Lebanon PM condemns Hezbollah military maneuver

Special Lebanon PM condemns Hezbollah military maneuver
Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon, July 26, 2021. (Reuters)
Short Url
Updated 22 May 2023

Lebanon PM condemns Hezbollah military maneuver

Lebanon PM condemns Hezbollah military maneuver
  • Mikati: ‘We reject the undermining of Lebanese sovereignty’
  • Judiciary pursues Salameh’s brother, aide to notify them of interrogation date in France

BEIRUT: Lebanon Prime Minister Najib Mikati has condemned a military exercise by Hezbollah that used live ammunition, warning against any action that “undermines the authority and sovereignty of the state.”

His remarks came in response to a question from US Special Coordinator for Lebanon Joanna Wronecka regarding the Hezbollah maneuver, which was held on Sunday in southern Lebanon.

The exercise included demonstrations of heavy weapons, missiles and drones.

Mikati said: “The issue of Hezbollah’s weapons specifically is linked to a reality that requires a comprehensive national consensus, and it must be a priority for the upcoming phase.”

He added that the government is focused on maintaining security throughout Lebanon and deterring actions that threaten stability.

Mikati also highlighted the cooperation between the Lebanese army and UNIFIL within the UN Mission’s operational area, emphasizing Lebanon’s commitment to Resolution 1701.

He called on the UN Security Council to establish a permanent ceasefire in the south and pressure Israel to halt its violations of Lebanese sovereignty.

Wronecka said in a statement: “What matters to us is the stability of Lebanon, and we always encourage the prompt election of a new president to support Lebanon and its people.”

Hezbollah’s military maneuver — conducted ahead of the anniversary of the liberation of southern Lebanon from Israeli occupation — took place within a military camp belonging to the party in the Aaramta area, north of the Litani River, outside the UNIFIL operational zone.

The maneuver sparked outrage among Hezbollah’s opponents and raised questions about the group’s objectives, particularly as it took place the day after the conclusion of the Arab League Summit in Jeddah.

Attendance at the maneuver was open to Lebanese and foreign journalists, though communication in the area was banned to prevent unauthorized filming and broadcasting.

Samir Geagea, head of the Lebanese Forces Party, strongly condemned the exercise, saying he “completely rejected” the maneuver.

He added that the Hezbollah exercise undermined efforts by the Lebanese public, who are “working day and night to rebuild their state and regain Arab and international confidence in the country.”

Geagea said that Hezbollah’s actions demonstrate its indifference to developments in the region, as the party is maintaining the same strategy it has deployed for two decades.

He described the maneuver as a “reckless act” that would only harm Lebanon and undermine the aspirations of its people for the establishment of a genuine state, while also negatively impacting recent progress in the Arab region, ultimately benefiting only Israel.

In a joint statement, the National Council to End the Iranian Occupation in Lebanon and the Lady of the Mountain Gathering said that the maneuver appeared to sideline the role of the Lebanese Army and Resolution 1701.

The exercise came less than a month after a visit by Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian to the south, where he declared that Iran, through Hezbollah, is active on the Israeli border, the statement added.

The two groups warned that Hezbollah’s intentions were to send a message, both domestically and internationally, that it was leveraging the rapid changes in the region to solidify its dominance within Lebanon, particularly in the presidential battle.

The exercise was designed to intimidate potential new leaders, the statement said.

Despite the attention surrounding the Hezbollah maneuver, the case of Central Bank Gov. Riad Salameh — who is facing legal action in Europe — remains the subject of significant scrutiny.

On Monday, the First Investigative Judge in Beirut, Charbel Abou Samra, appointed two units within the Internal Security Forces in Beirut and Mount Lebanon to notify Raja Salameh, the governor’s brother, and Marianne Hoayek, his assistant, of their scheduled interrogations in a Paris court on May 31 and June 13, respectively.

Salameh did not appear before the Paris court on the previously scheduled session on May 16 due to his unavailability for notification, as required by Lebanese law.

Consequently, the French judiciary issued an arrest warrant for Salameh through an Interpol red notice, which was delivered to Lebanon last Friday.

Former Attorney General Hatem Madi told Arab News that the French judiciary’s memorandum does not have any legal effect in Lebanon.

He added that it is impossible to execute an international arrest warrant against a Lebanese citizen and extradite them to France.

“However, if a Lebanese citizen is under suspicion, they should be questioned and a lawsuit must be filed against them in Lebanon,” he said.

Madi said that the non-execution of the international warrant does not mean that Salameh has escaped justice.

Reformist MP Elias Jarada criticized the handling of Salameh’s judicial case by some Lebanese judges, accusing them of negligence and contributing to the French judiciary’s action.

He claimed that there was a deliberate decision taken to prevent Salameh’s arrest among the political class that controls the judiciary, over fears that the former governor could implicate them in financial scandals.

Jarada said that the failure to notify Salameh of the May 16 session before French Judge Aude Buresi was “insulting.”

He called on the Lebanese judiciary to prosecute Salameh for the charges brought against him before the French judiciary, in compliance with the provisions of the Penal Code.


French leader urges Lebanese parties to urgently elect new president, save country from ‘drowning’

French leader urges Lebanese parties to urgently elect new president, save country from ‘drowning’
Updated 31 May 2023

French leader urges Lebanese parties to urgently elect new president, save country from ‘drowning’

French leader urges Lebanese parties to urgently elect new president, save country from ‘drowning’
  • Emmanuel Macron made his plea following a meeting with Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi
  • French judiciary has accused the central bank chief, his brother Raja Salameh, and his assistant Marianne Hoayek, of amassing a huge fortune in Europe

BEIRUT: French President Emmanuel Macron has urged Lebanon’s divided politicians to save the country from “drowning in crises” by immediately electing a new president.

The French leader made his plea following a meeting with Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi.

A French presidency statement, issued on Wednesday, said: “Macron and Al-Rahi expressed their deep concerns about the crisis in Lebanon and the paralysis of institutions, which has been exacerbated by the presidential vacuum for the past seven months.

“They agreed on the necessity of electing a president for the republic without delay.”

The statement quoted Macron as highlighting, “the need to keep Lebanon’s Christians at the heart of the sectarian and institutional balance of the Lebanese state.”

The president described Lebanon as a country “drowning in crises” adding that “the political deadlock has been an obstacle to the reforms without which there can be no recovery and lasting stability in Lebanon.”

Lebanon has entered its eighth month without being able to elect a president.

Hezbollah and its allies support the Marada Movement leader, Suleiman Frangieh, who is close to Syrian President Bashar Assad, but the largest parliamentary blocs oppose him in favor of their own candidate, former minister Jihad Azour, currently the director of the International Monetary Fund’s Middle East and Central Asia department.

Agence France-Presse quoted sources in Paris as saying that, “Al-Rahi and Macron discussed bridging the gap between Lebanese parties to agree on a presidential candidate and complete the electoral process.”

No political party has the necessary majority to elect its presidential candidate in parliamentary elections. Other parties refuse to bring a compromise candidate and because of the impasse, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has not set a date for what would be the 12th attempt to elect a president.

The country is struggling with economic, financial, and administrative crises that the caretaker government has been unable to resolve due to its inability to authorize decisions except in exceptional cases.

When the term of Lebanon’s central bank governor, Riad Salameh, is due to terminate at the end of July, another key vacancy will appear in the country.

Salameh is being investigated by several European countries and the Lebanese judiciary over allegations of corruption.

He appeared before the public prosecutor of the Court of Cassation, Judge Imad Qabalan, on Wednesday at the Palace of Justice in Beirut to be questioned about an arrest warrant recently issued against him by the German public prosecutor on charges of money laundering, forgery, and embezzlement.

Salameh’s son, Nadi, and Marwan Issa Al-Khoury, were also named in the German arrest warrant without any demand for their arrest, but rather a request that Salameh be held accountable for them.

The French judiciary has accused the central bank chief, his brother Raja Salameh, and his assistant Marianne Hoayek, of amassing a huge fortune in Europe, including money and real estate, through complex financial arrangements and embezzlement of large sums of Lebanese public funds. Salameh’s lawyers have filed an appeal against the charges.

The Lebanese judiciary is still awaiting a response from their French counterparts over the possibility of merging the European and Lebanese files on Salameh and prosecuting him in Lebanon, to avoid extradition.

Meanwhile, Raja Salameh failed to appear before a Paris court on Wednesday, citing through his legal representative in Lebanon medical reasons for his absence.


Arab League chief meets Palestinian PM

Arab League chief meets Palestinian PM
Updated 31 May 2023

Arab League chief meets Palestinian PM

Arab League chief meets Palestinian PM
  • Meeting discussed the outcomes of a recent summit in Jeddah on issues relating to Palestine

CAIRO: Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit on Wednesday met with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh while visiting the Egyptian capital Cairo, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

During the meeting, they discussed the outcomes of a recent summit in Jeddah on issues relating to Palestine, including Arab efforts to promote international support for the recognition of the Palestinian state.

They also agreed on the importance of working diplomatically to highlight the Israeli government’s approach to dealing with Palestinian issues.
 


Eritrea releases 166 Yemeni fishermen held for months 

Eritrea releases 166 Yemeni fishermen held for months 
Updated 31 May 2023

Eritrea releases 166 Yemeni fishermen held for months 

Eritrea releases 166 Yemeni fishermen held for months 
  • First group of 115 released fishermen arrived in the Red Sea town of Khokha on Tuesday
  • Second group of 51 arrived on the same day in the coastal region south of the port city of Mocha

AL-MUKALLA: Eritrean authorities have released 166 out of 267 detained Yemeni fishermen, but have refused to hand back their vessels or their personal belongings.

Locals said on Wednesday that the first group of 115 released fishermen arrived in the Red Sea town of Khokha on Tuesday, while a second group of 51 arrived on the same day in the coastal region south of the port city of Mocha.

The fishermen were detained by the Eritrean authorities five months ago while working in international waters.

A local fisherman, who requested anonymity, told Arab News: “We sent boats (to Eritrea) to transport the freed fisherman home because the Eritrean authorities refused to return their seized boats and other property. Their sole possession is the clothing they wear.”

The Yemenis have demanded that the authorities free the remaining 101 fishermen currently being held.

Hundreds of Yemeni fishermen have been jailed in Eritrea in recent years for allegedly violating Eritrean waters, a claim rejected by the Yemenis.

The dispute between Yemen and Eritrea over water rights in the Red Sea erupted into a brief conflict in 1995 over the island of Greater Hanish. A ruling later determined that the territory belonged to Yemen.

Separately, foreign envoys in Yemen and human rights organizations have condemned the Iran-backed Houthis for abducting 17 members of the Baha’i religious minority after attacking its gathering in Sanaa last week.

US Ambassador to Yemen Steven Fagin said in a tweet: “We condemn the May 25 Houthi raid on a peaceful gathering of Baha’i in Sanaa resulting in the forced disappearance of at least 17 people.

“We stand with the people of Yemen and their right to freedom of religion, expression, and association.”

Human Rights Watch also condemned the action while urging the Houthis to set those held free and refrain from persecuting religious minorities.

Niku Jafarnia, Yemen and Bahrain researcher at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement: “The Houthis have systematically violated the rights of minorities in Yemen and show no sign of letting up on the pressure.

“The international community should stand in solidarity with the Baha’i community and exert pressure on the Houthi authorities to release the detained people immediately.”

Yemeni organizations, including the Yemeni Network for Rights and Freedoms, also strongly condemned the actions of the Houthis.


Iran further escalates breaches of 2015 deal limits: IAEA

Iran further escalates breaches of 2015 deal limits: IAEA
Updated 31 May 2023

Iran further escalates breaches of 2015 deal limits: IAEA

Iran further escalates breaches of 2015 deal limits: IAEA
  • IAEA said that Iran’s estimated stockpile of enriched uranium had reached more than 23 times the limit set out in nuclear deal

VIENNA: Iran has significantly increased its stockpile of enriched uranium in recent months, continuing its nuclear escalation, a confidential report by the UN nuclear watchdog on Wednesday seen by AFP said.
The agency, however, noted progress in its cooperation with Iran and has decided to close the file on the presence of nuclear material at one of three undeclared sites, an issue which has poisoned relations between the two parties.
The reports came days before the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is due to meet to review progress in addressing the watchdog’s remaining concerns.
The nuclear watchdog said in its report that Iran’s estimated stockpile of enriched uranium had reached more than 23 times the limit set out in the landmark 2015 accord between Tehran and world powers.
As of 13 May, Iran’s total enriched uranium stockpile was estimated at 4,744.5 kilograms (10,459 pounds). The limit in the 2015 deal was 202.8 kilograms.
The report also said that Iran is continuing its enrichment of uranium to levels higher than the 3.67 percent limit in the deal.
Efforts to revive the Iran nuclear deal — which was left in tatters by the unilateral withdrawal of the United States in 2018 — have currently stalled.
The stockpile of uranium enriched up to 20 percent is now believed to be 470.9 kilograms — up 36.2 kg since the last report in February — while the amount enriched up to 60 percent stands at 114.1 kilograms, an increase of 26.6 kg.
Enrichment levels of around 90 percent are required for use in a nuclear weapon.
In a separate report, the IAEA said it has decided to close the file relating to the presence of nuclear material at one undeclared site after receiving a “possible explanation” from Iran.
The watchdog “has no additional questions... and the matter is no longer outstanding at this stage,” the report said of the site at Marivan in Abedeh county.
The IAEA had reported the discovery of traces of radioactive material at three sites not declared by Iran, in a blow to efforts to restore the 2015 deal.
The Marivan site in the southern province of Fars is the first to be addressed under a work plan agreed by Iran and the IAEA in March.
The other two sites are Varamin and Turquzabad.
Iran has always denied any ambition to develop a nuclear weapons capability, insisting its activities are entirely peaceful.


Lebanon judge questions central bank chief over Munich arrest warrant

Lebanon judge questions central bank chief over Munich arrest warrant
Updated 31 May 2023

Lebanon judge questions central bank chief over Munich arrest warrant

Lebanon judge questions central bank chief over Munich arrest warrant
  • Salameh has been the subject of a series of judicial probes both at home and abroad
  • Lebanese judge Imad Qabalan questioned Salameh over accusations of "money laundering, fraud, embezzlement and illicit enrichment"

BEIRUT: A Lebanese judge questioned central bank chief Riad Salameh on Wednesday after Beirut received a second Interpol Red Notice targeting him, this time following an arrest warrant from Munich, a judicial official said.
Salameh has been the subject of a series of judicial probes both at home and abroad into the fortune he has amassed during some three decades in the job.
France earlier this month issued an arrest warrant for Salameh after he failed to appear for questioning in Paris.
On Wednesday, Lebanese judge Imad Qabalan questioned Salameh over accusations of “money laundering, fraud, embezzlement and illicit enrichment,” the judicial official said, requesting anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Two days earlier, Lebanon received an Interpol Red Notice pursuant to the arrest warrant issued in absentia by Munich’s public prosecutor, according to the judicial official.
Last week Qabalan had questioned Salameh, banned him from traveling, confiscated his French and Lebanese passports and released him pending investigation, after receiving the first Interpol Red Notice, issued following the French arrest warrant.
An Interpol Red Notice is not an international arrest warrant but asks authorities worldwide to provisionally detain people pending possible extradition or other legal actions.
Lebanon does not extradite its nationals but Salameh could go on trial in Lebanon if local judicial authorities decide the accusations against him are founded, an official previously told AFP.
Qabalan on Wednesday again banned Salameh from travel and released him pending investigation, the judicial official said.
He also requested Salameh’s file from the judiciary in Munich and noted that “only the Lebanese judiciary has the authority to try him,” the official added.
In March 2022, France, Germany and Luxembourg seized assets worth 120 million euros ($130 million) in a move linked to a probe into Salameh’s wealth.
In February, Lebanon charged Salameh with embezzlement, money laundering and tax evasion as part of its own investigations.
The domestic probe was opened following a request for assistance from Switzerland’s public prosecutor looking into more than $300 million in fund movements by Salameh and his brother.
Salameh, who was questioned for more than an hour on Wednesday, again “denied all charges against him” and said wealth came from private sources, the official added.
Salameh continues to serve as central bank governor. His mandate ends in July.
Activists say the travel ban helps shield him from being brought to justice abroad — and from potentially bringing down others in the entrenched political class, which is widely blamed for endemic corruption in the crisis-hit country.
His brother Raja was due to appear for questioning in France on Wednesday, but his lawyer said he was unable to attend due to medical reasons and the judge postponed the session for two months, the official added.