Lebanon’s banks confront politicians in protest against lawsuits and arrests

Lebanese activists confront soldiers guarding the entrance of the country’s parliament building during a demonstration in the center of Beirut on Thursday. (AFP)
Lebanese activists confront soldiers guarding the entrance of the country’s parliament building during a demonstration in the center of Beirut on Thursday. (AFP)
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Updated 05 August 2022

Lebanon’s banks confront politicians in protest against lawsuits and arrests

Lebanon’s banks confront politicians in protest against lawsuits and arrests
  • Association trying to evade responsibility for country’s current economic crisis, critics say
  • Finance minister urges ministries, administrations to speed up salary transfer process

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s banking association ABL announced on Friday that banks would go on strike starting Monday over a build-up of “populist, harmful stances” taken against the sector, the group’s statement read.

Around 49 banks plan to strike, the statement added.

The group is taking action over the recent treatment of the sector, particularly the arrest of Creditbank Chairman Tarek Khalife this week.

Khalife was held along with his family upon their arrival at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport recently, following a criminal complaint filed against him at the Public Prosecution Office in Mount Lebanon.

Although Khalife is now on bail, ABL stressed that “these abnormal situations, which banks have been trying to deal with flexibly, even at their own expense, have reached an extent that is no longer acceptable.”

Economic experts expect the strike to put pressure on the financial market and the dollar exchange rate in the parallel market.

They said the strike could lead to banks ceasing to pump dollars into the market in accordance with the Banque Du Liban’s circulars, with people turning to the parallel market for dollars.

ABL said that banks “can no longer bear harmful and populist situations at their expense and at the expense of the economy, and they find themselves compelled to issue a general warning that is an invitation to everyone to deal seriously and responsibly with the current situation for the sake of moving towards real recovery.”

The association accused people looking into the lawsuits of being unaware of basic banking and accounting laws, adding that it was surprised by some of the commissioners’ neglect in respecting the law and its provisions, “as if implementing the law has become optional, not mandatory.”

It added: “What is even more surprising is that these authorities take drastic measures that deal with the individual’s freedom and dignity, defame them and jeopardize the relationship of local banks with the correspondent banks, which causes extreme damage, not only for banks but also for the depositors.”

Critics say ABL’s move will have a negative impact on the banking sector and will have repercussions on the vital sectors in a country that suffers from financial crises that are worsening every day.

Public sector employees have not received last month’s salaries because of their open-ended strike, demanding the adjustment of their salaries and benefits.

Finance Minister Youssef Khalil said, however, that salaries would be paid within the “next 10 days at the latest.”

He urged ministries and administrations to speed up the process in order to avoid further delays.

Those opposed to the banks’ policies, which led to the economic collapse of the country, believe that Lebanese banks are trying to evade responsibility for the country’s situation and are instead blaming the state for the financial crisis.

Critics note that several banks’ partners are politicians themselves.

Economic expert Bassem Ajjaka told Arab News that ABL’s step “is a message to the political class in Lebanon, not to the judiciary or the people.”

He said that ABL made direct accusations against those politicians in its statement.

The statement is a warning to the government, as it develops and implements policies based on the constitution, Ajjaka added.


Japanese singer Asca, DJ Yamato perform at Jeddah’s Anime Village

Japanese singer Asca, DJ Yamato perform at Jeddah’s Anime Village
Updated 04 June 2023

Japanese singer Asca, DJ Yamato perform at Jeddah’s Anime Village

Japanese singer Asca, DJ Yamato perform at Jeddah’s Anime Village
  • Asca in Kingdom for second time following December show in Riyadh
  • DJ Yamato, first Japanese artist to collaborate with DJ Avicii, in Saudi Arabia for first time

JEDDAH: The famous Japanese singer, Asca, launched her three-day concert series in Saudi Arabia at City Walk, Anime Village in Jeddah. 

Asca, known for singing the opening theme song for the anime “Sword Art Online” and ending theme song for “Edens Zero,” performed three shows at City Walk alongside compatriot DJ Yamato, from June 1-3.

The singer, who was in the Kingdom to perform for the second time following her show in Riyadh in December 2022, said: “Jeddah’s climate is very similar to that of Japan. It was very comfortable for me personally because the temperature was similar, and the humidity was high.

“Fans also made handmade boards, jumped with us, and yelled out. Saudi Arabia is very far from Japan, but I was very happy when I thought that there were people in Saudi Arabia who supported me so much,” she told Arab News.

Asca also noted that the Kingdom’s people were more active at night than people in Japan. “I am a night person, so Saudi Arabia suits me,” she added.

DJ Yamato, the first Japanese artist to collaborate with the late DJ Avicii, was performing in the Kingdom for the first time. 

“At first, I got the impression that the audience were shy, but once they opened up to us, everyone seemed to be in a good mood. Saudi people are friendly and amazing — I had a thought that music truly connects the world together,” he told Arab News.

DJ Yamato came to Saudi Arabia along with a company called Avex Asia, which is a production company that focuses in anime, and which is in charge of the stage policy at Anime Village in Jeddah.


Syrian top diplomat to meet Iraqi PM on visit to key ally

Syrian top diplomat to meet Iraqi PM on visit to key ally
Updated 04 June 2023

Syrian top diplomat to meet Iraqi PM on visit to key ally

Syrian top diplomat to meet Iraqi PM on visit to key ally

BAGHDAD: Syria’s foreign minister has arrived in Iraq for a visit to its longtime ally and talks with its premier, at a time Damascus is emerging from years of diplomatic isolation.
The visit by Faisal Mekdad comes weeks after the Arab League agreed to end Syria’s suspension from the 22-member bloc, bringing the regime of President Bashar Assad back into the regional fold after years of civil war.
Iraq remained an ally to Damascus throughout the wider Arab boycott, never severing relations and maintaining close cooperation during Syria’s civil war, particularly over the fight against the Daesh group.
Mekdad arrived in Baghdad Saturday night, said Iraq’s state news agency.
He is expected to meet Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia Al-Sudani, President Abdul Latif Rashid and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, Iraqi foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Al-Sahaf told the news agency.
“The visit will focus on bilateral relations between Baghdad and Damascus and on Iraq’s role in Syria’s return to the Arab League,” Sahaf said.
The Arab League voted on May 7 to readmit Syria after its suspension in 2011 over Assad’s brutal repression of pro-democracy protests that later devolved into an all-out war.
At the time, Iraq had abstained from the vote that resulted in Damascus’ suspension.
The two countries share a 600-kilometer (370-mile) porous desert border that has continued to see militant activity even years after the defeat of IS.
The militant group took over large swathes of both countries in 2014, declaring its “caliphate” before it was defeated in 2017 in Iraq and in 2019 in Syria.
Drug trafficking has also proliferated in past years, with the trade of the amphetamine-like drug captagon exploding in the region, much of it traveling through that border.
Iraqi guards in March seized over three million captagon pills at the border with Syria.
In addition to security coordination, Baghdad and Damascus continue to coordinate on other key issues including water as both countries face dangerous shortages.
Dam-building in neighboring countries and climate change impacts have dramatically reduced water flows in both countries, disrupting agriculture and threatening livelihoods amid persistent economic challenges.


Oil tanker breaks down in Egypt's Suez Canal, briefly disrupting traffic in the global waterway

Oil tanker breaks down in Egypt's Suez Canal, briefly disrupting traffic in the global waterway
Updated 58 min 7 sec ago

Oil tanker breaks down in Egypt's Suez Canal, briefly disrupting traffic in the global waterway

Oil tanker breaks down in Egypt's Suez Canal, briefly disrupting traffic in the global waterway
  • Tanker broke down in a single-lane part of the waterway, disrupting the transit of eight other vessels behind it.

CAIRO: n oil tanker that suffered engine failure in Egypt's Suez Canal, briefly disrupting traffic in the vital waterway, has been towed away, the canal's authority said on Sunday.

A tanker transporting curd oil broke down in a single-lane part of Egypt’s Suez Canal on Sunday, briefly disrupting traffic in the global waterway.
The Malta-flagged Seavigour suffered a mechanical malfunction at the 12 kilometers mark of the canal, said George Safwat, a spokesperson for Egypt’s Suez Canal Authority. The tanker was part of the north convoy, which transits the canal from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea, he said.
In a phone interview with a local television station, Adm. Ossama Rabei, head of the Suez Canal Authority, said the tanker broke down in a single-lane part of the waterway, disrupting the transit of eight other vessels behind it.
Hours later, Rabei said in a statement that navigation at the canal had returned to normal after three tugboats towed the tanker to a double-lane part at the 17 kilometers mark. He said that the Seavigour ‘s crew was working on repairing the malfunction but did not share further details.
The Seavigour was built in 2016, and is 274 meters long and 48.63 meters wide, according to MarineTraffic, a vessel tracking service provider
Sunday’s incident was the latest case of a vessel reported stuck in the vital waterway. A flurry of ships ran aground or broke down in the Suez Canal over the past few years.
On May 25, a Hong Kong-flagged ship briefly blocked the canal. On March 5, a Liberia-flagged ship ran aground in the two-lane part of the waterway. Both vessels were refloated hours later.
In March 2021, the Panama-flagged Ever Given, a colossal container ship, crashed into a bank on a single-lane stretch of the canal, blocking the waterway for six days and disrupting global trade.
The canal, which opened in 1869, provides a crucial link for oil, natural gas and cargo. About 10 percent of world trade flows through the canal, a major source of foreign currency for the Egyptian government.
According to the Suez Canal Authority, last year, 23,851 vessels passed through the waterway, compared to 20,649 vessels in 2021. The revenue from the canal in 2022 reached $8 billion, the highest in its history.


50 Daesh terrorists, 168 family members repatriated from Syria to Iraq

50 Daesh terrorists, 168 family members repatriated from Syria to Iraq
Updated 04 June 2023

50 Daesh terrorists, 168 family members repatriated from Syria to Iraq

50 Daesh terrorists, 168 family members repatriated from Syria to Iraq
  • Al-Hol camp, in Kurdish-controlled northeast Syria, is home to about 50,000 people including family members of suspected terrorists

BAGHDAD: Fifty Daesh terrorists and 168 Iraqi members of terrorist families were repatriated from Syria to Iraq on Saturday, an Iraqi official said.
Iraqi authorities “received 50 members of the Daesh from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF),” said the source who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The SDF are the Kurds’ de facto army in the area, and led the battle that dislodged Daesh group fighters from the last scraps of their Syrian territory in 2019.
They will “be the subject of investigations and will face Iraqi justice,” they added.
According to conflict monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights they were detained in Hasakah, northeast Syria.
Additionally, 168 relatives of Daesh-group members were repatriated from Syria’s Al-Hol camp to be relocated to Al-Jadaa camp south of Mosul, the Iraqi official added, where they will undergo psychiatric treatment.
“Once we receive the assurances of their tribal leaders that they will not face reprisals, they will be sent home.”
Al-Hol camp, in Kurdish-controlled northeast Syria, is home to about 50,000 people including family members of suspected terrorists.
Among them are displaced Syrians, Iraqi refugees as well as more than 10,000 foreigners originally from some 60 countries.
In March, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for the swift repatriation of foreigners held in Al-Hol.
Nearly half of the camp’s population is under the age of 12 and residents are “deprived of their rights, vulnerable, and marginalized,” Guterres said in a statement during a visit to Iraq.
“I have no doubt to say that the worst camp that exists in today’s world is Al-Hol, with the worst possible conditions for people and with enormous suffering for the people that have been stranded there for years,” Guterres said.
Since May 2021, hundreds of families have been transferred from Al-Hol to Al-Jadaa in Iraq, with a number of those going on to flee.
The repatriation to Iraq of relatives of fighters who joined the ultra-radical group that controlled one-third of Iraq between 2014 and 2017 has sparked opposition.
In December 2021, Iraqi authorities announced plans to close Al-Jadaa.
But little progress has been made and the relocation of displaced people to their home regions has proven challenging and prompted opposition from local people.

 


Three Europeans released by Iran arrive home

Three Europeans released by Iran arrive home
Updated 04 June 2023

Three Europeans released by Iran arrive home

Three Europeans released by Iran arrive home
  • Vienna reacted with relief at the release of its two citizens, named as Kamran Ghaderi and Massud Mossaheb, who it said had been arrested “unjustly” by Iran in January 2016 and January 2019, respectively

BRUSSELS: One Dane and two Austrian-Iranian citizens released from detention by Tehran arrived in their home countries on Saturday, after the latest in a series of prisoner swaps.
The three Europeans had landed shortly before 2:45 am (0045 GMT) Saturday at Melsbroek military airport just outside Brussels.
They had flown there from Muscat, the capital of Oman which helped broker their release.
Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib welcomed them at the airport along with Danish and Austrian diplomats.
The trio’s release, as well as that of a Belgian aid worker a week earlier, were part of a prisoner swap in which Tehran got back an Iranian diplomat convicted and incarcerated in Belgium on terrorism charges.
Vienna reacted with relief at the release of its two citizens, named as Kamran Ghaderi and Massud Mossaheb, who it said had been arrested “unjustly” by Iran in January 2016 and January 2019, respectively.
Thanking Belgium, Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said: “Our years of diplomatic efforts to secure their release have borne fruit... Today is a very emotional day for all of us.”
Ghaderi and Mossaheb arrived at Vienna airport from Belgium at around 11:30 am (0930 GMT) on Saturday, where they were welcomed by their families and Schallenberg, his spokeswoman Claudia Tuertscher told AFP.
The Danish man, identified as Thomas Kjems, landed at Copenhagen airport at around 11:00 am local time, telling reporters that he had been treated well in Iran, without being subjected to torture.
Kjems had been arrested in Iran in November 2022 on the sidelines of a demonstration for women’s rights, according to Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo.

Melsbroek is the same airport that Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele arrived at on May 26 upon being freed by Iran after 15 months in captivity.
His liberation was obtained in exchange for Belgium freeing Iranian diplomat Assadollah Assadi, who had been imprisoned for a 2018 plot to bomb an Iranian opposition rally outside Paris.
Iran had levelled charges of “espionage” at Vandecasteele but his family, the Belgian government and rights groups all say that was a fabricated case used to pressure Brussels for Assadi’s release.
Belgian government officials said the release of Vandecasteele, the Dane and the two Austrian-Iranians were all part of “Operation Blackstone,” in reference to an 18th-century English jurist William Blackstone, who was known for declaring: “It is better that 10 guilty escape than one innocent suffer.”
De Croo confirmed to Le Soir daily that the three Europeans released on Friday were the second part of the negotiations with Tehran on the exchange between Vandecasteele and Assadi.
The exiled Iranian opposition group the National Council of Resistance in Iran, the target of the 2018 bomb plot, has criticized Assadi’s release, saying it violated a Belgian court order requiring them to be consulted first.
Critics of the prisoner swap said it would encourage Tehran to take more Europeans hostage as bargaining chips to seek the return of agents like Assadi arrested for terror offenses in the West.
De Croo stressed his government “continues to fight for the respect of human rights and the release of European citizens unjustly detained by Iran.”

The exact number of foreign passport holders still being held by Iran is thought to be in the dozens but is not precisely known, as the families of some detainees opt to negotiate out of the public eye.
Belgian government officials said at least 22 “innocent” Europeans remained detained in Iran. France last week gave a figure of more than 30 EU citizens held.
Austria’s Schallenberg said of his two freed compatriots: “We are especially happy for the brave families who have suffered so much in recent years. Now they can finally embrace their husbands, fathers and grandfather again in freedom.”
The Gulf sultanate of Oman has emerged as a key interlocutor between the West and Iran.
In 2016 it also played a mediator role in the release of Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian and three other US citizens who had been held by Tehran.
In May, Iran released a Frenchman and a French-Irish citizen, both of whom had gone on hunger strike to protest their detention and conditions.