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Lebanese Deputy PM: We seek to Hold Parliamentary Polls before their Schedule

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Hasbani

by Paul Astih - Beirut – Government and parliamentary workshops are expected to be held in Lebanon after the Eid al-Fitr holiday in line with the outcome of the consultative meeting, which was held last week at the Baabda Palace, in parallel with the preparations for the upcoming parliamentary elections in May 2018. Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Ghassan Hasbani is supervising several files which will be tackled in the coming ministerial meetings, including the activation of infrastructure projects, the electricity and the garbage file, as well as the 2018 budget. In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, Hasbani underlined the importance of holding cabinet sessions in various governorates, in order to boost cooperation between ministries on important infrastructure projects. “It is the first time in Lebanon that we see a comprehensive plan aimed at dealing with infrastructure issues,” he stated.

Hasbani noted in this regard that he has held a series of meetings with 1,100 municipalities across the country, with whom he set out a list of priority projects, adding that ministerial meetings in the different governorates would be held as of end of August or beginning of September. The cabinet, according to Hasbani, would extensively work on drafting an economic plan that would represent the basis of the 2018 budget, after the referral of this year’s budget for parliament’s approval. He added that the garbage crisis would be also be resolved during the upcoming ministerial meetings.

A consultative meeting chaired by President Michel Aoun on Thursday gathered heads of the political parties participating in the current government and adopted the plan of action for the cabinet’s economic and reform items. Participants in the meeting stressed the need for administrative decentralization, noting in a statement: “Lebanon, which is economically sound, needs to implement a comprehensive economic plan, which will generate the state budget, secure economic growth, create jobs and promote balanced development.”

Fitch: Lebanon Election Deal Shows Gradual Political Progress

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A flag is reflected on the window of the Fitch Ratings headquarters in New York

by reuters - HONG KONG/LONDON, June 26 (Fitch) The agreement on a new electoral law for Lebanon avoids a political crisis, but highlights the limitations of the country's sectarian-based political system, Fitch Ratings says. Lebanon's parliament approved the new law on 16 June 2017, following cabinet approval of a cross-party agreement to adopt proportional representation and reduce the number of electoral districts. Elections had been due by 20 June, but parliament will now be extended again while preparations are made for a vote under the new system in May 2018. Changing the electoral law to facilitate elections is another step towards improving political effectiveness, following the election of Michel Aoun as president last October after more than two years without a president, and the formation of a new government, drawn from across the political spectrum, in December. It has averted an impending political crisis, as Aoun had effectively set a 20 June deadline, and illustrates the ability of the main political factions in Lebanon to achieve compromises, albeit slowly and at the last minute. Maintaining this modest political momentum could further improve the prospects for policy making.

The current government has largely been occupied with electoral law discussions, but it has also reinvigorated the oil and gas licensing process and agreed on a 2017 Budget, although this has not yet been approved by parliament. But repeated delays in the political process - the 2018 elections will be the first since 2009 and the new budget is the first state budget approved by a cabinet for 12 years - illustrate the constraints of Lebanon's sectarian political system, which have been made worse by the Syrian civil war. The new electoral law is unlikely to significantly change this system. Government formation after next year's election may once again be a drawn-out process. High and persistent political and security risks are reflected in Lebanon's low sovereign rating, affirmed at 'B-'/Stable in February 2017, alongside high public debt and anaemic economic growth. Political progress since November appears to have boosted the Lebanese diaspora's confidence in the country's economy.

Deposit growth was 8.2% yoy in April 2017, sufficient to fund government borrowing, which depends on the channelling of deposits and remittances via the financial system, and ensure moderate credit growth to the private sector. Foreign-exchange deposits were 11% higher than a year earlier, and gross foreign-exchange reserves were 7.6% higher, although they had declined from February and March levels. Deposit growth may have been boosted by Aoun's election and the formation of a government, having dropped to less than 5% yoy for much of 1H16. However, reserves and deposits had also been boosted by a financial engineering operation by Banque du Liban (BdL), which sold eurobond holdings and foreign exchange-denominated certificates of deposit (CD), worth around USD13 billion to banks over several months last year. At the same time, BdL offered to discount at a premium equivalent amounts of Lebanese pound T-bills and CDs held by banks. The operation buoyed growth in non-resident deposits, as banks offered attractive conditions for foreign-exchange deposits to participate in BdL's operation. The risk is that as the effect of this operation wanes, deposit growth will again come under pressure. Recent political developments can help sustain positive sentiment, but rising public debt, up 8.6% yoy in March 2017, means that Lebanon remains vulnerable to a recurrence of political paralysis that dents confidence and deposit and remittance flows. Tougher US sanctions against Hizbollah could also directly or indirectly affect foreign flows into Lebanon and its banking sector, although these have not yet been formally proposed as a bill.

Clergy in Middle East must be the ‘last among the least’, says Pope

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by catholicherald.co.uk Christians in war-torn areas of the Middle East must never be far from priests and bishops in their country so they can feel God’s closeness in the midst of suffering, Pope Francis has said. “It is fundamental to always nourish the style of evangelical closeness: in the bishops, so they may live it toward their priests and that they in turn make the Lord’s caress be felt by the faithful entrusted to them. But all the while keeping the grace of remaining disciples of the Lord, beginning with the first who learn to be the last among the least,” he said.

The Pope spoke during a meeting with members of a Vatican coordinating body, known by its Italian acronym ROACO, which operates under the auspices of the Congregation for Eastern Churches. The funding agencies include two based in the United States: the Catholic Near East Welfare Association and the Pontifical Mission for Palestine. The Congregation for Eastern Churches and the coalition of funding agencies are responsible for assisting Eastern Rite churches around the world as well as the Latin Rite Church in the Holy Land.

The Pope thanked ROACO members for their work throughout the years in areas of the world that have experienced “terrible waves of persecution and hardships, both in Eastern Europe and the Middle East”. Although Christians are returning home in some areas they were forced to flee, others, “especially Syria, Iraq and Egypt, see their children suffer because of the continuing war and senseless violence perpetrated by fundamentalist terrorism”, he said. “All these events have led us through the experience of Jesus’s Cross: it is the cause of disturbance and suffering but, at the same time, it is a source of salvation,” the Pope said. Pope Francis also called on ROACO to “build a bridge” between Eastern and Western churches by helping all Christians so they may feel welcomed and live “according to their own ecclesial tradition”. “Let us not forget that in the East, even in our days, Christians – it doesn’t matter whether they are Catholic, Orthodox or Protestant – shed their blood as a seal of their witness,” the Pope said.

How the Church is helping Christians return to Aleppo

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Aleppo as it appeared before Syria's civil war, in October 2009. Credit: Guido Camici via Flickr (CC BY 2.0).

By María Ximena Rondón

Aleppo, Syria, (CNA/EWTN News).- Christians who fled Aleppo because of the four year battle for the city are now returning, and in the face of such challenges as poverty, destruction, and a shortages of basic goods, they persevere with the help of the local Church. Fr. Ibrahim Alsabagh, a Franciscan priest in the city, told CNA that between January and June, 18 Catholic families have returned to Aleppo from places like Armenia, France, Germany, and Venezuela. In addition, 400 Christian families of the Armenian community returned to the area.

He said these families have decided to return because in their host countries “they live in poverty and feel like foreigners. Also because they miss the warmth of the Christian community that welcomes, heals, and accompanies each family with all its needs.” “When they see they aid that we give to the Christians in Aleppo, they say, ‘Why don’t we return home, to our culture, to our society when the bombings have ceased?’” he said.

Syria's largest city before the country's civil war began in 2011, control of Aleppo was divided among government and several rebel groups from July 2012 until the Syrian government recaptured the metropolis in December 2016. The Franciscan said that while rebels have been expelled from the city, unfortunately "living conditions have not improved in Aleppo. The only thing that has improved is that there are no more bombings, thank God, but there is still insecurity." In addition, “it is difficult to work because there are few hours in which there is electricity. There is also a small labor force because many young people are gone.There is food, but high prices,” he added. He explained that the economic situation in Aleppo is so difficult that "even if the both parents work, it is impossible to get ahead without the help of the Church. There are many needy people and we trust in divine providence." On the other hand, he indicated that only a third of the Christians have stayed in the city. He stated that the Christians who remained were the poorest.

There are also some families who had the firm conviction that "what the Lord wants them there because they must fulfill the mission of being a bridge of reconciliation and of bearing witness to Jesus Christ in this land.” Fr. Ibrahim stressed that in the midst of this difficult situation "the key is the community that comes out to give people a sign of hope and remains a beacon. They are a very strong support to the family, especially when people feel alone and have left everything to return to their country. " He commented that the Franciscans have developed a project to help Christians rebuild their homes. Since 2016 the order has rebuilt some 470 homes, and this year they have created an office where nine engineers evaluate the cases of families whose houses were damaged in the war. Fr. Ibrahim added that there are several families who, despite having their homes destroyed, are still required to pay the mortgage on their home to the bank. The church also helps them. The priest said that the money with which he supports the families comes from "many of the people and the families around the world who pray for us and send donations. Even if they are modest, it shows how the Lord works miracles with them." "As St. Francis of Assisi said, we depend on the generosity, the divine providence from which our aid comes. Every day we see this miracle and we thank those who help us with our whole heart.” In addition, the priest said that there are 30 couples who will get married soon, and said that this aid is also for them. "This is a great joy for us, to see that young people get married and say yes to the gift of life. This gives us great consolation,” he said. “It means that there is a future in Aleppo and a desire for life to conquer death.”

Jumblatt Restores Relations With Russia

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Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt leaves the Elysee Palace in Paris following a meeting with French President Francois Hollande

by Nazeer Rida - Asharq Al-Awsat

Beirut- Leader of Lebanon’s Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) deputy Walid Jumblatt was received warmly in Moscow on Friday, reflecting a great improvement in the relations between the two parties following Jumblatt’s harsh positions against the Syrian regime and its president Bashar al-Assad. The visit also revealed that Jumblatt was capable of restoring relations with Moscow, through the same Syria crisis door, as he reiterated his support for a political solution in Syria in which Moscow plays a role. Jumblatt’s trip to Russia coincided with the Russian efforts to revive the Syrian peace talks in Geneva and Moscow’s attempts to fortify a ceasefire deal and demarcate the borders of the deescalation zones that would involve Deraa, a Syrian province located near Suwayda, which includes a majority of Druze.

The PSP leader arrived Friday to Moscow where he separately met with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov. His meeting with Lavrov was rather political, while Jumblatt said his meeting with Bogdanov was of a “cordial nature.” The Druze leader had last met with the Russian foreign minister about two years ago, which explains that Jumblatt’s visit to Moscow this week has opened a new horizon of the relations between the two sides.

Lebanese Forces Leader: Opening Lebanese Border Is not Anyone’s Choice

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Lebanese Forces Leader Samir Geagea

By Youssef Diab - english.aawsat.com

Beirut – Secretary-General of Lebanese Hezbollah Hasan Nasrallah made recent statements hinting towards opening borders for foreign fighters in case of new war with Israel. These statements were a blatant defiance for the Lebanese government risking transforming Lebanon into a war zone similar to the case of Syria. Lebanese Forces Leader Samir Geagea condemned Nasrallah’s remarks reiterating that opening the Lebanese border is not up to anyone. “It is not up to anybody to open Lebanese borders, even the Lebanese Cabinet,” he said. Geagea questioned “if we want to defend our country in case of an Israeli aggression, do we open the border and recruit thousands of strangers as fighters, from unknown whereabouts, for them to occupy the country? “In case of an Israeli aggression against Lebanon, it is clearly logical for the Lebanese Army to face it aided with the other Lebanese armed forces and backed by the Lebanese people,” Geagea stated.

On Friday on the occasion of al-Quds Day, Nasrallah warned Israel against attacking Lebanon or Syria, saying “hundreds of thousands” of Arab and Muslim fighters would be ready to strike back. “I’m not saying countries would intervene directly, but it would open the door for hundreds of thousands of fighters from all around the Arab and Islamic world to participate in this fight, from Iraq, Yemen, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan,” Nasrallah said. Director of Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs (LISA) Sami Nader said that Iran is trying to expand its presence in response to the US-Russian agreement spoken about in Syria. He stated that since the Syrian crisis, Iran is trying to infiltrate into Golan Heights and enforce Israel into clashes. Nader stressed that violating UN Resolution 1701 will cost Lebanon highly, and that is why Hezbollah is trying to enforce a new plan against Israel over the Syrian border.

President Michel Aoun extends Eid al-Fitr greetings to Lebanese

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The Daily Star BEIRUT: President Michel Aoun Sunday extended Eid al-Fitr greetings to Lebanon. "Every eid has joy, and joy carries hope," Aoun said in a post on Twitter. "We ask God for a Eid al-Ftir that will give the Lebanese their hope..." The president also wished for security and peace. A statement from Aoun's press office added that he extended his greetings to leaders across Arab and Muslim countries. Meanwhile on Friday, a statement from the Parliament's media office said that Speaker Nabih Berri will not be accepting Eid al-Fitr greetings this year in view of the crises engulfing Arab countries. June 25 marks the first day of Eid al-Fitr. Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian will lead Eid al-Fitr prayers and deliver a speech at 6:15 a.m. at the Mohammad al-Amine Mosque in Downtown Beirut. Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian will lead Eid al-Fitr prayers and deliver a speech at 6:15 a.m. at the Mohammad al-Amine Mosque in Downtown Beirut.