Gov’t Ends Financial Leak, to File UN Complaint against “Israel”
Gov't Ok to Maritime draft Law
"The committee referred the draft to House Speaker Nabih Berri who will propose it for discussion and approval during the two-day parliamentary sessions," "an-Nahar" Lebanese daily said.
The parliamentary committee chairman, MP Mohammed Qabbani told "an-Nahar" that "agreement was reached to directly refer the draft law to parliament rather than wait for the approval of the government."
"The approval of the law would be in response to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea," he said.
Lebanon signed the convention in 1994 but the country is obliged to draft a law specifying maritime areas under its sovereignty.
However, well informed sources told "as-Safir" newspaper that "there is a possibility for the inclusion of the draft law on this week legislative sessions' agenda, otherwise it will be delayed to next meeting Wednesday if Prime Minister Najib Mikati decided that the project is to be proposed to international experts and specialists for more confirmation and to secure more immunity."
Parliamentary sources expected consensus on the draft law.
In the same context, Iran's ambassador to Beirut Ghazanfar Roknabadi announced that "Tehran is ready to help Lebanon explore oil fields in the Mediterranean Sea."
"We have powerful and capable companies in the field of oil exploration and that's why we announced we are ready to cooperate with Lebanon in this sphere," Roknabadi told reporters following his meeting with Lebanon's Energy minister Gibran Bassil.
Praising the Lebanese Army's role in confronting latest "Israeli" aggressions at Wazzani Monday, Mikati clarified that UNIFIL in Lebanon was still committed to the implementation of Resolution 1701.
"Council of Ministers decided Tuesday to start the return to the path of law, and to stop the "military corridors", as one minister said, through the re-assignment of projects and accepting donations through ministries and not through alternative agencies, which were established in the previous era," "al-Akhbar" newspaper commented.
In addition to social and financial files, the government addressed a hot political issue by Minister Ali Qanso who stopped at the decision of US President Barack Obama to extend the US sanctions imposed on the number of Lebanese figures drawing attention that the decision of imposing sanctions taken by President George W. Bush was based on false accusations to support former PM Foad Siniora.
"Who set America as our guardian to determine who encourages and maintains and who doesn't?"Qanso asked.
Lebanon against "Israel" in UN
Between the marathon session of the Council of Ministers Tuesday, and the concentrated legislative parliamentary sessions on Wednesday and Thursday, the action wheel changed the country's direction after a long period of recession and stagnation.
As the government approved the proposal to determine the maritime borders of Lebanon, with minor modifications, the draft law is to be proposed for Parliament's approval.
A draft of the proposed delineation law was approved by the Public Works, Transportation, Energy and Hydraulics parliamentary committee on Monday.
For his part, PM Mikati stressed to ministerial council Tuesday that "Lebanon was committed to defending its rights in territorial waters and its investments in oil and gas fields in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1701."
Meanwhile, the government appointed Ghassan Baydoun as director of the investment department at the Energy Ministry Tuesday parallel to launching the process of ending the phase of having public finances and state administrations away from the laws and the Constitution.
On another level, The Lebanese Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour declared that Lebanon's mission to the UN will file Wednesday a complaint with the Security Council over "Israel's" violation of Resolution 1701 and Monday's incursion by "Israeli" troops into the Lebanese area of Wazzani.
"As-Safir" published Wednesday leaked information that the "Israeli" officers admitted for "UNIFIL" that an error happened to the commando's power and led to the fact that some of its elements passed the course of the river."
"Such an error was nearly to kill the soldiers, who according to the leaks were surprised by an ambush of the Lebanese army along the west bank of the river, with a distance interval that does not exceed the limits of ten meters only, thus the occupation soldiers found it difficult both to confront or to withdraw," "as-Safir" added.
Asked about Italy's recent decision to withdraw around 700 troops serving with the UNIFIL, Mansour said "the Italian decision is not related to any political position on Lebanon, but rather to economic and financial reasons."
Aoun: Lebanon's Equation A Deterrent Power
For his part, "Change and Reform Bloc" leader MP Michel Aoun noted that "Lebanon enjoys a deterrent power, embodied in the equation of the army, people, and Resistance, capable of defending the country against an "Israeli" attack."
After the meeting of his bloc Aoun stressed that "this equation won't end until the Arab-"Israeli" conflict is resolved, which is very difficult under the current "Israeli" and American policies."
""Israel" does not want peace ... if we abandon resistance and surrender, the country will be permanently destroyed," he remarked.
On Monday's Wazzani clashes, the MP congratulated the army on the occasion of Army Day. "We wish it constant success, especially since we have an enemy that continuously reminds us that the army is the guarantee for Lebanon's stability and independence," Aoun emphasized.
Pointing out that "the arms present under the state's control are not enough to put the Lebanese at ease," he clarified that "the army alone is not capable of defending Lebanon and neither is Hizbullah," he remarked.
"We refuse to rely only on international resolutions," he stressed.
On the national dialogue, the "Change and Reform Bloc" leader voiced his support for the talks, hoping that the agenda be determined in advance to tackle the defense strategy.
"The last time dialogue was held, the defense strategy was about to be addressed, but the talks veered off course to tackle Hizbullah's arms," he noted.
Addressing the developments in Syria, Aoun said: "Security forces have the right to defend themselves when they are fired at."
"The constitution allows for freedom of demonstration, not the freedom to riot. The Syrian security forces are suppressing riots, not protests," he added.
He also voiced his support for reform in Syria.
In addition, he stated that international interests are at play in Syria because it is the key to several issues in the region.
Source: Lebanese newspapers
