(Lebanon Twitte)-Discords amongst the Lebanese political forces and inter-religious problems in the country, which hinder the development of Lebanon, can be solved only through political change, as a result of which the country could become a modern state in both economic and political sense, the Speaker of Lebanese Parliament Nabih Berri believes.
Development and Liberation bloc MP Michel Moussa said on Wednesday that despite Speaker Nabih Berri's despair, the new cabinet is that of a nation and will ultimately have to be formed.
Berri described the situation in Lebanon as “appalling” as a result of the country being left without a government. He spoke during a meeting at his residence in Ain al-Tineh with a delegation from the Arab and international news agencies currently visiting Beirut to attend a conference to mark the Silver Jubilee of the state-run National News Agency.
Moussa said March 8 forces are the only ones considered with the formation process, since March 14 coalition has expressed its refusal to join the new cabinet headed by Prime Minister Designate Najib Mikati, although contact between the 2 coalitions still exists.
An agreement on an equal number of Muslims and Christians in the Lebanese Parliament has been achieved 20 years ago. This agreement, called the Taif Accord, put an end in 1990 to the bloody confrontation that existed in the country since 1975.
He called on Sleiman and Mikati to shoulder their historic responsibilities by forming “a government of conscience, not a government of hatred, a national salvation government on the basis of a strict implementation of the National Accord Document and all U.N. resolutions.
(Lebanon Twitte)-LEBANON - The Corvallis High baseball team defeated Lebanon 7-3 on Tuesday in a Mid-Willamette Conference game to help its playoff cause.
Garrett Miller led the way for Corvallis (13-7, 12-4) on the mound. He struck out 13 in a complete-game victory.
Kyle Weber had the Warriors most competitive match on April 25, losing 7-5 in a tight opening set before falling to West Albany’s Snowden Bristow 6-0 in the second.
Weber had another solid effort at Crescent Valley on April 27, but fell 6-2, 7-5 in the No. 3 singles match.
This week, CV plays Woodburn (0-15) and West plays South Albany (3-12) before the two leaders play each other next week in a potential three-game series for the championship.
Corvallis and Lebanon play this week with the loser almost certainly out of the running for a title.
West Albany would win tiebreakers with Corvallis and Lebanon having won two of three games from each of those teams this season.
April 25
West Albany 8, Lebanon 0
Tyler Day, West Albany d. Brad Weber, 6-0, 6-1
Anthony Van Eaton, West Albany d. Carter Shank, 6-0, 6-1
Snowden Bristow, West Albany d. Kyle Weber, 7-5, 6-0
Caleb Riley, West Albany d. Austin Kleint, 6-2, 6-0
CV coach Ryan Starwalt said Woodburn pitcher Joe Palafox kept the Raiders guessing.
"He was pitching a good game, throwing strikes and keeping us off-balance," Starwalt said.
Grant Mattes matched Palafox, finishing with 11 strikeouts and giving up two hits in six innings.
Jamie Alsip went 3 for 4 with a double, triple and four RBIs and Tanner Sanders went 3 for 5 with two doubles and three RBIs.
The Bulldogs have a good shot at the Mid-Willamette's second seed into the play-in games if they can sweep South Albany (1-13) this week and Crescent Valley (6-8) next week.
Lebanon (8-6) can move closer to claiming the fourth seed with at least two wins this week against Corvallis (5-10).
South looks to be locked into the seventh spot. The Rebels would have to win five of their last six against West and Woodburn (0-15) in addition to having Corvallis (5-10) get swept by Lebanon and Silverton in order to move up.
(Lebanon Twitte)-UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Michael C. Williams said in a statement following his meeting with Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati in Beirut, that his interview with him had been good. We discussed domestic issues and particularly the process of government formation as well as some of the regional developments," he said, while adding that he expressed his "strong support for Najib Miqati as Prime Minister-designate and his endeavors to form a new government. I also expressed my concern to him that this process was taking such a long time. We talked about the needs of the Lebanese people at every level, social, economic and political, and that these needs necessitated the early formation of a government. So I very much want to see Prime Minister-designate Miqati successful in his efforts to form a new government as soon as possible.
Williams said discussions had focused on the government formation process as well as regional developments.
“I take this opportunity to express my strong support for Najib Mikati as prime minister-designate and his endeavors to form a new government,” Williams told reporters after the meeting.
They also discussed some of the security issues, mentioning for example the recent controversy about illegal construction. "Najib Miqati told me that he was very concerned about these matters," Williams said. "We also discussed the fate of the missing Estonian cyclists, who have now been missing I believe for six weeks. I take this occasion again to appeal on humanitarian grounds for their immediate release.
At the regional level, Williams said he reiterated Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s concerns about “some of the developments in the region, in Syria, in Libya and in Bahrain among others.
“And the message of the secretary-general is very clear, it underlines the need for dialogue, it underlines the need to avoid violence and to respect human rights,” Williams added.
(Lebanon Twitte)-Rafic Baha El Deen Al-Hariri (November 1, 1944 – February 14, 2005, رفيق بهاء الدين الحريري), was a business tycoon and the Prime Minister of Lebanon from 1992 to 1998 and again from 2000 until his resignation, 20 October 2004.
He headed five cabinets during his tenure. Hariri dominated the country's post-war political and business life and is widely credited with reconstructing Beirut after the 15-year civil war.
Hariri was assassinated on 14 February 2005 when explosives equivalent to around 1000 kg of TNT were detonated as his motorcade drove past the St. George Hotel in the Lebanese capital, Beirut. The investigation, by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, into his assassination is still ongoing and currently led by the independent investigator Daniel Bellemare. In its first two reports, UNIIIC indicated that the Syrian government may be linked to the assassination. According to a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation news investigation, the special UN investigation team had found strong evidence for the responsibility of the Hezbollah in the assassination. Hariri's killing led to massive political change in Lebanon, including the Cedar Revolution and the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon.
Beginnings in philanthropy
Having accumulated his wealth, Hariri started a number of philanthropic projects, including the building of educational facilities in Lebanon. Hariri became progressively more embroiled in politics. His appeals to the U.N. and services as an emissary to the Saudi Royal family won him international recognition on the political stage for his humanitarian efforts but also slowly caught him in the web of Lebanese politics.
Political career
Hariri returned to Lebanon in the early 80s as a wealthy man and began to build a name for himself by making large donations and contributions to various groups in Lebanon. He was implanted as the Saudis' strong man following the collapse of the PLO and the paucity of any viable Sunni leadership in the country, as well as a response to the rising power of the Shiite militia Amal. In 1992, becoming prime minister under Syria's watchful military occupation of Lebanon, he put the country back on the financial map through the issuing of Eurobonds and won plaudits from the World Bank for his plan to borrow reconstruction money as the country's debt grew to become the largest per capita in the world.
1992-1998 economic political policies
Hariri implemented an aggressive new economic policy. Perhaps Hariri's most important creation in the beginning of his career was "Horizon 2000" the government's name for its new rejuvenation plan. A large component of "Horizon 2000" was Solidere, the privately-owned construction company that was established to reconstruct post-war Lebanon. Solidere was owned by the government and private investors. Solidere was largely focused on redeveloping Beirut's downtown and turning it into a new urban center as quickly as possible as one aspect of the various infrastructure redevelopment plans that would be implemented by "Horizon 2000". Another aspect of the decade-long plan was the privatization of major industries. Numerous contracts were awarded in important industries such as energy, telecommunications, electricity, airports and roads. The last and perhaps most significant aspect of "Horizon 2000" was economic stimulus via foreign direct investment. Specifically, Hariri supported foreign firms and individuals taking an interest in Lebanon's developmental potential.
Hariri and Lebanon's political environment
Amid the political crisis brought on by the extension of President Émile Lahoud's term, Hariri resigned as Prime Minister, saying: "I have... submitted the resignation of the government, and I have declared that I will not be a candidate to head the (next) government."
During a BBC interview in 2001, Harīrī was asked by Tim Sebastian why he refused to hand over members of Hezbollah that were accused by America of being terrorists. He responded that Hezbollah were the ones protecting Lebanon against the Israeli occupation and called for implementation of passed United Nations resolutions against Israel. He was further accused of making the American coalition in the War on Terrorism worthless and asked if he was ready for the consequences of his refusal, reminding him that George W. Bush had said: "Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists.
Assassination
On 14 February 2005 Hariri was killed, along with 21 others, when explosives equivalent of around 1,000 kg of TNT were detonated as his motorcade drove near the St. George Hotel in Beirut. Among the dead were several of Hariri's bodyguards and his friend and former Minister of the Economy Bassel Fleihan. Hariri was buried along with his bodyguards, who died in the bombing, in a location near Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque.
The latest progress report by Brammertz has indicated that DNA evidence collected from the crime scene suggests that the assassination might be the act of a young male suicide bomber.
Background
Hariri was born in a modest Sunni Muslim family, along with two siblings (brother, Shafic and sister Bahia) in the Lebanese port city of Sidon. Hariri attended elementary and secondary school in his city and pursued his business administration studies at the Beirut Arab University.
Rise to wealth
In 1969, Hariri established Ciconest, a small subcontracting firm, which went out of business soon. He then went in business with the French construction firm Oger for the construction of a hotel in Ta’if, Saudi Arabia, the timely construction of which brought him in good graces with King Khaled. Hariri took over Oger, forming Oger International, which became the main construction firm used by the Saudi Royal family for all of their important developments. As a result, only a few years after his first contract with King Khaled, Hariri had become a multi-billionaire.
Aftermath
Hariri was well regarded among international leaders, for example, he was a close friend of French President Jacques Chirac. Chirac was one of the first foreign dignitaries to offer condolences to Hariri's widow in person at her home in Beirut. The Special Tribunal for Lebanon was also created at his instigation.
Syria was initially accused of the assassination, which led to the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon following widespread protests.
Following Hariri's death, there were several other bombings and assassinations against minor anti-Syrian figures. These included Samir Kassir, George Hawi, Gebran Tueni, Pierre Amine Gemayel, and Walid Eido. Assassination attempts were made on Elias Murr, May Chidiac, and Samir Shehade (who was investigating Hariri's death).
The United Nations special tribunal (see Special Tribunal for Lebanon) investigating the murder of Hariri is expected to issue draft indictments accusing Hezbollah of murdering Hariri.
(Lebanon Twitte)-Fuad Siniora,Fouad Sanyoura, Fuad Sinyora, Fouad Sanioura, Fouad Seniora, Fouad Siniora, فؤاد السنيورة , Fu'ād as-Sanyūrah) is a Lebanese politician, a former Prime Minister of Lebanon, a position he held from 19 July 2005 to May 25, 2008 the date of the election of the new President of Lebanon; he was renominated to the post on 28 May 2008 and held the post as Acting President between those dates. He stepped down on 9 November 2009 in favor of Saad Hariri, the late Rafiq Hariri's son. He currently serves as a member of Parliament from Saida.
Member of National Assembly
Fuad Siniora has strong ties with the international financial community. Strongly pro-business, he is considered a moderate partisan of free trade. He was a very close adviser to late Rafik Hariri and he is very close to his son Saad Hariri. He served as finance minister from 1992 to 1998 and again from 2000 to 2004 during which he was the architect of the national debt that climbed from US $2 billion to US $50 billion . Siniora was the main architect of the Paris II conference in November 2002 which allowed Lebanon to get US $2.6 billion and the Paris III Conference in January 2007 which pledged 13 billion dollars to Lebanon. He was accused of corruption and mismanagement after Hariri's ousting in 1998, in what was mainly viewed as a conflict between Hariri and Syria, and a Syrian-orchestrated move to keep him in line. Siniora was cleared of all charges in 2003 by the parliament and the Judicial Court. In 2002, he abolished most of Lebanon's duty taxes and introduced a Value Added Tax.
Prime minister
After the victory of the anti-Syrian opposition in parliamentary elections held in May and June 2005, Fuad Siniora was asked by President Lahoud on 30 June to form a government. He resigned from the chairmanship of Group Méditerranée (a banking holding controlled by the Hariri family). After laborious negotiations with the President and the different political forces, Siniora formed a government on July 19, 2005. It is the first government formed after the Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon and the first government to include members of the pro-Iranian militant group Hezbollah. With regards to Hezbollah, the Siniora cabinet's official stance in the Pre-Doha Government was that "The government considers the resistance a natural and honest expression of the Lebanese people’s national rights to liberate their land and defend their honour against Israeli aggression and threats.
The July War
On July 12 , 2006, Hezbollah launched a deadly cross-border attack against Israel and initiated the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war. On July 27, 2006, Siniora seeking to end the devastating conflict, presented a seven-point Siniora Plan at a 15-nation conference in Rome. Siniora also called for an Arab League meeting in Beirut. During a televised address at the conference, he famously sobbed as he described the suffering of the Lebanese people. On 12 August, Siniora cautiously welcomed the newly-passed UNSCR 1701.
The Lebanese Government even declared that unauthorised rocket launching towards Israel would constitute High Treason, as the Israelis "would gain much propaganda.
Events leading to the Doha Agreement
On November 13, 2006, Shiite ministers backed by Hezbollah and Amal resigned from Siniora's cabinet. This took place on the eve in which the International Tribunal trying the murderers of Rafik Hariri was to be discussed in a cabinet meeting. Although the resigned ministers were only 6, nearly 40% of the Lebanese MPs are in the opposition. Unlike Western democracies, no party in Lebanon has ever had a monopoly on power and decision-making, therefore the Government never took a decision unless it was agreed upon with the opposition.
The Lebanese opposition claimed that this resignation meant that the Siniora Government was not a legitimate one because it did not represent all religious groups in Lebanon, namely the Shiite Lebanese. According to the constitution, the government is legal as long as it has two-thirds of the ministers, and so the majority believed the Siniora government was still a totally legal cabinet. The opposition demanded an increase in opposition representation in the cabinet, sufficient to hold veto power over decision making, as their requirement for returning. The majority saw this as a Syrian-orchestrated move to block the establishment of the Hariri tribunal.
Early life
Siniora was born into a Sunni-Muslim family in Sidon on April 14, 1943. He earned a Masters in Business Administration from the American University of Beirut after attending the American School for Boys in Sidon. He speaks fluent English. In the 1970s, Siniora worked for Citibank and taught at his alma mater in Beirut and at the Lebanese University. He then joined the audit committee at Lebanon's Central Bank in 1977. In 1982, he was recruited by successful businessman Rafik Hariri to help him manage and expand his massive business empire. Upon the end of Lebanon's Civil War, Hariri became Lebanon's Prime Minister. Hariri appointed Siniora as his Minister of Finance in his successive cabinets. He was the Chairman and Managing Director of Groupe Mediterranee which encompasses four Hariri-owned banks. He is known for his interest in Arab literature and poetry.
(Lebanon Twitte)- Internal security forces patrol was intercepted on Sunday as it was heading to the town of Aitet in the Tyre area in order to thwart a construction violation, reported the National News Agency.
It said that a Renault Rapid car, without a license plate and with tinted windows, followed by 20 vehicles intercepted the patrol.
A number of men soon came down from the cars, with sticks, stones, and construction equipment in hand.
Meanwhile, before the statement was released and as officials of Hezbollah and Amal Movement were discussing the situation with Lebanese Army and Internal Security Forces officers, six policemen were injured as they tried to stop illegal construction on public property in east Tyre.
They stressed that priority should be given to removing illegal construction near the airport wall.
The majority of the violations have been removed and the second phase will focus on removing construction violations on public property, which will then be followed by the removal of all public property violations," he stated.
Last week the ISF, backed by the army, demolished illegal construction around Rafik Hariri International Airport, as part of an effort to safeguard operations there.
Despite the clashes, caretaker Public Works and Transportation Minister Ghazi Aridi praised security forces for taking action against violators upon the request of caretaker Interior Minister Ziyad Baroud.
