Lebanon judge who banned interviews of US envoy resigns

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BEIRUT (AP) — The Lebanese judge who issued a ruling banning foreign and local media from interviewing the U.S. ambassador in Beirut resigned Tuesday, according to state media. Judge Mohammad Mazeh was referred to questioning by the Judicial Inspection Board for the ban, which caused an uproar in Lebanon. Mazeh issued the ban Saturday, a day after Ambassador Dorothoy Shea told Saudi-owned TV station Al-Hadath that Washington has “great concerns” over the role Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group, has in the embattled Lebanese government. Critics viewed Shea's comments as foreign interference in Lebanese affairs, but the judge’s ruling was met with a swift backlash in the country, where the media is often divided along sectarian politics but enjoys more freedom than other countries in the region. Many described Mazeh's ruling as partisan, and said it undermined press freedoms. Minister of Information Manal Abdel-Samad said no one has the right to curtail the press and matters related to the media should be handled relevant authorities, not the courts.

Lebanon is in the throes of a critical economic and financial crisis. In her interview, Shea said successive governments have mismanaged the economy and accused Hezbollah of siphoning off public funds for its own purposes. She accused the group, which backs the current government and has strong representation in Parliament, of blocking needed reforms. Mazeh was referred to Lebanon's Judicial Inspection Board to be questioned on his controversial ban. He threatened to resign if questioned, suggesting the measure was undermining judicial independence. Shea had called the ruling “unfortunate and a distraction" from the country's economic woes and vowed she would not be silenced. After meeting with Foreign Minister Nasser Hitti on Monday, she said a page has been turned. She had earlier said the government had apologized to her for the ruling. The court ruling remains in effect but appears unlikely to be enforced.

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Lebanese Security Forces Investigating Explosion Near Hariri Convoy This Month

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by reuters -- Lebanese security forces are investigating an explosion 11 days ago that took place near the convoy of former Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri, Hariri’s office said on Sunday. Hariri’s office said the incident, in which nobody was hurt, took place during a tour of the eastern Beqaa Valley and was not made public at the time to prevent inflaming passions in an already politically-charged atmosphere. “Since the convoy did not get exposed to any attack …(Hariri’s) decision was to keep it secret and await the results of the relevant security forces,” it said in a statement. Remnants of a missile were found almost 500 meters away from the route taken by Hariri’s 30-car convoy, which was equipped with jamming systems, Saudi-owned pan-Arab Al Hadath TV station said in a report on the incident on Sunday.

Bifani: Resignation 'alarm bell' to take matters seriously

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By Osama Habib -- The Daily Star --- BEIRUT: The director-general of the Finance Ministry Alain Bifani said Monday the procrastination of the authorities to implement reforms and the smear campaign against him have prompted him to resign. Bifani, who was one of the top Lebanese government negotiators with the International Monetary Fund and one of the drafters of the Cabinet’s economic reform plan, made it clear in his news conference that his resignation should be taken as an alarm bell for officials to take matters seriously. United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jan Kubis expressed his regret for the resignation of Bifani, adding that it is a loss for Lebanon. He added that Bifani’s resignation came at a critical time for Lebanon as the country is currently engaged in direct negotiations with the IMF.

The former official at the Finance Ministry came under harsh verbal attacks from many banking circles as well as politicians who did not approve the government’s approach in tackling the financial crisis with the IMF. Some of these circles tried to dispute the losses mentioned in the government’s economic plan but IMF officials repeatedly said that the figures reported by the Lebanese authorities were close to their numbers. They even tried to give the impression that the government’s economic plan would seize all the deposits of the Lebanese and non-Lebanese. But Bifani assured that the government had no intention to touch the bulk of the deposits. "The approach adopted by the government plan was unanimously approved and received a welcome from the financial institutions for the Lebanese seriousness in approaching matters," Bifani explained. He added that the plan addressed the necessity of recovering the looted funds and the necessity of a comprehensive reform of the system. "It appears that the system used various methods to strike the government plan, and they tried to portray us as corrupt, but the judiciary will have the final say on these cheap accusations,” Bifani said.

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US envoy says ‘page turned’ after meeting Lebanese FM

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by NAJIA HOUSSARI -- arabnews.com --BEIRUT: The summoning of US Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea by Lebanese Foreign Minister Nassif Hitti on Monday turned into a protocol meeting. The foreign minister, who summoned Shea after she criticized Hezbollah, noted “the freedom of the media and the right of expression, which are sacred rights.” A statement issued by the two parties said: “We have openly discussed the current developments on the local scene. We touched on the bilateral relations that bring together the two countries and the Lebanese and American people, and we stressed the importance of cooperation between the two governments in all fields, in support of Lebanon to get out of the economic crisis that it is suffering from.” After the meeting, Ambassador Shea said: “My meeting with the (foreign) minister was positive, and I agreed with him to turn the page after the unfortunate judicial decision that came to deflect attention from the economic crisis. The United States is ready and will continue to assist Lebanon as long as the government takes the necessary steps to address the causes of the crisis.” She noted that her country “appreciates cooperation to advance our many common interests and our mutual goals in these particularly difficult times. I affirm that our bilateral relationship is strong and we will continue to provide everything that benefits the people of our two countries.”

Ambassador Shea said during an interview with Al-Hadath TV on Friday that “Hezbollah built a state within the state that drained Lebanon, and cost the Lebanese state billions of dollars that went to Hezbollah’s mini-state instead of the government treasury.” The meeting between Hitti and Shea was accompanied by a small group protesting against American interference in Lebanese affairs. The US envoy entered through a back door amid tight security measures taken by the Internal Security Forces in the vicinity of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beirut.

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U.S. ambassador appears on Lebanese TV despite court-imposed ban

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BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese media broadcast interviews with the U.S. ambassador on Sunday, ignoring a ruling by a judge who banned the diplomat from television for a year over remarks that criticised the powerful Shi'ite movement Hezbollah. Hezbollah is the main political force behind the Lebanese government. Washington considers the heavily armed pro-Iran movement to be a terrorist group. In an interview with Saudi-owned AlHadath television on Friday, U.S. ambassador Dorothy Shea said Hezbollah's behaviour was preventing Lebanon from properly dealing with a deep economic crisis. A Shi'ite judge in the southern city of Tyre ruled on Saturday that Shea's comments had incited sectarian strife, and banned broadcasting interviews with her for a year. State-owned National News Agency (NAA) said media that violate the ban would be fined $200,000. But the government has repudiated the court ruling, while criticising Shea over the remarks that had prompted it.

Information Minister Manal Abdel Samad tweeted that while she understood the judge's concerns about diplomats meddling in Lebanon's internal affairs "no one had the right to prevent the media from covering news, or to curb press freedoms". A Lebanese government official and a Western diplomatic source both said Shea had been summoned to the foreign ministry on Sunday. No further details were given. In one of several media appearances on Sunday, Shea told broadcaster MTV that a senior government official had assured her the court did not have the authority to order the ban, and that the government would take steps to reverse it. She described the ruling as a "really pathetic" attempt to silence the media, and said the government should focus more on implementing economic reforms. "I would suggest that we all try to put this chapter behind us," she said. (Reporting by Laila Bassam and Suleiman Al-Khalidi; Editing by Tom Perry and Peter Graff)

IMF chief’s fears over lack of progress in talks to solve Lebanon’s economic crisis

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by arabnews.com -- NAJIA HOUSSARI -- BEIRUT: The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has issued a doom-laden forecast over the outcome of crucial talks aimed at solving Lebanon’s financial woes. Kristalina Georgieva, the IMF’s managing director, said she did not “expect progress in the negotiations with the Lebanese officials” over helping the country out of its economic crisis. Former Lebanese Interior Minister Ziyad Baroud told Arab News: “What Georgieva said has already been stated for years by the International Support Group for Lebanon (ISG), but her declaration comes at a time when Lebanon is negotiating with the IMF.” Speaking on Friday, the IMF chief said: “IMF officials are still working with Lebanon, but it is not clear whether it is possible for the country’s leaders, active parties, and society to agree on implementing the reforms needed to stabilize the economy and boost economic growth.”

The financial meltdown in the country has seen the Lebanese pound lose 75 percent of its value over the past eight months. Georgieva pointed out that “the core challenge is to implement a set of very difficult but necessary reforms.” She said that the situation in Lebanon was “breaking her heart,” adding that it was a “country which has a strong culture of entrepreneurship, and is hosting refugees from Palestine and Syria to help alleviate a major humanitarian crisis.” Reaching an agreement with the IMF would require a strong commitment from the Lebanese government to implement a set of structural reforms in public institutions. The ISG has called for a prompt resolution to problems in the electricity sector, the issuance of a law that guarantees the independence of the judiciary, and new rules controlling public-sector purchasing and tendering by ministries, public institutions, councils, and municipalities. One of the most urgent issues for Lebanon is to restore the confidence of its citizens, the international community, and international financial institutions.

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