Lebanon Keen on Livelihood Issues, “Friends of Syria” Recognize Syrian National Council

Siraj Kobeissy

"In the name of the king" people used to say with an approving approach towards the ruling kingdom. With the collapse of many kingdoms throughout ages, some have replaced the phrase now to "In the name of the republic" or "In the name of the government". However, with the wave of awakening sweeping across the globe, the people are demanding their own "name" to be highlighted; i.e. "In the name of the people".

With Charbel Nahhas' resignation, all Lebanese citizens, and even officials, are keen on replacing him with someone who also calls for the "name of the people" to rise.

The Lebanese "Labor" Ministry vacancy was the main concern of the Lebanese dailies, and so were other Lebanese and regional affairs.

Nahhas Gone... Lebanon Waits Replacement

The Lebanese are anticipating the potential substitute that would possibly fill the difficult position of the resigned Labor Minister Charbel Nahhas, whose main concern was their welfare.

In this regard, as-Safir daily reported that Lebanese President Michel Suleiman and Prime Minister Najib Mikati will announce today, Friday, the name of the new Labor Minister. Sources at the Grand Serail said that the potential minister will be chosen from a list of suggested names submitted by Head of "Change and Reform Bloc" MP Michel Aoun.

On the same level, al-Akhbar Lebanese daily stated that fingers were pointing at former member of the Constitutional Council, Judge Salim Jreisaty, who according to Change and Reform sources, Aoun prefers on other candidates, with reference to his legal expertise and political commitments.

PM Mikati Committed to Solving People's Concerns

With a high commitment spirit, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati stated in an interview with as-Safir daily, that the "cabinet will convene on Monday 9:30 pm, headed by President Michele Suleiman", clarifying that the agenda will focus on tackling the piled issues, mainly people's livelihood concerns.

Regarding the administrative appointments, and whether the issue would be re-discussed in the cabinet, Mikati noted that the issue is being resolved step by step, adding that the ministries seek solutions away from any sign of tension and discontent.

With reference to Thursday's parliamentary session, Lebanese PM expressed relief concerning the results of the session, believing that "it was wise to postpone it [the session] for a while in order to seek apprehension of certain points [...] and the priority of this stage should be maintaining stability, in light of the chaos hitting the region".
In addition, he affirmed that the $ 11 billion spending of the former governments is currently under investigation, asserting that his government is seeking to assign a limit for the spending, therefore every illegitimate waste of money will be audited, and those responsible will be accounted, the daily added.

Berri Prevents National Division in a Nutshell

On his part, Lebanese Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri expressed discontent regarding the result of Thursday's parliamentary session, affirming that some members' withdrawal from the session was not justified. He said that "there is a difference between the proposal to spend a L.L 8,900 billion; which March 14 asked to revoke every article related to spending it, and a $ 11 billion that was spend by former government, and we still don't know how they were spent".

Furthermore, speaking to as-Safir daily, Berri stressed that he decided to postpone the session until March 5, in order to prevent any national division. He indicated that he will be giving a chance for "understanding" through forming a committee that constitutes members from all parliamentary blocs; whose duty would be to tackle all disputed affairs in the parliament's agenda. "The upcoming session will take its time, and some projects and proposals will be adjudicated", Speaker Berri affirmed.

"Friends of Syria" in Tunisia...

On its part, the so-called "Friends of Syria Conference" is held today Friday in Tunisia, and while waiting what would possibly be the "fruit" of this meeting, al-Akhbar daily reported that the convening Arabs and Westerners will either adjudicate approaching a military interference option, or forming a "united Syrian opposition"; a prospective power to topple the Syrian regime.

Moreover in this context, as-Safir daily highlighted the key points of the aforementioned conference's concluding statement, in which it confirmed the participants' commitment to adopt the appropriate steps to implement the sanctions imposed on the Syrian regime. The said sanctions include freezing the regime members' bank assets, forbidding them from traveling outside the country and halting the trade in fuel products.

The participants also vow to commit to ending all Syria-related infrastructure and financial investments, close all their consulates and embassies in the Syrian territories, and therefore end diplomatic ties with the Middle Eastern country.
As-Safir further added that "Friends of Syria" will recognize the "Syrian National Council", as the "sole" representative of the Syrians demanding for peaceful democratic change.


Source: Lebanese Daily Newspapers, Translated and Edited by moqawama.org