BEIRUT: The Lebanese pound had seen a significant improvement in its dollar exchange rate following an announcement last week by Saad Hariri, the leader of the Future Movement, that he is the “natural candidate” to head the next government.
However, the rate jumped to over LBP8,000 to the dollar on the Lebanese black market on Thursday — having dropped by LBP1,200 over the previous two days — after President Michel Aoun announced that the binding parliamentary consultations to designate Lebanon’s new prime minister, which were scheduled for Thursday, were to be postponed for a week.
Questions were raised about Aoun’s unilateral decision, and about the message he is sending to the international community and the Lebanese people, who are hopeful that the rapid installation of a new government might alleviate some of the economic and social ills that the country currently faces.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said he was against postponing the consultations “even for one day.”
The leader of the Marada Movement, Suleiman Frangieh, said, “Postponing the consultations is forbidden under the circumstances the Lebanese are experiencing.”
A majority of Lebanon’s parliamentary blocs had announced that they would back Hariri as the new prime minister during the parliamentary consultations. Aside from his own party, Hariri has the support of Hezbollah, the Amal Movement, the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), the Marada Movement, and Armenian MPs, giving him a total of at least 70 votes — a clear majority among the 120 currently serving MPs. The Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) and the Lebanese Forces will reportedly not support him.
FPM leader Gebran Bassil — who is also the president’s son-in-law — launched an attack on Hariri on Tuesday, widening the political divide. However, presidential palace sources said there was “no personal reason” behind Aoun’s decision to postpone the consultations. In 2018, Aoun blocked the formation of a government led by Hariri, stipulating that Bassil had to be given a ministerial position.
The palace statement said that Aoun took his decision “at the request of some parliamentary blocs, after the emergence of difficulties that require … solutions.”
Former MP Fares Souadi said simply: “We are headed down to hell.”
A source close to Aoun told Arab News the president is “keen to provide the largest (possible amount) of parliamentary support for the PM who will form the Cabinet, given the importance … of the tasks required of the government in the next phase, which needs a broad national consensus and not division.”
Several politicians pointed out that governments had been formed without unanimous consensus in the past, including those of Hassan Diab and Najib Mikati.
There is concern among parliamentarians that Aoun has postponed the consultations in order to force Hariri not to nominate himself as PM. However, Hussein Al-Wajeh, Hariri’s adviser for media affairs, told Arab News: “Postponing the consultations will not change the position of Hariri, who is holding on to the French initiative and government of specialists. The French initiative was, and still is, the only — and last — chance to stop the collapse and to reconstruct Beirut. The postponement will not change that, and disruption was never a solution for Lebanon and the Lebanese.
“If the president abides by legitimacy, that should be reflected while forming a government, not while assigning the person who will form the government”, he added.
French President Emmanuel Macron visited Lebanon two days after the Aug. 4 Beirut port explosion that devastated the city, and returned three weeks later to check on the status of the reforms he specified as a condition for international support.
The ‘French initiative’ Macron laid out for debt-ridden Lebanon included a two-week deadline for the formation of an independent government of experts that would only stay in office a few months.
Also on Thursday, US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker met with Berri and PSP President Walid Jumblatt on the second day of his visit to Lebanon, after attending the opening session of the Lebanon and Israel negotiations in Naqoura.
Schenker also met with Maronite Patriarch Bechara Al-Rahi, whose media office said: “Schenker showed particular interest in Al-Rahi’s talk about neutral Lebanon. He stressed the US’s (desire to see) an effective and transparent Lebanese government that provides basic services for the Lebanese people, regardless of (who its leader is), and reiterated America’s ongoing support for Lebanon.”
Lebanese MPs criticize delay of consultations to choose new prime minister
https://arab.news/c7tcu
Lebanese MPs criticize delay of consultations to choose new prime minister
- A majority of Lebanon’s parliamentary blocs had announced that they would back Hariri as the new PM during the parliamentary consultations
- FPM leader Gebran Bassil launched an attack on Hariri on Tuesday, widening the political divide
All Jordanians living in Los Angeles are fine, Foreign Ministry says
- At least 5 people have been killed by wildfires raging in and around the US city; more than 100,000 forced to flee homes
LONDON: The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said on Thursday that all Jordanian nationals living in Los Angeles, California, are “fine” as deadly wildfires continue to rage through neighborhoods in several areas in and around the US city.
The fires have claimed at least five lives, more than 100,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes, and hundreds of buildings have burned down.
The ministry sent its sincere condolences to the victims, the American people and the US government, the Jordan News Agency reported.
Japan grants Sudan about $1 million in food aid
- The statement underscored the urgency of the situation in Sudan
- The humanitarian situation has significantly worsened as the fighting areas have expanded
TOKYO: Japan, in cooperation with the World Food Programme (WFP), decided to grant Sudan 150 million yen (nearly $1 million) as ‘food aid’ to improve the situation in that country, the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo stated.
Suzuki Satoshi, Japan’s Ambassador to International Organizations in Rome, and Ms. Rania Dagash-Kamara, Assistant Executive Director of the Partnerships and Innovation Department, World Food Programme, signed and exchanged notes regarding the grant aid in Rome on January 8th.
The statement underscored the urgency of the situation in Sudan, where armed conflict between the national army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted in April 2023.
The humanitarian situation has significantly worsened as the fighting areas have expanded and become protracted.
According to the WFP, several regions in Sudan are at risk of famine, approximately half of the population is facing acute food insecurity, and hunger-related deaths have been recorded.
At the Eighth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 8) held in August 2022, Japan announced its commitment to “responding to the food crisis and supporting sustainable agricultural production.” This cooperation is a concrete step in realizing this commitment.
The Republic of Sudan has an area of approximately 1.88 million square kilometers (about five times the size of Japan), a population of approximately 50.04 million, and a gross national income (GNI) per capita of $880, according to the 2023 World Bank data.
Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun, respected army chief
- Aoun has since 2017 headed the army, an institution that serves as a rare source of unity in Lebanon
- The man of few words was able to count on his good relations across the divided Lebanese political class to see him elected
BEIRUT: Joseph Aoun, Lebanon’s army chief who was elected president on Thursday, is a political neophyte whose position as head of one of the country’s most respected institutions helped end a two-year deadlock.
Widely seen as the preferred pick of army backer the United States, he is perceived as being best placed to maintain a fragile ceasefire and pull the country out of financial collapse.
After being sworn in at parliament, Aoun said “a new phase in Lebanon’s history” was beginning.
Analysts said Aoun, who turns 61 on Friday and is considered a man of “personal integrity,” was the right candidate to finally replace Michel Aoun — no relation — whose term as president ended in October 2022, without a successor until now.
A dozen previous attempts to choose a president failed amid tensions between Hezbollah and its opponents, who have accused the Shiite group of seeking to impose its preferred candidate.
Aoun has since 2017 headed the army, an institution that serves as a rare source of unity in a country riven by sectarian and political divides.
He has navigated it through a blistering financial crisis that has drastically slashed the salaries of its 80,000 soldiers, forcing him to accept international aid.
Since late November, he oversaw the gradual mobilization of the armed forces in south Lebanon after a ceasefire ended more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.
Under the truce, the Lebanese army has been deploying progressively alongside UN peacekeepers in the south as Israeli forces withdraw, a process they have to finish by January 26.
Speaking on Thursday, Aoun said the state would have “a monopoly” on arms.
The general with broad shoulders and a shaved head has stepped up talks with visiting foreign dignitaries since becoming army chief.
The man of few words was able to count on his good relations across the divided Lebanese political class to see him elected.
Aoun “has a reputation of personal integrity,” said Karim Bitar, an international relations expert at Beirut’s Saint-Joseph University.
He came to prominence after leading the army in a battle to drive out Daesh from a mountainous area along the Syrian border.
“Within the Lebanese army, he is perceived as someone who is dedicated... who has the national interest at heart, and who has been trying to consolidate this institution, which is the last non-sectarian institution still on its feet in the country,” Bitar told AFP.
Aoun was set to retire in January last year, but has had his mandate extended twice — most recently in November.
Mohanad Hage Ali, from the Carnegie Middle East Center, noted that “being the head of US-backed Lebanese Armed Forces, Joseph Aoun has ties to the United States.”
“While he maintained relations with everyone, Hezbollah-affiliated media often criticized him” for those US ties, he told AFP.
Washington is the main financial backer of Lebanon’s army, which also receives support from other countries including Qatar.
An international conference in Paris last month raised $200 million to support the armed forces.
The military has been hit hard by Lebanon’s economic crisis, and at one point in 2020 it said it had cut out meat from the meals offered to on-duty soldiers due to rising food prices.
Aoun, who speaks Arabic, English and French, hails from Lebanon’s Christian community and has two children.
By convention, the presidency goes to a Maronite Christian, the premiership is reserved for a Sunni Muslim and the post of parliament speaker goes to a Shiite Muslim.
Aoun is Lebanon’s fifth army commander to become president, and the fourth in a row.
Military chiefs, by convention, are also Maronites.
Egypt top diplomat meets PLO, urges Palestinian unity
- During his meeting with the PLO delegation in Cairo, Badr Abdelatty “reaffirmed Egypt’s supportive stance toward the Palestinian Authority”
CAIRO: Egypt’s foreign minister met a Palestine Liberation Organization delegation Thursday, calling for “unity” and the strengthening of the Palestinian Authority amid Israel’s ongoing war with Hamas in Gaza.
The conflict began after the Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, triggering massive retaliation.
During his meeting with the PLO delegation in Cairo, Badr Abdelatty “reaffirmed Egypt’s supportive stance toward the Palestinian Authority,” his office said in a statement.
The minister also reiterated “Egypt’s rejection of any plans to displace Palestinians from their lands,” it added.
Last month, Egypt hosted talks between rival Palestinian groups Fatah and Hamas to discuss bringing post-war Gaza under PA control.
Fatah, which governs parts of the occupied West Bank under the PA, dominates both the PA and the PLO, an internationally recognized representative of the Palestinian people.
It has been excluded from Gaza since Hamas seized control in 2007.
On Thursday, Abdelatty also discussed with the PLO delegation Egypt’s efforts to end the Gaza war, reach a ceasefire agreement and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
Mediators Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been engaged in months of talks to cement a truce in Gaza, but so far to no avail.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that a Gaza ceasefire remained close but added it may not happen before President Joe Biden hands over to Donald Trump.
“I hope that we can get it over the line in the time that we have,” said Blinken, who leaves office with Trump’s inauguration on January 20.
Hamas said at the end of last week that indirect negotiations in Doha had resumed, while Israel said it had authorized negotiators to continue the talks in the Qatari capital.
A previous round of mediation in December ended with both sides blaming the other for the impasse, with Hamas accusing Israel of setting “new conditions” and Israel accusing Hamas of throwing up “obstacles” to a deal.
France, Arab nations among first to congratulate new Lebanon president
- French foreign ministry said Joseph Aoun's election “opens a new page" for Lebanon
- Qatari foreign ministry called for “stability”
PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday welcomed the “crucial election” by Lebanese lawmakers of army chief Joseph Aoun as president after a two-year vacuum at the top, calling his victory an opportunity for reform in the country.
Aoun faces the daunting tasks of overseeing a ceasefire in south Lebanon and naming a prime minister able to lead reforms demanded by international creditors to save the country from its worst economic crisis in history.
Aoun is perceived as being best placed to maintain the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah after a devastating war this autumn.
“Congratulations to President Joseph Aoun on this crucial election,” Macron wrote on X in a message in both French and Arabic.
“It paves the way for reform and the restoration of Lebanon’s sovereignty and prosperity,” he added.
The French foreign ministry urged the formation of a strong government to drag the country out of a political and economic crisis.
Extending France’s “warm congratulations” to Aoun, the French foreign ministry said his election “opens a new page for the Lebanese” and urged “the appointment of a strong government” that can help the country recover.
Qatar also praised the election of Aoun as president on Thursday, calling for “stability” after the more than two year vacancy was filled.
“The State of Qatar welcomes the election of Lebanese army commander General Joseph Aoun,” the foreign ministry said in a statement, adding that it hoped his election would “contribute to establishing security and stability in Lebanon.”
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas said Lebanon would overcome the “repercussions of Israeli aggression” under the leadership of its new president.
“We are confident that our brotherly Lebanon will overcome the repercussions of the Israeli occupation’s aggression and achieve development and prosperity,” Abbas said in a statement, referring to Israel’s war with Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which ended late last year.
The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, issued a statement congratulating Aoun, adding that she welcomed the election as a long-awaited first step toward overcoming Lebanon’s political and institutional vacuum and providing the Lebanese people with the functioning state institutions they deserved.
“A prime minister must be designated and a government formed without delay. The tasks ahead of the Lebanese state are too monumental to waste any more time,” she stressed.
“Now is the moment for each and every decision-maker to put the interest of Lebanon above all personal or political considerations.
“The election of a president offers renewed hope and an opportunity to pave the way for progress towards consolidating the cessation of hostilities and preserving the country’s security and stability, including by strengthening state authority across Lebanon and advancing comprehensive and sustainable reforms,” she added.
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen described the election of Aoun as Lebanon’s new president as a “moment of hope” for the war-battered country.
“The way is now open to stability and reforms. Europe supports this path,” the European Commission president wrote on X.
Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the election of Aoun as Lebanon’s new president was a chance for “reforms and change” in the war-ravaged country.
“After many years of crisis and stagnation, this is a moment of opportunity to bring about reforms and change,” Baerbock said on social media platform X. “Germany stands by the side of the people of Lebanon on the way forward.”
* With AFP
