Crises besiege the Lebanese from all sides, the presidential impediment has been going on for five months, the House of Representatives is almost closed, the dollar has exceeded 92,000 pounds, the banks will return to the strike tomorrow, private schools may strike tomorrow as well, the economy is disrupted, and Lebanon is not included on the agenda of countries The major agreements that took place, contrary to what is being promoted at home, did not notice Lebanon and did not mention it. The Saudi-Iranian agreement has many priorities that are ahead of Lebanon, and the attempts to thwart it may be more than can be counted, especially from the United States and Israel. Therefore, the Lebanese presidential election may turn once again into a ball that nations are tossing around.
On the other hand, the issue of the displaced Syrians from the Al-Qaa Gate in the Bekaa, whose municipal council issued a decision to deport eight displaced Syrians “who violated the security of Al-Qaa and outside it, and those whose involvement is found among their families, relatives and other displaced persons, and to request the “UNHCR to remove The status of displaced for these people and their families, and the suspension of in-kind and material assistance for them.
The text of the decision, which was sent to both the head of the Army Intelligence Office in al-Qaa and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, to help the municipal council implement it, stated: “Since the names mentioned below have been involved in theft, looting and armed robbery within the scope of the municipality of al-Qaa, which terrified the citizens He violated security and safety and endangered people’s lives, knowing that these people come to Syria illegally or legally and have no problems with the regime. Rather, they sell their loot on Syrian lands, which confirms that there is no danger to their security if they leave to their country.”
As international organizations feared that other municipalities would take similar measures, fearing the collapse of social security in the region, amid the refusal of any interventions in order to keep any displaced person who disturbs security, “An-Nahar” learned that many mayors in the region had received calls yesterday from some International donor organizations and associations emphasize providing aid to their municipalities within a few days, although these organizations have previously refrained from doing so under the pretext of not having sufficient budgets. A security source confirmed to An-Nahar that an international organization made contacts 6 months ago with some of those concerned with the affairs of the displaced to present proposals that would help stabilize the displaced in Lebanon.
presidential path
As for the suspended and frozen presidential track, after the positions of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri yesterday regarding the repercussions of the Saudi-Iranian agreement, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said that the relief that may result from this track must be positively reflected in the entire region, including Lebanon. The Maronite Patriarch Beshara Al-Rai is the step that falls within the line of political reconciliation, while the positions of its results and repercussions are intertwined, especially from the March 8 forces, which considered it a victory for their presidential choice, which will be represented by the election of candidate Suleiman Franjieh.
However, the reality indicates haste in the positions, as the basis of the agreement stipulates non-interference in the affairs of states, and that their intervention begins in Yemen, to pass through Syria before reaching Lebanon. The Saudi foreign minister expressed Lebanon’s need for an internal consensus, and the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon supported him.
Life and legal issues
In judicial affairs, Reuters quoted two Lebanese sources as saying that “European investigators will be allowed to attend a Lebanese judge’s interrogation session with the Governor of the Banque du Liban, Riad Salameh, at a time when Lebanon and several foreign countries are investigating whether Salameh has embezzled public funds.”
The European investigators will arrive in Beirut today, Monday, for their second visit as part of the investigation, and they will be allowed to attend the hearing, according to a judicial source and another well-informed source told Reuters.
The judicial source said, “The judge presiding over the session will not allow foreign investigators to ask direct questions to Salameh, who has held his position since 1993.”
It is noteworthy that Salama confirmed to “Reuters” that he is “innocent and that he will abide by the judicial procedures, although he did not attend previous sessions regarding an investigation with him in related, but not very important, corruption cases.”
In the financial matter, the banks’ resumption of their strike, starting tomorrow morning, may constitute a factor affecting the markets, especially in terms of the rise in the exchange rate, and the market was left to speculators on the lira, who suffered previous losses when reactivating the “exchange” platform, which led to a plan by them to cancel its effects.
Regarding the Hayati union, the Head of the Teachers Syndicate, Nehme Mahfoud, demanded the application of the law related to giving transportation allowances to teachers in private schools, similar to those in public schools, i.e. five liters of petrol for each day of attendance. He called on the Ministry of Education to hold a meeting between those concerned to discuss the sector’s problems and find solutions that would satisfy the teachers, warning of returning to the strike on Tuesday if their demands were not met. In addition, the Executive Council of the Teachers Syndicate meets today, Monday afternoon, to assess financial and living developments, and school decisions to enable the teacher to continue the learning process, and to make a decision regarding stopping teaching due to incapacity due to circumstances. The Executive Council is waiting for responsible and tangible steps from the Ministry of Education and the Federation of Institutions before taking escalatory steps.
