Khazen

Menu
Hariri’s Cabinet Line-up – SUMMARY OF NEWS from Different Media
adminUncategorisedComments are off for this post

Move could prompt Hariri to step down as PM-designate
By Elias Sakr
Daily Star staff
Wednesday, September 09, 2009

 

BEIRUT: Opposition groups informed President Michel Sleiman Tuesday of their rejection of the cabinet line-up proposal submitted Monday by Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri, raising the possibility that the latter would step aside. “We do not consider what happened to be appropriate, either with our democratic values or in how to deal with us. We were demanding from [Hariri] to present a draft that is acceptable to our demands in order to negotiate over it,” said caretaker Telecommunications Minister Jebran Bassil, a Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) official, after meeting Sleiman at his summer residence in Beiteddine. 

 

“We have informed [the president] of our rejection but at the same time, we have illustrated all the readiness to continue dialogue and negotiation.” 

 

The opposition delegation comprised, in addition to Bassil, the political aide of Hizbullah’s secretary general Hussein Khalil and Amal Movement MP Ali Hassan Khalil. 

 

Hariri handed Sleiman his proposal on Monday, a move quickly rejected by the opposition alliance because they had not agreed to the draft. 

 

Political sources said Hariri might react to the opposition’s categoric refusal by stepping down. Should he do so, Sleiman is expected to hold consultations with parliamentarians this week to designate a new premier. 
Read more
Sejann Azzi Article
adminUncategorisedComments are off for this post

 

 

 

مخاطر تتخطى اصطفافَي 8 و 14 آذار

نشر هذا المقال في جريدة النهار في أول آب 2009

سجعان قزي

 

تجمُّع 14 آذار لم ينطلق للمطالبة بالانسحاب السوري والمحكمة الدولية وحسب، بل هو حركة وطنية واستقلالية تستكمل مشروع إعلان دولة لبنان الكبير وتنعش الميثاق الوطني. فالكيان اللبناني الذي تَمَّ الاعتراف دستورياً بنهائيته في اتفاق الطائف، ظل ينقصه اعتراف وجداني، فكانت ثورة الأرز تناضل لبناء دولة ديمقراطية مدنية حيادية لامركزية (وتبين لاحقاً وجود تباين بين أطراف 14 آذار حول مفهوم هذه الكلمات).

وتجمُّع 8 آذار لم يجتمع لرفض الانسحاب السوري والمحكمة الدولية وحسب، بل هو حركة سياسية وعسكرية تؤمن بوحدة لبنان واستقلاله، قاوم مكَـوّنها الأساسي (حزب الله) الاحتلالَ الإسرائيلي، لكنه يقوم اليوم مقامَ الدور السوري ويجسِّد امتداد الثورة الإيرانية شرقي المتوسط (وتبين أيضاً وجود تباين بين أطراف 8 آذار حول حدود هذا الدور).

لذلك إن الصراع بين التجمعين اللذين يحملان مشروعين متناقضين للبنان الوطن والهوية والنظام والمجتمع والإنسان، لن ينتهي إلا بغالب ومغلوب. لا أعني هنا أن فريقاً لبنانياً سيغلب فريقاً لبنانياً آخر، بل أقصد أن أحد هذين المشروعين سيغلب الآخر، إذ لا يمكن التسوية بين الاستقلالية والتبعية، بين الدولة والدويلة، بين الأمن والمربعات الأمنية، بين الحرب والسلام، بين الحداثة والجمود، بين الحياد والانحياز، بين السلاح الشرعي والسلاح غير الشرعي، وبين ولاية الفقيه والدولة المدنية.

إذا كان مشروع 14 آذار المعلن هو الحقيقي والنهائي، فمشروع 8 آذار المعلن هو مرحلي وتمويهي يُخفي مشروع حزب الله الأساسي بإقامة جمهورية إسلامية "تحترم" الخصوصية اللبنانية. وهذا لا ينفي وجود مشروع سُـنّي سلَفي ـ يرفضه تيار المستقبل ويكبحه ـ يحلم بإقامة خلافة إسلامية لا تحترم الخصوصية اللبنانية، لأنه فكر تكفيري خلافاً لفكر حزب الله.

Read more
A Legislator
adminKhazen BlogComments are off for this post

Written By Malek El Khazen – Currently, while writing this article, I am watching the funeral of Senator Ted Kennedy. An amazing, fascinating Leader and above all being a leader is really secondary to what he was a true and one of the most powerful Legislators worldwide. In his last 3 decades after his fail […]

Read more
The Week in an Article- Paul Kerbage
adminaxiramComments are off for this post

الأسبوع في مقال

 

شهد الأسبوع الفائت تطورات سياسية محلية هامة دفعت بالواقع اللبناني من جديد إلى حضن الواقع الدولي الراهن الذي لا يزال عالقاً بين الخلافات والتحالفات العربية الطارئة بين كل من مصر، السعودية وسوريا لا سيما حول تأليف الحكومة اللبنانية التي وبعد انقضاء أكثر من شهرين على عملية الإنتخاب ، لم يفلح الرئيس المكلف سعد الحريري بتأليفها أو حتى إتمام المشاورات اللازمة عرفياً.
فالرئيس بري صائم عن الكلام، الحريري معتكف حتى إشعار آخر.. والبلد لا يزال معطلاً تحركه وتسيره حكومة تصريف أعمال.
قطع المؤتمر الصحفي الذي عقده العماد عون بداية الأسبوع الصمت الإعلامي ليعلن أنه ومن جديد سيحارب المافيا حيثما يكون وأكد إعادة تمسكه بتوزير جبران باسيل بعد أن اتهمته الموالاة بتعطيل تشكيل الحكومة. واعتبر أنه معني بالوحدة الوطنية اكثر من موضوع التشكيلة الوزارية بعد تصاعد اللهجة التصعيدية الإسرائيلية ضد لبنان.
في مقلب آخر، برزت قضية محطة الإنترنت الإسرائيلية في الباروك التي استطاعت إسرائيل زمن خلالها التنصت غلى رئاسة الجمهورية ووزارة الدفاع لمدة تجاوزت السنتين مما يشكل خرقاً خطيراً للسيادة اللبنانية. أعلن جمبع الأطراف تنصلهم من هذه القضية غير أن المعلومات تحدثت عن  تركيبها على عهد الوزير السابق مروان حمادة الذي بدوره أنكر وأدان حملات التحريض ضده.
أياً كان المسؤؤل، تبقى القضية في عهدة السلطات القضائية بشقيها الأمني والمالي والتي لابد من أن تحاسب المسؤولين عن هذا الخرق الأمني الفاضح والذين سهلوا عملية التجسس، وذكرت معلومات عن تورط وامتلاك المحطة من قبل اشخاص معروفون في الوسط السياسي الأمر الذي يطرح علامة استفهام عديدة.

Read more
US Health Care Concerns
adminKhazen BlogComments are off for this post

Creating an improved health care system is everyone’s objective who does not seek improvement? Or cut cost? Or covering all of the uninsured? But the big question is do we need universal healthcare? Do we really need it? Or do we need improvement of our current health care system and identifying clearly the problems by tackling them one by one.

 
Major concerns about a universal healthcare still unclear:
 
1- Cost:
 
President Obama in one of his town hall meeting has responded by outlining how he planned to fund the program, by eliminating medical-practice waste and insurance expenses, to cover two-thirds, and one-third by taxing those who make over $250,000 a year. Noting that he is in the higher-income bracket, Obama said, "There’s nothing wrong with me paying a little more to help people with less."
 
But it is important to note that “Massachusetts’s universal health plan, long discussed as a possible model for the nation, is getting a $115 million haircut. Faced with lower revenues and a growing number of citizens who lost their jobs and their health insurance… Because of all of these new unexpected variables added the state didn’t have enough money to pay for insurance subsidies for needy residents under the current plan. Higher health care costs fueled a combined $9 billion gap in the state’s 2009 and 2010 budgets that had to be closed last month, leaving less for education, public safety, the environment and other services.” (USA-Today, Richard Wolf)
 
Having clarified this if Massachusetts a state of 6.5 millions residents needed to cover a total of 680 000 uninsured were able to offer health insurance to 439,000 leaving 2.6% of the total population of the state or 115K without insurance. “As of June 30, 2008, the estimated number of uninsured had dropped to 2.6%. 115000 still uninsured” (Boston.com). In reality, Massachusetts needed to cover 680K and they were able to cover 439K which is only 65%of the uninsured. Additionally this has led a deficit in the budget by billions.  My next question would be how would the government be able to cover currently 46 millions uninsured? Let us imagine they match Massachusetts performance because as we are all aware it is simply unlikely especially during the first years to cover all uninsured. It is fair to state by implementing the new universal system they will be leaving out of the 46 millions still 16 millions uninsured. Then will this be a failure or success? My biggest concern will still be the deficit that we are already facing which on top of this adding more deficit because of high unemployment, foreclosure rates, house values decreasing, the easy answer seems to be taxing citizens with a salary more than 250K but the money seems simply not to be there or not enough, to cover all of these new costs where you really will NOT be able to cover all of the uninsured especially in the first decade.
 
We also fail to notice that the cost of Insurance will increase with time, a fast growing population, unemployment rising, what is decreasing is the number of jobs, Revenue of companies decreasing, more debts, government bailing out large companies, stimulus packages, fighting 2 wars, global warning. We cannot simply continue printing money or we will be hit by inflation. These are the expected variables, usually you still have unexpected variables after taking into account all of these variables.
 
Read more
Nayla, Fares, Boutros, Dori, Samir…Lost to dust- Paul Kerbage
adminaxiramComments are off for this post

            It was quite a surprise for some and normal for others witnessing Jumblat’s deviation via its recent statements and critics towards his unnatural allies in the 14th of March camp. There is no doubt that these changes were stronger than the atomic bomb as described by some Lebanese media. […]

Read more
Diaries… by Soha Kerbage
adminaxiramComments are off for this post

  يوميات…….     يوميات….ساعات….دقائق….ثوان……وأنا أفكر….وأخطط  لاكتب ما سأكتب .ما هو موضوع اليوم؟أهو موضوع الامس؟لا بل موضوع الحاضر الذي هو خبر المستقبل……ما ان أكتب حتى أجد نفسي في عالم اخر الا وهو عالم الحروف والكلام,عالم الورقة والقلم,عالم الفكر,عالم" الاعالم"عالم الموجود وعالم الغائب,عالم الواقع وعالم الخيال ……نعم انها حياة" التضاد":القوي مقابل الضعيف,الغني مقابل الفقير,الذكي مقابل البسيط….. […]

Read more
LEBANON: Quietly, Jewish community begins synagogue renovation
adminUncategorisedComments are off for this post

Since Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war, Beirut’s Maghen-Abraham synagogue sat empty as other buildings in the Wadi Abou-Jamil neighborhood were renovated into multimillion-dollar condos, offices or hotels.  Last week, restoration began on the 84-year-old synagogue, Beirut’s oldest remaining Jewish house of worship, launching what will be a yearlong, million-dollar undertaking.  Private Jewish donors abroad, many of […]

Read more
Jumblatt reacting to regional trends
adminUncategorisedComments are off for this post

By Tom Perry

 

BEIRUT (Reuters) – Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Saad al-Hariri has taken a holiday to "think and reflect" after a once close ally quit his anti-Syria coalition in a move expected to delay the formation of a new government.

 

Druze leader Walid Jumblatt’s departure from Hariri’s "March 14" alliance this week has redrawn Lebanon’s political map and undermined the coalition’s June parliamentary election victory over rivals including the powerful Iran-backed Hezbollah group.

 

Hariri, a Saudi- and U.S.-backed billionaire businessman, had been expected to conclude talks this week on the formation of a coalition government grouping his alliance with parties allied to Syria, including Hezbollah and the Amal movement.

 

But he left the country Monday night for a holiday, his media office said. The trip aimed to give Hariri a chance to "think and reflect calmly," according to a statement released after a meeting of MPs from his Future Movement.

Read more
Glamour drives fashion in sophisticated Lebanon
adminUncategorisedComments are off for this post

BY ZEINA KARAM, The gowns are cut low in the front, slashing down to the navel, or low in the back, swooping below the waist, inset with delicate see-through fabric. They couldn’t be further from the modest dress generally worn by women in the Muslim Arab world.

Yet these fashions come from Lebanon, a tiny Arab country of 4 million on the Mediterranean. This nation better known for military conflicts than the arts has produced an impressive crop of designers, including Reem Acra and Elie Saab, whose work is showcased at celebrity events such as the Oscars and the Golden Globes.

"Lebanon’s name has always been synonymous with war, but when it comes to fashion … these designers really make us proud," said Laura Seikaly, 39, who was among a recent crowd of bikini-clad sunbathers on a beach north of Beirut. "I guess it comes from the society itself, the way Lebanese women dress. They’re very courageous, even more than Europeans."

Read more

Theme: Illdy.