LCCC
ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
ِFebeuary
09/2011
Bible Of The
Day
Proverbs 22/1-22: "A good name is
more desirable than great riches, and loving favor is better than silver and
gold. 22:2 The rich and the poor have this in common: Yahweh is the maker of
them all. 22:3 A prudent man sees danger, and hides himself; but the simple pass
on, and suffer for it. 22:4 The result of humility and the fear of Yahweh is
wealth, honor, and life. 22:5 Thorns and snares are in the path of the wicked:
whoever guards his soul stays from them. 22:6 Train up a child in the way he
should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. 22:7 The rich rule
over the poor. The borrower is servant to the lender. 22:8 He who sows
wickedness reaps trouble, and the rod of his fury will be destroyed.
22:9 He who has a generous eye will be blessed; for he shares his food with the
poor. 22:10 Drive out the mocker, and strife will go out;
yes, quarrels and insults will stop. 22:11 He who loves purity of heart and
speaks gracefully is the king’s friend. 22:12 The eyes of Yahweh watch over
knowledge; but he frustrates the words of the unfaithful. 22:13 The sluggard
says, “There is a lion outside! I will be killed in the streets!”
22:14 The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit: he who is under Yahweh’s wrath
will fall into it. 22:15 Folly is bound up in the heart of a child:
the rod of discipline drives it far from him. 22:16 Whoever oppresses the poor
for his own increase and whoever gives to the rich, both come to poverty.
Latest
analysis, editorials, studies, reports, letters & Releases
from
miscellaneous
sources
What a waste/By: Mona
Alami/February 08/12
Nasrallah and the
acknowledgement of danger/By Tariq Alhomayed/February
08/11
Latest News Reports From Miscellaneous Sources for February 08/11
Lawlessness spreads in N. Sinai as
Hamas transfers al Qaeda cells/DEBKAfile
Egypt protests draw biggest crowd
yet/AFP
Barak to Inform Ban on Wednesday of
Israel's Decision to Suspend Withdrawal from Ghajar/Naharnet
Iranian Foreign Ministry:
Participation of All Parties Guarantees Success of Lebanese Government/Naharnet
Williams after Meeting
Miqati Hopes New Cabinet Would Enjoy All Sides' Approval/Naharnet
Suleiman: Mubarak Forms Panel to
Pilot Constitutional Changes/Naharnet
After Collapse of Talks on March
14 Participation, Miqati Set to Form March 8-Dominated Government/Naharnet
Next Lebanese cabinet to be formed
of 24 ministers, says source/Now Lebanon
Mikati on final stretch of cabinet
formation/Now Lebanon
March 14 are still awaiting PM Mikati's final stance/iloubnan.info
Harb: Mikati's problem is not with March 14, but Aoun's demands/iloubnan.info
Ashkenazi criticizes Hariri,
Jumblatt’s visits to Syria/Now Lebanon
Egypt sees largest demonstrations
since start of revolt/Now Lebanon
Connelly: Lebanon is expected to
live up to its international obligations/Now Lebanon
Hezbollah wants cabinet to be
formed before Monday, says source/Now Lebanon
Iranian Foreign Ministry:
Participation of All Parties Guarantees Success of Lebanese Government/Naharnet
Geagea Warns: We Won't Let March 8
Control Lebanon/Naharnet
Miqati Denies he Would Visit
Damascus Over Cabinet Formation/Naharnet
Shalom: Hizbullah Consolidating
Capabilities in Contravention with 1701/Naharnet
NGO: Madagascan Maids Mistreated in
Lebanon/Naharnet
Vatican Reportedly Accepted Sfeir's
Resignation: A New Patriarch March 8/Naharnet
France: Miqati's Cabinet Should
Respect U.N. Resolutions and Tribunal/Naharnet
Aoun Travels to Aleppo on Board
Private Syrian Presidential Plane/Naharnet
EDL: Power Supply Badly Affected by
Egyptian Gas Pipeline Blast/Naharnet
Nasrallah: Actions in Egypt are No
Less Important than Victories in July and Gaza Wars/Naharnet
Guy Hopes for 'National Cabinet':
Election Results Are Still the Same/Naharnet
March 14 to Celebrate Hariri
Assassination Anniversary at Biel/Naharnet
Fransen Asks Bellemare to
Clarify Reasons Why Some Documents Mustn't Be Disclosed to Sayyed/Naharnet
Shalom: Hizbullah
Consolidating Capabilities in Contravention with 1701
Naharnet/Israeli deputy Prime Minister Silvan Shalom warned on Tuesday that
Hizbullah was consolidating its military capabilities in contravention with U.N.
Security Council resolution 1701.He told the Herzliya Conference on "The Balance
of Israel's National Strength and Security" that Lebanon is the only country
where a party has representatives in parliament and at the same time military
capabilities. Shalom warned from the consequences of Iranian attempts to control
moderate Arab countries such as Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
He called European countries to make every effort to confront such attempts
through strengthening moderate states in the region. Shalom also warned that
Iran is trying to control oil fields in the region, allowing it to improve its
nuclear program. The Herzliya conference is being held Feb. 6-9. It has become
the annual "summit meeting" of the most influential Israeli and international
leaders. Israel's outgoing army chief Gabi Ashkenazi told the conference on
Monday that Hizbullah is "not capable of conquering the Negev (in southern
Israel) or the Galilee" in northern Israel. Beirut, 08 Feb 11, 14:01
Suleiman: Mubarak Forms Panel to Pilot Constitutional Changes
Naharnet/Embattled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Tuesday formed a panel to
oversee constitutional amendments, Vice President Omar Suleiman said, as
anti-government protests entered their third week. "President Mubarak today
signed a decree for the formation of the constitutional commission which will
oversee constitutional amendments, and required legislative amendments,"
Suleiman said in a statement read out on television. "The president also tasked
the prime minister with forming a "follow up committee" to implement the
decisions taken by parties to the national dialogue, Suleiman said. On Sunday,
the newly-appointed vice president met with opposition groups, including the
powerful Muslim Brotherhood, and independent political figures to discuss
democratic reforms. After the talks, the government said the parties had agreed
to form a committee of judges and politicians "to study and propose
constitutional amendments and required legislative amendments... by the first
week of March." Negotiators also agreed to open an office for complaints about
the treatment of political prisoners, loosen media curbs, lift an emergency law
"depending on the security situation," and reject foreign interference. But
Suleiman refused another key demand of the opposition, saying he would not
assume Mubarak's powers and rule in his place during the transition. "Mubarak
has also ordered the formation of a third committee to investigate the clashes
that took place on Wednesday," Suleiman said. Massive anti-government protests
that on Tuesday entered their third week, saw two particularly violent days on
Wednesday and Thursday that left 11 people dead and scores injured.(AFP) Beirut,
08 Feb 11, 12:59
Lawlessness spreads in N. Sinai as Hamas transfers al Qaeda cells
http://www.debka.com/article/20643/
DEBKAfile Special Expose February 8, 2011, Intelligence updates reaching Israel
reveal that Hamas plans to follow up its attack on the Egyptian-Israel-Jordanian
gas pipeline Saturday, Feb. 5, with more large-scale operations against Israel,
using Egyptian Sinai as its launching-pad.
Since the uprising began in Egypt two weeks ago, more than 1,000 Hamas gunmen
have infiltrated North Sinai from the Gaza Strip and seized control of the
region. They were followed by Al-Qaeda cells which redeployed from Iraq in the
Gaza Strip. Hamas has established a command center in North Sinai for
coordinating its operations with the Muslim Brotherhood in Cairo.
Israeli officers serving in this border sector told debkafile's military sources
that the situation there was getting dangerously out of control: Hamas was
giving free rein to lawless elements – not only Bedouin smugglers but other
international networks, some working hand in glove with Somali pirates to
smuggle into Israel armed criminal gangs posing as asylum and job seekers,
prostitutes and vast quantities of drugs.
Those sources believe that Hamas and al Qaeda terrorists are sneaking into
Israel from Sinai under cover of the swelling illegal traffic.
Hamas' attack on the gas pipe near El Arish which cut supplies to Israel and
Jordan proves to have been its opening shot. The investigation found that two
separate Hamas teams, reaching their target in four new minivans, had conducted
not one but two explosions – one hit the Sheikh Zuweid station and the second
blew up a one-kilometer long section of the pipe. The Egyptians have not yet
started repairs.
Sunday, Feb. 6, Egyptian soldiers caught another team of five armed men on their
way to blow up the pipeline's southern section to keep it inactive for a lengthy
period. Three were Palestinian Hamas terrorists from the Gaza Strip and two
Bedouin hired as accomplices.
Monday, Feb. 7, a second armed attack on the Egyptian police station in El Arish
turned out to have been carried out by an Al Qaeda-linked cell from the Gaza
Strip.
debkafile's military sources report that Hamas and Mumtaz Durmush, head of Jaish
al-Islam (The Army of Islam) which is linked to Al Qaeda, have struck a deal for
Hamas to transfer the Islamists to Sinai and provide them with the weapons and
explosives for attacking Israeli patrols along the Egyptian border and Egyptian
security forces posted there.
Not only are those jihadist cells ranged on Israel's southern doorstep but it is
only a matter of time before they walk through the door along with the
Palestinian fundamentalists of Hamas, security sources ward.
Moving them south has given Hamas two benefits: the Jaish al-Islam hard core
which challenged its rule of the Gaza Strip has been transferred outside the
enclave and secondly, the Palestinian group has help for its attacks on Israel.
It is now confirmed that the 22 Hizballah terrorists, whose escape from a Cairo
jail last week was organized by Hamas, were escorted to the Gaza Strip by a
heavily-armed Hamas guard which Egyptian forces failed to intercept. The
breakout also released Muslim Brotherhood activists. For Lebanese Shiite group,
its chief objective was the release of Sami Shehab, one of Hizballah's top
operational commanders. His outfit has joined the Hamas-led front taking shape
for a concerted terrorist campaign against.
A senior security source reported that the Egyptian strength, though reinforced
by the two battalions of 800 soldiers which Israel permitted to enter the
peninsula, is totally inadequate for extending control in all parts of the
peninsula. Most of that strength has been deployed in Sharm el-Sheikh and along
the eastern bank of the Suez Canal, leaving the Gaza Strip and the border with
Israel at the mercy of terrorists and smugglers.
Although Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and the outgoing Chief of Staff, Lt.
Gen. Gaby Ashkenazi, commented on the turmoil in Egypt Monday, Feb. 7, neither
referred to the dangerously out-of-control situation in Sinai nor did they
mention the urgent need to address the threat to Israel's southern border.
Netanyahu recalled the 2009 demonstrations in Iran where, he said, unlike in
Egypt, "there were no talks, the people were simply killed on the streets."
Gen. Ashkenazi spoke of the rise of radical strength in the region. He admitted
that the IDF was taken by surprise by the uprising in Egypt but, he said, no
intelligence service has a crystal ball. debkafile's military sources note that
no one needs a crystal ball to see the terror and lawlessness closing in on
Israel from its border with Sinai. It is not 1,200 kilometers away like Iran,
but already present under the noses of those speakers.
Nasrallah and the acknowledgement of danger
08/02/2011/By Tariq Alhomayed/Asharq Al-Awsat
http://aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=2&id=24084
After Iran’s Supreme Leader gave a sermon last Friday, talking about the events
in Egypt, Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, presented us with a new discourse.
He addressed the Egyptians, about their revolution and Arab dignity, promising
that a victory for the demonstrators in Egypt would change the face of the Arab
region.
What we saw in Nasrallah’s speech was nothing but blatant demagoguery, and a
falsification of the facts, as is common in Iranian discourse. However, we must
stop to examine several points mentioned by the Lebanese “Supreme Leader”.
Nasrallah apologized to both the Tunisians and the Egyptians for the delay in
pledging his solidarity with them. He justified this as a means of protecting
“the entire revolution” from accusations, suggesting that if he had taken this
stance previously, “they would say that the protestors in Tahrir Square, or the
demonstrators in cities around Egypt, are being motivated by cells belonging to
Hezbollah, Hamas, or the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Then this genuine national
movement would be accused of serving a foreign agenda”.
Of course, Nasrallah is acknowledging the danger of Hezbollah and Hamas’
constant affiliation with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, and this is the first
time in which he has said so in such a way. However, the other important matter,
clearly, is that Nasrallah previously delayed commenting about Egypt and
Tunisia. This was not out of fear of tarnishing the demonstrators as agents of a
foreign agenda, as he said, but rather because he was waiting for the signal
from Tehran. Nasrallah gave his speech after the Iranian Supreme Leader had come
out in his Friday sermon, to say that the Egyptians were following the path of
the Iranian Revolution!
If Nasrallah was sincere in his call to the people, to stand up and demand their
rights and dignity, then he would have at least apologized to the Iranians,
after their Green Revolution was suppressed [in 2009]. At the time, Nasrallah
was in favor of this suppression, in support of the Wali al-Faqih regime. He
held grand celebrations for the Iranian President when he recently visited
Lebanon, in order to provide Ahmadinejad with internal support. If Nasrallah
believes in the rights of the revolutionaries, and he sees what revolutions can
achieve, then he cannot accept the repression and violence used against the
Iranians during the Green Revolution. Immediately after the Iran’s Supreme
Leader gave his speech on Egypt, Iranian opposition figures began a call to
organize demonstrations on the streets of Iran. Does Nasrallah support them?
As for his talk about Arab dignity, if Nasrallah was concerned about the dignity
of the Arabs – as he says – then he wouldn’t occupy Beirut by force of arms, or
the whole of Lebanon for that matter, to the extent where he is now the
authority who names the Lebanese Prime Minister. Therefore, Nasrallah’s Egypt
speech was merely an attempt to capitalize on what the Egyptians did in their
country and a clear attempt to clean up his image somewhat, after several
outrageous attempts by Iran and its agents to ‘kidnap’ our Arab world. As I have
repeatedly said, there are wolves circling around Egypt, trying to exploit this
transitional period. All that Nasrallah wants to say is that he is a friend of
Arab citizens, Egypt, and the Egyptian masses. Here, one can only repeat the
famous proverb “with friends like these, who needs enemies?”
Egypt protests draw biggest crowd yet
08/02/2011/CAIRO (AFP) – Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators flooded Cairo's
iconic Tahrir Square and towns across Egypt on Tuesday, in the biggest show of
defiance to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak since the revolt began.In Cairo,
the immense crowd hailed as a hero a charismatic cyberactivist and Google
executive whose Facebook site helped kickstart the protest movement on January
25 and who has since been detained and held blindfolded for 12 days. Many
protesters carried the symbols of the Internet social networks Facebook and
Twitter, which have become vital mobilising tools for the opposition thanks to
online campaigners like Google executive Wael Ghonim.
"I like to call it the Facebook Revolution but after seeing the people right
now, I would say this is the Egyptian people's revolution. It's amazing," he
said, after he was mobbed by adoring supporters in the crowd. "Egyptians deserve
a better life. Today one of those dreams has actually come true, which is
actually putting all of us together and as one hand believing in something," he
said. Ghonim has become a hero to many in the protest movement, having started
one of its most popular Facebook sites and been seized by the regime on January
27.
"I'm not a hero, you are the heroes, you're the ones who stayed on this square,"
Ghonim told the crowd that surged around him, many weeping, clapping and
shouting: "Long live Egypt, long live Egypt!"Earlier, the regime had issued a
decree forming a committee to oversee constitutional changes ahead of elections
due later this year.
"The president welcomed the national consensus, confirming we are on the right
path to getting out of the current crisis," said Vice President Omar Suleiman,
whom many now see as the effective power behind the throne. "A clear road map
has been put in place with a set timetable to realise a peaceful and organised
transfer of power," he promised, in a televised address.
The vice president has begun meeting representatives of some opposition parties
-- including the powerful Muslim Brotherhood, but not some of the street protest
groups -- to draw up plans for a democratic transition. Mubarak has vowed not to
stand for re-election in September, but opposition groups say any vote to
replace the 82-year-old strongman would not be fair under Egypt's current
constitution. While larger crowds gather daily to protest, several thousand
occupy Tahrir Square day and night, sleeping under plastic sheets or under army
tanks.
"Patriotic songs about the country used to sound exaggerated, but we own the
country now," said 34-year-old doctor Issam Shebana, who came back from Sharjah
in the United Arab Emirates to staff a makeshift clinic in the square.
"Yesterday, one man in his 60s said: 'We were cowards. We kept quiet all these
years, but you've done it.' It's inspiring. It's a rebirth," he said. "I never
thought I'd sleep on asphalt with rain on my face and feel happy."On Monday,
Mubarak tried to buy time, pledging to raise public sector wages by 15 percent
and ordering a probe into deadly violence that has left at least 300 people dead
in the course of 15 days of protests. "They announced a pay increase. They are
trying to fool us. This is a political bribe to silence people," snorted
36-year-old demonstrator Mohammed Nizar as he queued patiently to join the
crowds in Tahrir. There have been reports Mubarak could seek medical leave in
Germany, but Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said: "I am not currently aware
of such a request and therefore see no reason ... to contribute to the
speculation." US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said it was "critical" the
Egyptian government fulfil its promises and move ahead with an orderly
democratic transition after days of mass street protests. Western capitals have
generally stopped short of calling for Mubarak to go, urging instead cautious
reforms, but French Defence Minister Alain Juppe said it was now time to "bet on
the emergence of democratic forces".
After Collapse of Talks on March 14 Participation, Miqati Set to Form March
8-Dominated Government
Naharnet/Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati on Tuesday was set to form a
March 8-dominated government after talks with March 14 leaders on Cabinet
participation collapsed.
An official working with Miqati told Agence France Presse the PM-designate
"hopes to finalize his consultations and form the government this week."
"The next government will include representatives of the (Hizbullah-led) new
majority, centrists and technocrats," he said, adding that the size of the
cabinet had not been finalized yet but would likely count 24 to 30 ministers.
"The prime minister-designate's response to the demands of Hariri's camp have
not changed from the beginning and he cannot make any commitments to either side
as that would cause him to lose his position as a centrist," said the official.
Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel, a pillar of the March 14 alliance, announced
following talks with Miqati on Monday that consultation to form a new government
have "reached a dead end as a result of the conditions put forth by the March 8
camp." At a news conference held at Phalange Party headquarters in Saifi,
Gemayel accused Hizbullah and its allies in the March 8 coalition of seeking to
"unilaterally" control the new Cabinet by putting "terms and conditions
impossible to meet" on March 14's participation Gemayel, nevertheless, said he
is still willing to extend a hand to the March 8 camp, announcing readiness for
a new round of talks with Miqati. An-Nahar newspaper on Tuesday quoted sources
close to Miqati as saying that the government is likely to be formed before
week's end.
They said Miqati was now plunged into serious discussions on the shape-up of the
new government. It was not clear yet whether the government will be made up of
24 or 30 ministers. March 14 issued a statement late Monday saying the alliance
was still waiting for an answer from Miqati on its demands.The statement came
following a meeting at Hariri's residence at Center House in downtown Beirut.
The daily As-Safir, meanwhile, said Gemayel's announcement came shortly after
receiving word from Miqati of the "difficulty" to meet March 14 demands
including guarantees regarding Hizbullah weapons and the Special tribunal for
Lebanon. It said Miqati's "negative response" was conveyed to Gemayel Monday
afternoon via a special envoy. Beirut, 08 Feb 11, 15:32
Next cabinet to be formed of 24 ministers, says source
February 8, 2011 /OTV quoted on Tuesday a source close to Prime
Minister-designate Najib Mikati as saying that the next cabinet will be formed
of 24 ministers.He added that the cabinet’s structure is almost finalized.
Mikati was appointed to the premiership on January 25 with the backing of the
Hezbollah-led March 8 coalition, following the January 12 collapse of Saad
Hariri’s unity government due to a long-running controversy over the Special
Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) investigating the 2005 assassination of former Prime
Minister Rafik Hariri.
The PM-designate has called on all Lebanese parties to join his upcoming
cabinet, but March 14 parties have said that they will not take part in a
cabinet headed by a March 8 nominee and have also asked that Mikati first
clarify his stance on non-state weapons and the STL.-NOW Lebanon
Ashkenazi criticizes Hariri, Jumblatt’s visits to Syria
February 8, 2011 /“What does outgoing Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Progressive
Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt’s visits to Syria mean when their
fathers were killed amid mysterious circumstances,” outgoing Israel Defense
Forces (IDF) chief Gabi Ashkenazi asked on Tuesday, referring to allegations
that Damascus was behind both the murders.
Ashkenazi added that Hariri and Jumblatt went to Syria because they are
monitoring the changes in the regional balance of power, LBC television
reported.
“Iran’s [threat] does not lie in its nuclear arming. [It] lies in providing
Hezbollah and Hamas with arms.”Ashkenazi is set to step down as IDF chief this
week and has said the Israeli army will remain strong despite his
departure.Former PM Rafik Hariri was assassinated in February 14, 2005 while
former PSP leader Kamal Jumblatt was killed on March 16, 1977.
-NOW Lebanon
Egypt sees largest demonstrations since start of revolt
February 8, 2011 /Hundreds of thousands of Egyptians took to the streets of
Cairo and other cities Tuesday in the largest demonstrations since the start of
a revolt against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, AFP correspondents said. AFP
journalists overlooking central Cairo's Tahrir Square said the crowds exceeded
all previous protests, in the third week of a revolt against Mubarak's 30-year
rule that looks to reshape the region. Reports from other cities suggested
similarly large crowds. Mubarak has made concessions to the youth-led protests
but has refused their central demand that he immediately step down to pave the
way for free and fair elections in the most populous Arab country.-AFP/NOW
Lebanon
Mikati on final stretch of cabinet formation
February 8, 2011 /Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati will soon complete his
cabinet, which will include the Hezbollah-led camp and technocrats but exclude
the March 14 alliance, an official said Tuesday. "Mikati hopes to finalize his
consultations and form the government this week," the official, who is close to
the premier, told AFP on condition of anonymity.
"The next government will include representatives of the [Hezbollah-led] new
majority, centrists and technocrats," he said, adding that the size of the
cabinet had not been finalized yet but would likely count 24 to 30 ministers.
The "centrists" would be appointed into office by Mikati and President Michel
Sleiman, the source added. "[Mikati’s] response to the demands of the [March 14]
have not changed from the beginning and he cannot make any commitments to either
side as that would cause him to lose his position as a centrist.”March 8 brought
down Saad Hariri's government on January 12 after a long-running dispute over
the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), which the party worries will implicate
its members for the 2005 assassination of former PM Rafik Hariri. Mikati, who
was appointed to the premiership on January 25 with the backing of March 8, has
called on all Lebanese parties to join his upcoming cabinet. However, March 14
parties have said that they will not take part in a cabinet headed by Mikati but
asked that he first clarify his stance on non-state weapons and the STL.-AFP/NOW
Lebanon
What a waste
Mona Alami, February 8, 2011
“The Nehmeh landfill is a disgrace. The situation is getting worse by the day,
and many residents of nearby villages seem to be developing deadly diseases,”
said Beaawarteh Mayor Tarek Gharzedine. The Nehmeh landfill is not the only one
to raise eyebrows in Lebanon, as the Land of the Cedars is literally being
buried under piles of rubbish. Saida is another area that has become infamous
for its mountain of garbage, large parts of which, with every storm, get tossed
into the Mediterranean Sea. The total volume of the Saida landfill is estimated
at about 1 million cubic meters and is about 45 meters high and 150 meters in
length, according to the International POPs Elimination Project.
Besides the main landfills spread across Lebanon, there are about 200 other
“unofficial” waste dumps. “I believe this figure to be actually much higher,
around 700 landfills,” said Wael Hmaydan, head of Indyact, an environmental
organization in Lebanon. Landfills are rarely built according to environmental
guidelines.
Every year, Lebanon produces about 1.5 million tons of solid waste. The 2.2
million people that waste management company Sukleen services in the Beirut and
Mount Lebanon area alone create about 2,500 tons of garbage per day. Some 40
percent of Lebanon’s garbage ends up in makeshift dumps, and 50 percent in
established landfills. About 10 percent gets recycled.
Waste treatment is very minimal in the country. For example, in Tripoli trash is
simply dumped into the city’s landfill without being sorted and without any of
it being composted. Some of the trash in the Zahle landfill is sorted, though
none of the organic waste is composted, according to a report published by the
Ministry of Environment.
While Mohammad Rahhal, caretaker minister of the environment, said that “the
development and adoption of a comprehensive national plan for waste has become a
priority,” little has been accomplished.
One reason so little is done to reduce the amount of solid waste that gets
deposited in dumps across Lebanon is that responsibility for waste management is
assigned to individual municipalities, which are usually cash strapped and lack
the facilities to deal with the problem, if they address it at all. Minister
Rahhal said that he submitted a draft law to the cabinet a few months ago
addressing the garbage problem as part of a broader environmental regulation
scheme. “But the law never reached parliament due to the prevailing political
dissensions,” he told NOW Lebanon.
Another problem lies in the minimal recycling efforts made in Lebanon. Recycling
is an important part of waste management in most Western countries but in
Lebanon is limited to haphazard individual efforts. In addition, separating
combustible organic waste from other materials such as glass and plastic to
create quality compost for farmers is a technique that is practically
non-existent here. “While it is true that some compost is produced in Lebanon,
it is of such poor quality that farmers tend to throw it away,” said Hmaydan.
Some endeavors, such as the Italian ROSS Program, have tried to help Lebanese
municipalities build solid waste management strategies. It launched pilot
initiatives in the South Lebanon villages of Kherbet Selim, Bint Jbeil, Kfar Sir
and Aytaroun aimed creating a sustainable system that would benefit locals, the
municipalities and the environment. However, such efforts have remained limited
in scope.
The annual cost of environmental degradation resulting from poor solid waste
management is estimated at approximately $15 million, according to a 2002 World
Bank report.
Some efforts, apparently, have also been thwarted by private interests.
According to a source in the government who spoke on condition of anonymity, “A
few years ago, we were approached by a Kuwaiti company, which submitted a
proposal for waste management using incineration. The company was relying on a
German technique to burn non-recyclable waste at 2000 degrees while producing at
the same time energy,” he said. “The company’s initial plan was to process 180
million tons, a figure that was scaled down by the government to 120 million.
The proposal stated that each ton of waste would be processed for $35 and allow
for the creation of carbon credits.” Though the plan would have helped the
economy and energy sectors while reducing the toll of solid waste on the
environment, the country’s waste management companies, which turn a huge profit
from the way the current system functions, had it nipped in the bud, according
to the source. The recent Environment Ministry report, however, does include a
similar option, though the price the government would have charged to process
the waste was $20 higher than the Kuwaiti plan. But environmentalists like
Hmaydan still recommend a zero-waste approach to solving Lebanon’s garbage
problem, in which every material that can be recycled is, and the rest is
composted or incinerated. Regardless of the challenges at hand, all viable
options seem to be on hold until the formation of a stable and functional
Lebanese government. The environment, many in Lebanon believe, can always wait
Connelly: Lebanon is expected to live up to its international obligations
February 8, 2011 /US Ambassador to Lebanon Maura Connelly on Tuesday met with
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, during which she said the international
community expects Lebanon’s upcoming cabinet to maintain the country’s
commitment to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) and relevant UN Security
Council resolutions. “Any government that claims to be truly representative of
all of Lebanon would find it impossible to abandon the [STL’s] efforts to end
the era of impunity for assassinations in the country,” a statement issued by
the US Embassy in Lebanon quoted her as saying. She added that Washington will
not take a decision on its ties with Lebanon until the new cabinet is formed,
drafts a Ministerial Statement and begins its work. Prime Minister-designate
Najib Mikati was appointed to the premiership on January 25 with the backing of
the Hezbollah-led March 8 coalition, following the January 12 collapse of Saad
Hariri’s unity government due to a long-running controversy over the STL
investigating the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The
PM-designate has called on all Lebanese parties to join his upcoming cabinet,
but March 14 parties have said that they will not take part in a cabinet headed
by a March 8 nominee and have also asked that Mikati first clarify his stance on
non-state weapons and the STL.-NOW Lebanon
Hezbollah wants cabinet to be formed before Monday, says source
February 8, 2011 /Future News television quoted on Tuesday a “well-informed”
source as saying that Hezbollah wants to form a cabinet before Monday so as to
direct a moral blow against the March 14 parties before the 6th commemoration of
former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s February 14 assassination.
The source also said that Hezbollah informed Prime Minister-designate Najib
Mikati that it rejects March 14’s participation in the cabinet, adding that
Mikati was informed of this through Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel
Aoun. Mikati was appointed to the premiership on January 25 with the backing of
the Hezbollah-led March 8 coalition, following the January 12 collapse of Saad
Hariri’s unity government due to a long-running controversy over the Special
Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) investigating the 2005 assassination of former PM
Rafik Hariri.
The PM-designate has called on all Lebanese parties to join his upcoming
cabinet, but March 14 parties have said that they will not take part in a
cabinet headed by a March 8 nominee and have also asked that Mikati first
clarify his stance on non-state weapons and the STL.-NOW Lebanon
Williams after Meeting Miqati Hopes New Cabinet Would Enjoy All Sides' Approval
Naharnet/U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams voiced his
support on Tuesday for Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati in his mission to
form a new government, praising his openness to all political parties in
Lebanon. He added a hope after holding talks with Miqati that the new government
would enjoy the approval of all Lebanese sides and that it would respect
international resolutions, especially U.N. Security Council resolution 1701.
Asked after the talks of his position should the new cabinet be comprised of
only March 8 ministers, Williams responded that the decision is up to Miqati,
adding a belief that contacts between the various camps are ongoing. The talks
between the premier-designate and the U.N. official also addressed the latest
developments in Lebanon and the region. Beirut, 08 Feb 11, 18:31
Aoun Travels to Aleppo on Board Private Syrian Presidential Plane
Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun traveled to Aleppo on Tuesday to
participate in the celebrations of Saint Maroun Day in Brad the next day.
Caretaker Ministers Jebran Bassil and Fadi Abboud, and Change and Reform bloc
MPs Ibrahim Kenaan, Nabil Nicolas, Naji Gharious and Fadi al-Aawar accompanied
Aoun.Former lawmakers Salim Aoun and Camille Khoury were also among the
delegation. The FPM leader and the delegation traveled to Syria aboard a private
Syrian presidential plane. Beirut, 08 Feb 11, 11:20