Lebanon: US calls Hariri resignation 'disappointing'

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by naharnet -- Resigned Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri on Thursday blamed President Michel Aoun for the failure to form a new government, as he announced that he would not nominate a successor for the PM post. “I nominated myself to form a government according to the French initiative, which means a government of specialists, and today I apologized for not being able to form ‘Michel Aoun’s government,’” Hariri said in a live interview on al-Jadeed TV, only a few hours after he announced his resignation as PM-designate. “I resigned in 2019 because I wanted a government of specialists and had I formed ‘Michel Aoun's government’ I would not have been able to rescue the country,” Hariri added. “There is camp that has decided to torture the country and take us to hell and all the obstacles that I faced were created by this camp,” the ex-PM went on to say, referring to Aoun and his party.

Noting that he quit the formation mission because Aoun “did not want to form a government,” Hariri added that “when the President decides the date of the consultations,” he would talk to his allies and “decide what to do.” Hitting out at Aoun, the ex-PM said: “Because Saad Hariri is Sunni and patriotic, he is prohibited from naming ministers and only President Aoun has the right to nominate!”

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Lebanon’s army needs $100 million immediately for soldiers’ basic needs, general says

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By Emma Graham & Hadley Gamble -- cnbc.com -- Lebanon’s armed forces need an immediate $100 million to cover its soldiers’ basic needs, a general told CNBC, as a currency crisis pushes their salaries below the poverty line. His comments come as the country’s military tries to avoid collapse. “Without the morale and the motivation of our soldiers, it’s going to impact negatively the mission,” Brig. Gen. Youssef Haddad told CNBC. “If the army collapses, Lebanon will be lost.” He said that by September, the army will be in a “critical condition.” The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) pay the equivalent of $84 dollars per month to enlisted soldiers based on the exchange rate of 15,500 Lebanese pounds per U.S. dollar. With the currency now approaching 20,000 LBP to the dollar on the black market, that salary now places the average soldier below the poverty line. Haddad said each soldier needs “an additional bonus to help him cover his basic needs on a monthly basis for 12 months” — which should total around $90 million to $100 million, he said.

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President Michel Sleiman: لانه يتعذر علينا ان نتوافق نعتذر

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نعتذر من الشهداء نعتذر  من المرضى والفقراء المعدمين نعتذر من البطريرك الحويك نعتذر من رجال الاستقلال نعتذر من الحيش اللبناني من فرنسا من البابا يوحنا بولس الثاني وبنديكتوس وفرنسيس ومن القديسين ...
نعتذر من دول الخليج من اليونيفل والدول التي تشارك فيها ....من دول المجموعة الدولية.
نعتذر لاننا لم نستطع ان نتوافق ونتفق على حكومة من ١٤ ولا من ١٨ ولا من ٢٤
نعتذر لاننا لم نتفق على مسلمين ومسيحيين يشبهوننا.
نعتذر من الثوار ... نعتذر من الارز ورب ربه

متى نَبلُغُ لبنانَ الكبير؟

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سجعان قزي

وزير سابق

@AzziSejean

لا نستطيعُ أن نكونَ تَبعيّين ونُطالبَ العالمَ أن يتعاطى معنا على أنّنا مستقلّون. نَستَفْظِعُ تدخّلَ دولٍ أجنبيّةٍ في الأزْمةِ بقَصْدِ معالجتِها، ولا نَستَهْجِنُ تَدخُّلَ دولٍ أخرى في لبنانَ لإشعالِ الأزَمات. فلولا الدولُ التي اسْتباحَت لبنانَ ودَمَّرته، لما أباحَت الدولُ الأخرى لنفسِها معالجةَ شأنِنا بغيةَ إنقاذِنا. الأولى تدخّلَت رَغمًا عنّا والأُخرى بِناءً على إلحاحِنا. في لبنانَ مَن يَحمِلُ الفأسَ لقطعِ أيِّ يدٍ تَمتدُّ مساعِدةً، كأنَّ هدفَ هؤلاءِ قتلُ لبنانَ الكبير بما يُمثِّلُ من خصائصَ، وأنَّ مشروعَهم نقلُ لبنانَ من التعدُّديّةِ في الوِحدةِ إلى التعدُّديّةِ في الأحَدِيّة. إنَّ من يأتي بوصايةٍ من هنا، يجب أنْ يَنتظرَ وصايةً من هناك.

هذا تاريخُ لبنانَ مُذْ كان. فالشعوبُ تتحرّكُ عمومًا في دورةٍ تاريخيّةٍ تُكرِّرُ دورانَها بأشكالٍ مختلفةٍ. ولا تتوقّفُ هذه الدورةُ إلا حين يَنطلقُ الشعبُ في مسارٍ مستقبليٍّ جديدٍ يدوم رَدْحًا زمنيًّا ثابتًا وناجحًا يُمكِّنُه من خلقِ دورةٍ تاريخيّةٍ جديدة. نحن في لبنان، خَرجنا من دورتِنا التاريخيّةِ مدّةً غيرَ كافيةٍ (1943/1969) لخلقِ دورةٍ جديدةٍ، فالتَقطَتْنا الدورةُ السابقةُ وبَقِينا فيها. كأنَّ حتميّةَ التاريخِ أقوى من تقريرِ المصير.

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The US should make a stand in Lebanon to push back against Iran's ambitions

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By BY RUSSELL A. BERMAN, thehill.com -- Lebanon is facing a dangerous combination of accelerating crises — economic, political and societal. Although Lebanon is a small country, important issues for U.S. national interest and geo-strategy are at stake. Yet, currently, American Middle East foreign policy is devoted to the single obsession of the Iran negotiations, leaving little oxygen for other matters. This is a mistake. The Biden administration should develop a more nuanced engagement with the region and especially a robust response to Lebanon's pending collapse. The Lebanese currency has lost close to 90 percent of its value, pushing much of the country below the poverty line, with many families relying on remittances from relatives abroad. Yet even those lifelines cannot make up for the shortages in commodities: gasoline, medications and food are all in short supply. Add to this a crumbling infrastructure that can supply electricity for only a few hours every day. Meanwhile, a political stalemate blocks the formation of an effective government that could institute reforms that might alleviate some of the problems. Instead, the political class, largely viewed as incorrigibly corrupt, is making no effort to meet the needs of the public. One bright light is the emergence of vibrant oppositional forces. But they remain fragmented, and elections will not take place until next year.

Leadership change may therefore be too far in the future to rescue the crumbling institutions that once enjoyed a strong international reputation, especially Lebanese universities and hospitals. Now the talented personnel on which those institutions depend are trying to leave for better paying jobs abroad. After the troubled decades of civil war and occupations, after the devastation of COVID-19 and the massive destruction of the explosion in the port of Beirut on Aug. 4, 2020, this already fragile country faces even greater disorder. Given the extent of the suffering, there is every reason to provide humanitarian assistance to Lebanon, as the United States is already doing. The U.S. also provides important training support to the Lebanese armed forces, although the scope of that mission has been shrinking. Otherwise, American engagement is quite limited. Washington should do more and put Lebanon higher on the list of foreign policy priorities for four reasons

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Hariri presents cabinet lineup in final attempt to end Lebanon’s political crisis

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By NAJIA HOUSSARI MOHAMMED ABU ZAID -- arabnews.com -- BEIRUT, CAIRO: After he presented a 24-minister cabinet lineup to Lebanon President Michel Aoun on Wednesday, prime minister-designate Saad Al-Hariri is expected to either step down or go on with his mission. If the proposal is approved, it could end a political stalemate that has pushed the country toward social and economic collapse for the past nine months. If Aoun does not approve, Hariri has vowed to resign. “Now is the moment of truth,” Hariri told reporters after delivering the proposal to the presidential palace in Beirut. “This cabinet can help the country rise again and put an end to the collapse,” Hariri, who was designated in October, said he was expecting Aoun’s response on Thursday and he “will be making his decision accordingly.” The proposal does not give a blocking third to any political side and came after French Presidential Envoy Patrick Durel and Mahmoud Mohieldin, the executive director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), renewed pressure on Lebanese officials to form a government.

Lebanon has been without a functioning government since the previous one resigned in the wake of the Aug. 4 Beirut port blast that claimed the lives of 215 people, injured 6,000 more, and destroyed Beirut’s waterfront along with large sections of neighboring residential areas. Hariri presented his cabinet proposal to Aoun during a 30-minute meeting at the presidential palace, and according to a source close to Hariri, “the proposal for a cabinet includes new names.” Hariri presented his proposal to Aoun after he made a brief visit to Cairo on Wednesday where he met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. Sources in Cairo said Egypt had promised economic and political support for a new government and that a delegation would travel to Beirut soon. El-Sisi stressed “Egypt’s support for Hariri’s path aimed at restoring stability in Lebanon, addressing current challenges, and for his attempts to form a government … Lebanon must put national interests above any other interests, thus preserving the capacities of the brotherly Lebanese people and its national unity.” Hariri also held talks with Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.

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