Wages Increase Implemented this Month, Berri Urges Action on Appointments
With the waves of rain pouring in the country, and with the deteriorating livelihood status soon to be devastating, the "getting better" oscillations are hopefully knocking the door of the people, with hopes of less negative concerns.
The Lebanese people have been through so much since the small Middle Eastern country was established. Wars and crises blundered inside the country, causing woes, but yet again strength. Lebanon is the country that learned how to defy and resist enemy missiles, and so it strives to overcome any crisis big or small.
Nowadays, electricity blackouts, wages' bill freeze, and other issues have been the major concern of the Lebanese people and government. These concerns were talked by Lebanese dailies, and so were other regional issues.
Wages Decree Approve, Implementation by Next Month
The months-awaited promise has been approved, passed and published in the official newspaper. On this level, Lebanese Labor Minister Charbel Nahhar confirmed that publishing the decree related to the salary increase, aims at putting this bill into force before the end of this month (January), so that the increases would be settled in accordance with the bill, for the ongoing month.
In an interview with as-Safir daily, Minister Nahhas affirmed that not signing the transportation fees' decree does not mean the issue would evaporate, clarifying that his Ministry was assigned to set a draft law to legalize the transportation fee.
"This draft law is under construction now, but it needs some time to be completely finalized", Minister Nahhas stated.
Appointments in Spotlight, Berri Urges Action
In a related level, and regarding the highly discussed appointments file, Lebanese Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri indicated that this issue should not go on unfinished and "every ministry is required to do his duty in this regard to complete the appointment mechanism".
Moreover, in an interview with an-Nahar newspaper, Berri urged Minister of Administrative Development Mohammad Fneish, to hasten in tackling this file.
In the same context, an-Nahar daily reported that President Michel Suleiman's visitors indicated his concern in achieving a draft law for the general budget and the appointments file.
Also, sources close to President Suleiman confirmed to al-Akhbar daily that the sole solution for the administrative appointments lies in amending the constitution. As for the issue related to the judicial appointments, which has been for long a matter of dispute, as-Safir daily stated according to high-ranked judicial sources, that Minister of Justice Shakib Qartabawi is striving towards achieving "radical and more effective" judicial appointments. The sources added that these appointments would be set upon "different standards that would only be concerned with the interests of the people and laws".
STL Finds its Way Back to Gov't Cycles
In relation to not-so "judicial" technicalities, the old Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) crisis once again found its way to the government sessions.
According to as-Safir newspaper, a legal-governmental-political workshop will be held in order to discuss the STL protocol, whose jurisdictions would end by the end of this next month. Furthermore, the daily added that consecutive meetings would be held in order to prepare an inclusive Lebanese official file to be presented on the right time.
In addition, the newspaper noted that the STL General Prosecutor Daniel Bellemare has demonstrated during his last meetings with Lebanese officials, a presentation for the stages he has tackled since the beginning of his role in the STL, right until he issued the indictment.
As-Safir also said that Bellemare wouldn't state the nationality of his successor as he will be stepping out of his position, and affirmed that only the UN will be appointing one of the candidates.
Syria Faces Internationalization Schemes
At the time when the UN is implementing its internationalization on Lebanon by request from the western powers, the Arab leaders are seeking internationalization of the Syrian crisis.
Anticipations are being brainstormed in regard to next week's UN Security Council meeting, which will hold, most probably, tense negotiations between Russia on one hand, and West-backed Arab countries on another hand.
Each side is so far insistent on its draft resolution that would be presented to the UNSC. A hearing would be held on Tuesday to listen to the "Arab" draft resolution that will propose an internationalization of the Arab crisis.
Sources indicated that European and Arab countries will also propose resolutions that would impose economic and maybe military sanctions on Syria; an issue that might refute the Russian diplomatic proposal, which has strictly excluded any military interference in Syria.
Source: Lebanese Newspapers, Translated and Edited by moqawama.org team
