Lebanese PM Hariri: Now is the best time to invest in Lebanon

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri says the stability that Lebanon has achieved makes it a key country for Turkish investors, noting that “if there were ever a prime time for Turkish businessmen to invest in Lebanon, that time is now.”

Speaking to the press at a meeting of the Association of Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASCAME) in Beirut yesterday, Hariri revealed that diplomatic relations between Turkey and Lebanon are good and that the instability of the last four years has been overcome by a government that aims to support both Lebanese and Turkish investors in the two countries.

The prime minister highlighted the surge in travel between Syria and Turkey after visa requirements were eased and said once his newly formed coalition government obtains a vote of confidence from parliament, they will work toward removing visa requirements between Lebanon and Turkey. Noting that he wants to increase the number of tourists traveling between the two countries, Hariri stated that the next step besides eliminating visa requirements is increasing the number of flights between the countries and decreasing the costs associated with traveling.

Speaking on the specific fields that Turkish businessmen can invest in, Hariri said: “Privatization is currently taking place in the energy, telecommunication and public transportation [sectors]. Besides these fields, there are many fields in which we can form cooperative business agreements with Turkish businessmen.”

Speaking on the Hariri family’s investments in Türk Telekom, Hariri noted that after the assassination of his father, Rafiq Hariri, he became a partner in Türk Telekom but that he had not yet taken up a position on the executive board. He said: “Türk Telekom is a great investment. On this note, Turkey is a big market for us with lots of potential. … Turkey has an increasingly important role in the region and has a positive impact on the stability of the region. For these reasons, we will support every investment between Turkey and Lebanon.”

On a free trade agreement between Turkey and Lebanon, Hariri noted that after obtaining a vote of confidence, one of the priorities for his government would be to work on achieving a free trade agreement between the two countries. Noting that along with working on this agreement that would boost economic and diplomatic ties, Hariri highlighted that Lebanon has been experiencing a serious energy problem and that only 60 percent of Lebanese citizens received, at best, intermittent access to electricity.

Concluding his remarks, Hariri revealed that even though Lebanon had grown during the global economic crisis, it was important to sustain this growth with investments as well as economic and legal reforms. Speaking about other cooperative agreements that his government had planned, Hariri noted that they were thinking of working with Gulf countries in various privatization projects. The ASCAME meeting, which took place in Beirut, was also attended by İstanbul Chamber of Commerce (İTO) chairman Murat Yalçıntaş, who was re-elected as the president of ASCAME.

Article Source:todayszaman.com

Lebanon Valley Chamber plans voyage to China

Staff Writer

Area businesses looking to expand half a world beyond the Lebanon Valley will have a chance to spread their wings next year.

The Lebanon Valley Chamber of Commerce, in conjunction with CITSLINC International Inc., is organizing a nine-day trip to China in September.

"We're not marketing it as a travel package," chamber President Larry Bowman said. "It's an opportunity for businesses to make contacts in China."

The trip will include meetings with Chinese private-sector businesses and government officials.

"It's a very comprehensive and attractive travel package," Bowman said. "The whole area of foreign tours is a new one that many chambers are venturing into."

The cost for chamber members is $1,999 per person, double occupancy. Nonmembers would have to pay an additional $150. Bowman said the trip is open to anyone.

On the itinerary are stops in Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou and Hangzhou and ancient sites, including the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven and Tiananmen Square, according to the chamber's bimonthly newsletter.

Included in the nine-day, seven-night tour to run from Sept. 25 to Oct. 3 is transportation to and from JFK International Airport in New York, round-trip airfare, four- and five-star hotels, three meals a day, entrance fees to tourist attractions, entertainment events, in-country transportation and English-speaking tour guides.

Bowman, his wife and son took a trip to China in the summer of


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Advertisement

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2008.
"We found it a remarkable experience," he said.

CITSLINC International was selected by a task force of volunteers within the chamber after reviewing four proposals for business mission and tour services.

CITSLINC was founded in Monterrey Park, Calif., in 1995. A second office was opened in Flushing, N.Y., in September 2001, according to its Web site, citslinc.com.

More details about the trip will be released in December, Bowman said. An evening meeting is planned on Jan. 11 to provide information for prospective participants.

For more details, call the chamber at 273-3727.


stevesnyder@ldnews.com; 272-5611, ext. 152

Article Source:ldnews.com

Ethiopian women dying on the job in Lebanon

BEIRUT, LEBANON (IPS) — October and November have been bloody months for Lebanon's migrant domestic workers — over the last five weeks nine women have died. Most deaths have been reported as suicide. On Oct. 21, 26-year-old Zeditu Kebede Matente of Ethiopia was found dead, hanging from an olive tree. Two days later 30-year old Saneet Mariam also of Ethiopia died after allegedly falling from the balcony of her employer's house.

The body of 20-year old Anget R. of Madagascar was found hanging from a rope at her employer's bedroom door Nov. 11. A newspaper in Madagascar reported the deaths of two other Malagasy women in October. One, identified only as Mampionona, was said to have fallen from the balcony of her employer's house. The other, identified as Vololona, died after reportedly jumping from the balcony.

Sunit Bholan of Nepal, who was 22, allegedly committed suicide Oct. 8. Ethiopian Kassaye Etsegenet, 23, died after reportedly jumping from the seventh floor of her employer's house Oct. 15. She left behind a suicide note citing personal reasons.

The list goes on: Nepalese national Mina Rokaya, 24, and then Tezeta Yalmoya of Ethiopia, 26 – who also died, it was said, when she fell from the balcony.

"It's a national tragedy," Nadim Houry, senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, tells IPS.

There are an estimated 200,000 women working in Lebanon as live-in housekeepers, cooks and nannies. Most are from Sri Lanka, Ethiopia and the Philippines, though increasing numbers are arriving from Nepal, Madagascar and Bangladesh.

The workers leave their families behind to travel to Lebanon and look after strangers. Many are treated well by their employers; others are less fortunate.

Once in Lebanon, the women may be confined to their employer's house, and have their passports confiscated and their salaries withheld, increasing their sense of isolation. Many women say they are not allowed out of the house, or get a day off. Complaints of sexual or psychological abuse are not uncommon.

Lebanon's controversial sponsorship system means that workers are bound to their employers, and face incarceration if they leave. "It's distressing to note that suicide for some is the only recourse to release from an abusive situation," says Azfar Khan, senior migration specialist at the International Labour Organisation (ILO) regional office for the Arab states.

Police investigations are often inadequate, usually taking into consideration only the employer's testimony and failing to cross-check it with neighbours or the worker's friends or family, says Houry. If the woman is lucky enough to survive a suicide attempt, the police almost never provide her with a translator, or ask whether she had been abused. Cases where abusive employers are imprisoned "are the exception, not the rule," says Houry.

The recent spate of deaths is not the first. A HRW study last year found that at least 95 women had died between Jan. 1, 2007 and Aug. 15, 2008 – a rate of more than one a week.

Aimee, a freelance domestic worker from Madagascar, has been in Lebanon for almost 12 years. As a community leader now, she helps workers in distress by offering a sympathetic ear and advice.

Many of the women she counsels do not receive a regular salary, or have been abused by their employers or recruitment agency officials. Agencies "check the women's bags for phone numbers or addresses of their consulate," Aimee tells IPS. Any numbers found are destroyed to prevent the woman seeking help. "How can they ask someone to work so far away from home and treat them like that?"

Lebanon's growing notoriety as a hotbed for abuse of rights has compelled the governments of Ethiopia and the Philippines to issue bans on their nationals working in Lebanon. But this hasn't stemmed the tide of migrants entering through third countries. Bans in any case only "transfer the problem from one nationality to another," says Houry, because recruitment agencies simply look to new countries for women workers.

One reason for suicides is the false expectations recruitment agencies raise among migrant workers. Many women are led to believe they will work as nurses or as other professionals. "A lot of these women are recruited in rural areas – it's like taking someone and plucking them into a totally different environment," says Houry.

One Nepalese woman he spoke to after she broke her leg trying to escape her employer's house said "she saw the snow on the mountains and thought if she could cross the mountain, she'd be in Nepal."

Lebanese labour laws do not cover domestic workers. Without any legal protection, foreign workers are vulnerable to exploitation.

"The ILO has been pushing for domestic workers to be covered under labour law – not just in Lebanon but in other countries of the region – so that at least institutionally they enjoy protection and have the option to have their grievances addressed in court," says Khan. "They are workers, so why should the labour law not apply to them?"

Lebanon has signed the International Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment, but has yet to move towards signing the Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families – a measure that would obligate it to take protection measures for the migrant community.

But more practical measures the Lebanese could take are to create a national hotline for distressed workers and a labour inspection force to monitor the treatment of migrants, says Houry. "More broadly, society has to mobilise. Not everyone is guilty of ill-treatment, but everyone has to feel responsible. People need to start speaking out and express that this is unacceptable."

Article Source:ethiopianreview.com

PSP Jumblat Says Syrian Influence in Lebanon is Permissible, Warns of Sunni-Shiite Tension.

Following the formation of the government, MP Walid Jumblatt stressed once again what he had said earlier on, “I am part of the majority, but I differentiate myself from the March 14 forces.”

Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat has said he has taken his decision to go to Damascus but such a visit depends on
Premier Saad Hariri's travel to the Syrian capital first.

Druze leader spoke of two major headlines out of the Taif Accord, i.e. the truce agreement and special relations with Syria. The Doha agreement has become a de facto document that has been imposed on the Taif Accord, Jumblatt said.

Jumblat told al-Akhbar daily in remarks published Wednesday, maybe Hariri's visit would help prepare for my visit," "Hariri's visit would help improve internal relations and limit confessional tension."

"Of course I have made up my mind to go to Damascus. However, what do the Syrians want? When Hariri comes back I would see the proper means to deal with this issue," the Druze leader said.

Given Lebanon's geographic location, he said "Syria's influence in Lebanon is permissible but within (the country's) independence and sovereignty."

Jumblat said the cabinet policy statement should center around three major topics: Respect for international resolutions, the right for resistance until liberation of occupied land and the armistice agreement with Israel.

"The agreement was a right decision," he said. Nevertheless, he stressed that the cabinet should depend on "smart" ministers to write the policy statement on what the Lebanese have agreed on, including special relations with Syria.

Turning to Hizbullah's arms, Jumblat said the issue would be discussed on the national dialogue table when conditions are ripe. "But the importance of these weapons is becoming clearer by the day amid Israeli threats," the PSP leader told al-Akhbar.

Jumblat reiterated, "The problem is among Muslims, Sunnis and Shiites, and it is not between Muslims and Christians."

Jumblat also told al-Akhbar that the Shiite-Druze tension has been reduced after he worked hard to limit the repercussions of the May 7 events.


Article Source:tayyar.org

Literary representations of Lebanon gathered together in book form

BEIRUT: We all know about the armies that tussled over Lebanon through the centuries; a new anthology shows that as many writers have tried to capture the country in words. “Lebanon: Through Writers’ Eyes,” compiled by husband-and-wife team Ted Gorton and Andree Feghali Gorton, unites a plethora of texts about the country. The earliest extract comes from the writings of Sinuhe, a minor official during Egypt’s Middle Kingdom, around 1875 BC, who settled in the Bekaa Valley after fleeing disgrace in his homeland.

Sinuhe’s description could have been written today: “Figs were in it and grapes, and its wine was more abundant than its water. Plentiful was its honey, many were its olives; all manner of fruits were upon its trees.”

Contemporary writings include extracts from Hoda Barakat’s book “The Stone of Laughter” and the poems of Nadia Tueni.

Between these temporal extremes lies all manner of literary response, divided into sub-section such as “Identities,” “Wars” and “Travelers from the West.”

All the writers one might expect are included – Kahlil Gibran, Robert Fisk, Amin Maalouf and Michel Chiha.

There are also some surprises. An extract from Mark Twain’s book “Innocents Abroad” describes the American author’s escapades in Baalbek and Beirut. A slice of Homer’s “Odyssey” features an encounter with “a Sidonian lady of hard-tried virtue.”

Travel journalists over the globe are urging their readers to visit Lebanon; the country is once again the hip destination of the moment. “Lebanon” provides a fascinating glimpse into how writers have represented the area throughout history, in the good times and the bad. – The Daily Star

Article Source:dailystar.com.lb

Head of TRA urges Lebanon's next cabinet to speed up telecom liberalization, privatization

BEIRUT: Chairman of the Tele­communications Regulatory Au­thority (TRA) Kamal Shehadi urged on Monday the new cabnet expected to be formed soon in Lebanon, to embark on the full liberalization of Leba­non’s telecom sector, renewing his pledges to work for the privatization of the cellular networks. “What is needed, following the appointment of a new government, is for the minister to propose and the council of ministers to adopt a clear policy regarding the allocation of shares between the strategic investor and the Lebanese public, revenue sharing, the timing of privatization and other related issues,” he said.

Shehadi added that the TRA is committed to the licensing and privatization of mobile in a manner that unequivocally establishes the fundamental structure of a competitive market and which allows the expected new competitor, Liban Telecom, to compete on a level playing field.

“To this end, TRA has planned to assign the spectrum necessary for a third operator and has defined the regulatory framework that favors competition including the significant market power regulation, the national numbering plan and number portability and infrastructure-sharing,” he said.

Shehadi said that the success of liberalizing the broadband depends in large part on the government’s policy commitments to stimulate public demand for broadband through e-education, e-health and e-government. “It is also very important to remove any limitations on the reasonable use of technology, such as supporting the authorization of mobility for broadband services providers,” he added.

His remarks came during the opening of the 9th GSR- Global Symposium for Regulators and 2nd GILF- Global industry Leaders forum conference held at Habtoor Grand Hotel Convention Center in Beirut.

The conference aims at gathering 600 telecommunications regulators, policymakers and service providers from more than 97 countries to explore the challenges facing the telecommunication industry today. The event’s objectives are to devise innovative solutions and create new opportunities for the growth and spread of ICT as well.

Shehadi stressed on the im­portance of considering not only the challenge posed by the world financial and economic crises but also the opportunity and the promise of better regulation.

His views were echoed by Sami al-Basheer al-Morshid, director of Telecommunication Development Bureau (TDB), who said that ICT regulators and policymakers need to carry out a delicate balancing act between a hands-on or hands-off approach to regulation.

“They need to take into account the ultimate interests of citizens, and care
introduce new regulations, so to take into account the interests of all parties involved, but also to ensure proper and sustainable investment,” he said. “Effective regulation can ensure that investment flows continue to drive ICT growth.”

Morshid said that markets for ICTs in developing countries tend to remain attractive despite the global downturn. “Some 65 percent of countries worldwide have opened fixed basic services to some form of competition and some 64 percent of countries worldwide have at least partially privatized their incumbent operators,” he said.

He added that mobile penetration globally is estimated to reach 67 percent in 2009 or 4.6 billion mobile subscriptions. “It is estimated that more than one quarter of the world’s population is using internet in 2009.”

Some statistics were also given by Isabelle Moro, head of the external affairs of the GSM association, who said that the spending in the ICT industry is expected to reach $80 billion in the next five years which include $25 billion allocated to broadband alone. “This will contribute to 3 or 4 percent of the global GDP and create 25 million job opportunities while providing access to internet for 2.4 billion people,” she said.

According to the Information Economy Report 2009, released by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), ICT goods are among those products that have been the most affected by the recession while IT and ICT related services appear to be more resilient.

It said the number of fixed telecommunications subscriptions in the world was around 1.2 billion at the end of 2008 and the number of mobile subscriptions reached 4 billion. Moreover, there were an estimated 1.4 billion Internet users globally and an estimated 400 million fixed-broadband subscribers.

The report stated as well that the global market for the “offshoring” of IT and ICT-enabled services was estimated to be worth around $90 billion in 2008, of which IT services accounted for 60 percent.

It added that the penetration level in developing countries is now eight times higher than what it was at the turn of the century. The least-developed countries raised their mobile penetration from two per 100 inhabitants in 2003 to 20, in 2008.

One of the speakers at the conference was Hamadoun Toure, secretary general of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), who said that ICTs play a pivotal role in helping us emerge from the financial crisis and in fueling economic recovery. He added that ICTs have a more important role than any other sector in helping to address climate change. “ICTs can help solve the climate crisis by reducing waste, by cutting business travel, by making industry more efficient and by helping us monitor environmental change through satellite-based remote sensing systems,” he said.

Article Source:dailystar.com.lb

Dream of a girl in Lebanon refugee camp

Photo taken on Oct. 29, 2009 shows Sahar Karmo reading a book in a library.Every afternoon, the 12-year-old Sahar Karmo goes to the Youth and Children Center in Beirut's Shatila Palestinian Refugee Camp for free education. The Center is not a formal school but a training institution for those children who perform poorly in schools. Before dropping out of school, Sahar attended a private school outside the camp. When the younger sisters are in the school age, the family with a monthly income less than 1,000 U.S. dollars cannot afford almost 500 dollars of every child's yearly school fee. As the eldest one, Sahar was asked by her mother to stay at home and do house work. A child of a Lebanese father and Palestinian mother, Sahar cannot attend free-of-charge schools run by the UN Refugees Works Agency (UNRWA). What is worse, her father has no identification cards, preventing her from entering Lebanese public schools that cost nothing. She likes becoming teacher in the future, giving more poor children access to education. Even now in the center, she often helps the younger children to study. But now, she has to stay at home, watching her fellows going out every morning with school bags on their back. "I cannot go to school now, so I cannot become a teacher when I grow up. I don't know what I can do in the future," Sahar said. She has pleaded in vain with her mother for her to return to school for several times. "I envy those children who can travel around and see different things. But I have no ID cards, so I cannot get passport, let alone travelling," said Sahar.(Xinhua/Pan Liwen)
Article Source:xinhuanet.com

Lebanon Twitter

Lebanon (pronounced /ˈlɛbənɒn or /ˈlɛbənən/; Arabic: لُبْنَان‎ Lubnān; French: Liban), officially the Republic of Lebanon (Arabic: اَلْجُمْهُورِيَّة اَللُّبْنَانِيَّة al-Jumhūrīyah al-Lubnānīyah; French: République libanaise), is a country in Western Asia, on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It is bordered by Syria to the north and east, and Israel to the south. Lebanon's location at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian hinterland has dictated its rich, sometimes violent history, and shaped its unique cultural identity of religious and ethnic diversity.

The earliest evidence of civilization in Lebanon dates back more than 7,000 years—predating recorded history. Lebanon was the historic home of the Phoenicians, a maritime culture that flourished for nearly 2,500 years (3000–539 BC). Following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after World War I, the five provinces that comprise present-day Lebanon were mandated to France. Lebanon established a unique political system in 1942, known as confessionalism, a community-based power-sharing mechanism.It was created when the ruling French mandatory powers expanded the borders of the former autonomous Ottoman Mount Lebanon district that was mostly populated by Maronite Catholics and Druze. The country gained independence in 1943, and French troops withdrew in 1946.

Before the Lebanese Civil War (1975–1990), the country enjoyed a period of relative calm and prosperity, driven by tourism, agriculture, and banking.[10] It is considered one of the banking capitals of Western Asia, and during its heyday was known to some as the "Switzerland of the East" due to its financial power and diversity at the time. Lebanon also attracted large numbers of tourists to the point that the capital Beirut was referred to as "Paris of the Middle East." Immediately following the end of the war, there were extensive efforts to revive the economy and rebuild national infrastructure.

Until July 2006, a considerable degree of stability had been achieved throughout much of the country, Beirut's reconstruction was almost complete, and an increasing number of foreign tourists were pouring into Lebanon's resorts. This was until the one month long 2006 Lebanon War, between the Israeli military and Hezbollah, which caused significant civilian death and serious damage to Lebanon's civil infrastructure. The conflict lasted from 12 July 2006 until a cessation of hostilities call, by the UN Security Council, went into effect on 14 August 2006.