Syria Escalates Diplomatic Tone, Lebanon Suffers Electricity, Diesel Scandal
As the Egyptian revolution restores some of its luster and momentum a year after toppling the Pharaoh, major questions are raised concerning the destiny of people's will.
A year after January 25 2011, the Egyptian scene seems open on all possibilities:
People are still protesting against military rule. Muslim Brotherhood movement won parliamentary elections forming a parliamentary majority.
Toppled former President Hosni Mubarak is under trial. However his years of surrender to US- "Israeli" seem to keep impact on the Egyptian political ground.
This comes as the Deputy leader of the Muslim Brotherhood movement in Egypt Hassan al-Shater announced Tuesday the group's commitment to all conventions in general including the so-called peace convention with "Israel".
Syria: Let Them Go to Moon
On the other side of the Arab's scene, the Syrian diplomacy raised the sword of sovereignty and unity in face of all conspiracies and the message was clear: Let the Gulf countries go not only to the United Nations but also to the moon; we are firm in applying reform and facing tails of conspiracy.
In parallel, Damascus approved Tuesday the Arab League's request of extending the Arab observers' mission for an additional month.
Electricity on Top
Moving to the Lebanese scene, electricity severe cut is still heading the Lebanese concern.
In an interview with "as-Safir" Lebanese daily, Prime Minister Najib Mikati unveiled that the government had made contacts with companies that lease power-generating ships.
"This could take approximately a month to study the performance of these companies, their productivity and costs but things are running at a fast pace," he said.
Stressing that "the government will start issuing tenders after the World Bank approved to fund several of the Energy Ministry's projects," Mikati noted that "financial issues linked to the World Bank and Funds take time."
For his part, "Change and Reform bloc" leader MP Michel Aoun called Tuesday Lebanese people, "who pay their electricity bills," to prepare themselves "for a peaceful protest in order to tell the government that the issue of electricity needs to be addressed seriously and that the electricity plan should not be hindered."
"Today we are getting ready to implement our plans and we, have come to reform and repair what others have previously ruined in the government," Aoun stressed.
In the same context, "al-Akhbar" Lebanese daily reported that "the government is to tackle the electricity topic in its Wednesday scheduled session."
Diesel Scandal, Appointments
Meanwhile, a diesel scandal is emerging to the surface as "as-Safir" Lebanese daily uncovered Wednesday that "during a meeting of Parliament's Finance Committee Tuesday, MPs stirred the issue of the red diesel shortage during the one-month VAT slash of LL3,000."
The scandal erupted after reports said that at midnight of January 18, the Tripoli refinery sold to traders 8 million liters of red diesel at the price of LL26, 300 hours before the end of the government deadline for the LL3,000 subsidy.
"But the 8 million liters were sold the next day in the market at the cost of LL29, 300," the report said.
Clarifying that "the committee agreed to hold a meeting within two weeks to hear a detailed report from both the Economy and Energy Ministries,"
House Speaker Nabih Berri also vowed to ask the general prosecutor's office to launch an investigation after receiving the report of the General Inspection Board."
"The temporary VAT slash was aimed at helping the people and not providing an opportunity for some to make illegal profits," he told "as-Safir".
Concerning appointments, Foreign minister Adnan Mansour informed "al-Binaa" newspaper that the diplomatic formations are to appear soon.
Not ruling out the possibility that these appointments are to be approved before next week, he pointed out that they are to be produced gradually.
Source: Lebanese newspapers, Translated and Edited by moqawama.org
