut on the brink of collapse, the country is at risk of Tehran’s expanding footprint. Prior to the civil war, Lebanon was a functioning multi-sectarian country, with Maronite Christians and Sunni Muslims making up the majority of the population. The mid-twentieth century brought regional shifts which altered the fabric of Beirut. The establishment of Israel, the surge of Pan-Arabism, and the arrival of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) were crucial factors that helped catalyze the conflict that would consume Beirut for fifteen years.

The PLO-supported Lebanese National Movement (LNM) arose during the early years of the war. This pan-Arabist front was comprised of Sunni Muslims and Arab nationalists. In opposition, the Phalanges Christian democratic political party contained the Maronite population. Although tensions between the two groups escalated in the mid to late twentieth century, two key events directly triggered the onset of the war. On April 13, 1975, a gunman opened fire on a church in a Christian suburb in Eastern Lebanon, killing four people. The Phalangists claimed the perpetrator was an LNM guerilla. Hours later, a Phalangist gunman ambushed a bus carrying mostly Palestinian passengers, killing twenty-seven on board. As retaliations continued to unfold, PLO guerilla fighters were able to expand their armed struggle against Israel. The group’s expulsion from the Hashemite Kingdom in 1970 and arrival in Lebanon gave them a tactical advantage to attack the Jewish State from the border. Israel responded to their assaults from the border by invading southern Lebanon twice, in 1978 and 1982.

  نَلِجُ عَتَبَةَ شهر النور والعبادة الصادقة، هذا العام، بالتزامن مع “١٣ نيسان”، علّ ألم  هذه الذكرى وشؤمها يتبدّد ببركة رمضان وصيام الصائمين ودعاءاتهم، فنَعْتبِرُ منها ولا تُعاد، فنسير بهدى هذا الشهر الفضيل إلى فطرٍ سعيدٍ وإلى فرجٍ من ضيق ووباء، وإلى الخير للبناننا والعَزاء للمفجوعين والشفاء والصحّة للبشر أجمعين. أقرَن ربّ العالمين، حلول رمَضان […]

  By Dale Gavlak – voanews.com — – The International Monetary Fund says Lebanon won’t pull itself out of its economic crisis until a new government is formed to start long-stalled reforms. But Lebanese analysts say they are being held hostage by a corrupt political class and need outside help to break the logjam to create conditions that bring the country back from the brink. One suggestion is to set up a temporary United Nations trusteeship council for Lebanon to get the country back on its feet. By defaulting on its $1.2 billion Eurobond debt last year, Lebanon’s currency crashed and its economy shrank by 25 percent. Jihad Azour, head of the International Monetary Fund’s Middle East department told Reuters that addressing Lebanon’s dire economic crisis now “requires a comprehensive approach” with multiple financial and governance reforms. He warned that “in (the) absence of a new government that can lead this transformation, it’s very difficult to expect that the situation will in itself improve.”

But Professor Habib Malik of the Lebanese American University told VOA that the Lebanese people are caught in a vice between the political warlords and the de-facto power, the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia. “The rest of the world has pretty much taken the position: Form a government, start implementing reforms and then we’re going to help,” Malik said. “That’s like telling the fox, ‘We’re going to put you in charge of the chicken coop and once you take care of the chickens, we’ll come and help.’ These people will not implement any reforms that will in any way diminish their theft, power and control. Second is, ‘You, Lebanese have to deal with Hezbollah on your own.’ That’s like telling the hostage with a gun to his head: ‘You have to free yourself from your captor and then we’ll come and help you.’ That never happens in a hostage situation either.” Economist Toufic Gaspard, a former senior advisor to the Lebanese finance minister and to the IMF said he doesn’t see the resumption of economic growth for Lebanon without financial and fiscal cleanup. “Therein lies the problem because the political system is one of sharing of spoils, not increasing the spoils. So, when there would be fiscal or financial reform, whatever it is, they are going to come up against the problem of this political system that the authorities are more interested in sharing the spoils than anything else,” Gaspard said.