BEIRUT (AP)  BASSEM MROUE — Lebanon’s newly designated prime minister said Friday he plans to form a government of experts and independents to deal with the country’s crippling economic crisis. Hours after he spoke, riots by his opponents broke out in Beirut, leaving at least seven soldiers injured. Hassan Diab spoke to reporters following a meeting with former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, a day after he was asked by the president to form the country’s next government. Diab, who is backed by the militant Hezbollah group and its allies, begins his task with the backdrop of ongoing nationwide protests against Lebanon’s ruling elite. The country is grappling with its worst economic and financial crisis since the end of the 1975-90 civil war.

On Friday night, scuffles on a major avenue in Beirut intensified after Sunnis who apparently support Hariri closed it to protest Diab’s nomination. When the army worked on opening the road in Beirut’s western Mazraa neighborhood, the protesters hurled stones and fire crackers at troops and riot policemen, injuring at least seven soldiers, the Lebanese army said. The scuffles had begun Friday morning when protesters first closed the avenue in Mazraa where Hariri enjoys wide support. Hours after the avenue was reopened, protesters closed it again leading to the intense scuffles that lasted until shortly before midnight. Outgoing Interior Minister Raya El Hassan, a member of Hariri’s Future Movement, issued a statement urging protesters to leave the streets “to avoid dangers and strife.”

The protesters had earlier blocked the main highway linking Beirut with southern Lebanon with burning tires, causing a miles-long traffic jam. The army opened the road briefly in the town of Naameh before protesters closed it again with flaming tires. The road closures in Beirut and Naameh were carried out by protesters angered by what they said was Hezbollah and its allies deciding who takes the country’s top Sunni post. Hezbollah has backed Hariri for prime minister from the start, but they differed over the shape of the new government. “I ask (protesters) to give us a chance to form an exceptional government” that can work on resolving the country’s many problems, accumulated over the past 30 years, Diab said. It was not immediately clear if the riots that broke out in Beirut will affect Diab’s consultations with members of parliament scheduled for Saturday in preparation for the formation of the Cabinet.

by bbc.com — Lebanon’s Shia Hezbollah movement and its allies have nominated university professor and former education minister Hassan Diab to be prime minister. Mr Diab reportedly failed to secure the backing of the main Sunni-led bloc, which could make it difficult to form a new government and secure Western aid. He emerged as a candidate when outgoing PM Saad Hariri withdrew on Wednesday. Mr Hariri resigned in October following mass protests fuelled by anger over corruption and economic mismanagement. Negotiations on a replacement stalled over the make-up of the new government, with some parties backing the protesters’ demand for an independent cabinet of unaffiliated technocrats and others insisting that the cabinet includes politicians.

How was the prime minister chosen?

On Thursday, President Michel Aoun held formal consultations with members of parliament on who to name as prime minister – a post that must go to a Sunni Muslim under Lebanon’s complex confessional power-sharing system. Mr Aoun was required to designate the candidate with the most support. Mr Diab was nominated by the biggest Shia Muslim factions, Hezbollah and Amal, as well as Mr Aoun’s Maronite Christian Free Patriotic Movement (FPM). Together the groups control a majority of the seats in the 128-member parliament. The second-placed candidate was Nawwaf Salam, a former judge at the International Criminal Court at The Hague. Mr Hariri’s Sunni-led Future Movement did not nominate anyone and told the president that it would not participate in the next government, a source close to the prime minister told Reuters news agency. Mr Hariri had been expected to be nominated for a third term in office after the Sunni religious establishment threw its support behind his candidacy.

by AFP— Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri said Wednesday he would not seek to stay on as prime minister, ahead of much-delayed consultations to give the protest-wracked country a new government. The announcement came after his forced resignation following the protests erupted on October 17. The protesters have demanded a government made up solely of experts not affiliated to the country’s traditional political parties. However, religious leaders said that they did not rule out considering his candidacy. Sunni Muslim establishment has also voiced support for the country’s leading Sunni politician. Hariri said his name was drawing too much opposition for him to be a candidate when official consultations to pick a new line-up begin on Thursday. “I have strived to meet their demand for a government of experts, which I saw as the only option to address the serious social and economic crisis our country faces,” Hariri said. “I announce I will not be a candidate to form the next government,” he said in a statement. Lebanon’s economy has been sliding towards default in recent weeks, but the main political parties have so far failed to respond to calls from the street and international partners by forming a credible cabinet capable of undertaking key reforms. The consultations for a new cabinet have been postponed twice already and it remains to be seen whether they will indeed take place on Thursday and whether Hariri’s chances of a third mandate as prime minister are really over.

Lebanon’s contested PM election

By Associated Press — BEIRUT – Supporters of Lebanon’s two main Shi’ite groups Hezbollah and Amal clashed with security forces and set fires to cars in the capital early Tuesday, apparently angered by a video circulating online that showed a man insulting Shi’ite figures. Police used tear gas and water cannons trying to disperse them. It was the third consecutive night of violence, and came hours after Lebanon’s president postponed talks on naming a new prime minister, further prolonging the turmoil and unrest in the Mediterranean country. President Michel Aoun postponed the binding consultations with leaders of parliamentary blocs after the only candidate — caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri — failed to win the backing of the country’s largest Christian groups amid a worsening economic and financial crisis.

The postponement followed a violent weekend in the small nation that saw the toughest crackdown on demonstrations in two months. Lebanese security forces repeatedly fired tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons to disperse hundreds of protesters in downtown Beirut in the worst violence since demonstrations against the political elite erupted in mid-October. On Monday night, a group of young men clashed with security forces in downtown Beirut after a video began circulating online in which a man insulted Shi’ite political and religious figures, heightening sectarian tensions. The group, apparently supporters of Hezbollah and the Amal Movement led by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, set at least three cars on fire and hurled stones and firecrackers at riot police. Police responded with tear gas and water cannons.

by NAJIA HOUSSARI arabnews.com — BEIRUT: The UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jan Kubis accused Lebanese politicians of “trying to buy time” after crucial parliamentary talks to nominate a replacement prime minister faced a further delay. Discussions due to take place on Monday were postponed an hour beforehand amid a widening rift between Lebanese President Michel Aoun and the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) on one side and caretaker PM Saad Hariri on the other. It is the second time talks over the replacement leadership and composition of the new government have been delayed.

More than seven weeks after Hariri quit as prime minister, politicians are still unable to agree on a new administration despite the deepening financial crisis facing the country. Kubis warned that “with a collapsing economy, buying time to form a government is a risky hazard for politicians, but even more so for Lebanon and its people.” Plans for parliamentary talks on Monday fell into confusion following the Christian-based Lebanese Forces’ refusal to nominate a new prime minister. The party said that it will only approve “a government of independent experts trusted by the people.” Aoun postponed the discussions until Thursday after Hariri asked for “more consultation on the government’s formation.” Moustafa Allouch, a member of the Future Movement’s political bureau, told Arab News that Hariri is refusing to lead a government without the backing of the Christian vote. “Hariri doesn’t want to face accusations of lacking a national consensus,” Allouch said.

By Reuters — BEIRUT: Lebanese army troops on Tuesday (Dec 17) lobbed tear gas to disperse hundreds of supporters of the Shi’ite groups Hezbollah and Amal who tried to storm a main square in central Beirut in anger after a video that purportedly offended revered Shi’ite religious figures, witnesses and television stations said. Hundreds of […]

by AP theguardian.com — Thousands of Lebanese protesters defiantly returned on Sunday to rally outside parliament in the capital, Beirut, hours after security forces chased them out, using teargas and rubber bullets and injuring dozens. On Saturday night into Sunday there was one of the most violent crackdowns on protesters since nationwide anti-government demonstrations began two months ago, leading to the resignation of prime minister Saad Hariri on 29 October. Attackers in northern Lebanon also set fire to the offices of two major political parties, the state-run National News Agency said. The protesters who showed up in Beirut on Sunday chanted against the security crackdown and called for an independent new head of government unaffiliated with established political parties. The crowd, many raising Lebanese flags, chanted: “We won’t leave. We won’t leave. Just arrest all the protesters!”

Others raised posters saying the teargas won’t keep them away. “We are crying already,” said one, in a jab at the deep economic crisis the Lebanese people are facing. The streets leading to parliament were filled with men, women and even children. Some huddled in smaller groups while others were lifted on to people’s shoulders as they chanted into megaphones. In the town of Kharibet al-Jindi, an office of the party of the former prime minister Saad Hariri was torched and its windows were broken. In a separate attack in the town of Jedidat al-Juma, assailants stormed an office of the largest party in parliament, affiliated with President Michel Aoun and headed by the foreign minister, Gebran Bassil. The party said the contents of the office had been smashed and burned. Hours earlier in Beirut, security forces had carried out the most violent crackdown on protesters since nationwide demonstrations began two months ago. The security forces fired rubber bullets and teargas and used water cannon throughout the night to disperse protesters in the city centre and around parliament. The overnight confrontations left more than 130 people injured, according to the Red Cross and the Lebanese civil defense.

by thenational.ae — Security forces on Saturday fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters in Beirut, some of whom tried to break into a barricaded central district of Lebanon’s capital. The clashes continued into the early morning on Sunday as riot police used water cannon and more tear gas to disperse protesters who pelted them with stones. Riot police and security forces deployed en masse, chasing demonstrators in the street, beating and detaining some of them, a Reuters witness and a protester said. State news agency NNA said the tear gas had made several people faint, while the Lebanese Civil Defence said it treated 54 people who were wounded, taking more than half to hospital.

The Lebanese Red Cross told AFP people had been treated for breathing difficulties and fainting, along with injuries caused by stones, noting that both security personnel and civilians were among those treated. The Internal Security Forces said at least 20 police were wounded. Hundreds of people were gathered as part of a wave of protests that have swept Lebanon since October 17, furious at a ruling elite that steered the country towards its worst economic crisis in decades. Protesters accuse the political class of milking the state for their own benefit through networks of patronage.

Earlier on Saturday dozens of young people opposed to the anti-government protest movement clashed with riot police in the capital, throwing rocks and firecrackers against volleys of teargas. Young counter-protesters from an area of Beirut dominated by the powerful Shiite movement Hezbollah and fellow Shiite movement Amal tried to raid a key anti-government protest camp in Martyrs’ Square on Saturday afternoon. Anti-riot police intervened, firing tear gas to disperse them. The square, in central Beirut, has been at the epicentre of the protests over perceived official corruption, poor services and economic woes. These large anti-government rallies, which grew into calls for a root-and-branch overhaul of the state, have mostly passed off peacefully. However, clashes have become more frequent in recent weeks, with supporters of Hezbollah and Amal attacking protest camps in several cities amid counter-demonstrations. Both Amal and Hezbollah are partners in Lebanon’s cross-sectarian government.

by thearabweekly.com — Makram Rabah — When the French Mandate founded “Grand Liban” — the State of Greater Lebanon — almost a century ago, it was never assumed that the small merchant republic would someday reach rock bottom. Decades of unheeded political corruption, coupled with Beirut’s inability to maintain solid connections with its regional Arab allies, left Lebanon desperate for a lifeline from the international community, primarily France. The International Support Group for Lebanon (ISG), led by France and the United Nations, met December 11 in Paris to discuss options to help Lebanon in its predicament. Observers said the ISG was a first step towards Lebanon’s economic salvation because France would lead an international effort to inject much-needed funds into the Lebanese economy, which collapsing towards a total meltdown.

Time and again, French President Emmanuel Macron has shown remarkable resolve in supporting the government of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, including sponsoring the CEDRE donor conference in April 2018, which earmarked $11 billion to overhaul Lebanon’s decaying infrastructure and jump-start its ailing economy. However, the CEDRE funds were part of a wide reform package that the Lebanese state had publicly subscribed to, which included administrative, fiscal and budgetary reform, none of which were implemented by Hariri’s cabinet, leaving the $11 billion in limbo. Despite visits by French envoy Pierre Duquesne and his repeated urging to Lebanese officials of the importance of the reforms, the recommendations were ignored and the Hariri government failed to address key challenges, primarily reform of the electricity sector and the proper passing of the annual budget. Lebanon’s lack of seriousness, its irresponsible attitude and its refusal to heed the warnings of the international community were penalised in Paris when the ISG convened without any serious Lebanese presence. Beirut was represented by token senior diplomats and a few Hariri advisers.

by arabnews.com — BEIRUT: US Secretary Mike Pompeo said on Friday that the US supported the Lebanese people in their fight against government corruption and terrorist threats. Pompeo took to Twitter on Friday, where he posted: We stand with the people of #Lebanon to fight against corruption and terrorism. Today we designated two prominent Lebanese businessmen whose illicit financial activity supports Hizballah. We will continue to use all the tools at our disposal to counter the threat Hizballah poses.

On Friday, the US Treasury Department imposed new sanctions against two alleged Hezbollah money launderers and financiers, including a diamond trader who collected art. It accused Lebanon-based Nazem Said Ahmad, whose art collection includes works by Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol, and his companies of helping to launder large sums of money for the group. “Ahmad, who has a vast art collection, is one of Hezbollah’s top donors, generating funds through his longstanding ties to the ‘blood diamond’ trade,” it said. A second man based in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Saleh Assi, was sanctioned for laundering money through Ahmad’s diamond business and supporting another alleged financier already under sanctions. Pompeo’s comments came as the head of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, warned that the formation of a new cabinet desperately needed to redress a tumbling economy could take time.

Lebanon has been swept by unprecedented nationwide protests since October 17, demanding the complete overhaul of a political class deemed inept and corrupt. The government stepped down on October 29, but bitterly divided political parties have failed to agree on a new premier ever since. Hezbollah chief Nasrallah spoke ahead of parliamentary consultations to nominate a new prime minister on Monday. “The consultations are supposed to take place on Monday and we hope that whoever receives most votes will be designated to form a government,” he said in a televised address. “But the formation will be no easy feat,” he warned.