8chan/8kun QResearch Posts (6)
#14129566 at 2021-07-15 17:47:57 (UTC+1)
Q Research General #17876: #AZaudit T -45 and Counting Ebake Edition
Crisis deepens in Lebanon as PM-designate steps down after failing to form a government for 8 months
The Lebanese prime minister-designate has said he is stepping down from the post after failing for several months to put together a government from the country's many opposing factions amid a worsening economic crisis.
On Thursday, Saad al-Hariri told reporters that he would relinquish his position following a 20-minute meeting with President Michel Aoun.
"It is clear we will not be able to agree [a cabinet] with his excellency the president," Hariri stated, adding "that is why I excuse myself from government formation."
He had been attempting to form a government for eight months amid crippling economic conditions, public distrust in political leaders and a run on the Lebanese pound.Hariri and Aoun have been at loggerheads over the formation of a new government, despite numerous meetings between the two.
The former prime minister was chosen to form a new government on October 22, succeeding Hassan Diab, who resigned on August 10 following a devastating explosion in the port of Beirut, which many in Lebanon have blamed on government negligence. Hariri himself had resigned as leader only a year earlier amid mass anti-government protests as the economic crisis grew.
Last week, two of the country's power plants ran out of fuel, leaving some without electricity and water. Stations at Deir Ammar and Zahrani, which provide 40% of the country's electricity, were shut down as foreign banks were yet to sign off on transactions allowing Electricite Du Liban to unload two fuel shipments waiting in port.The state has struggled to secure finance to keep the power stations supplied throughout 2021.
https://www.rt.com/news/529295-lebanon-primeminster-resigns-beirut/
#10238845 at 2020-08-10 04:44:02 (UTC+1)
Q Research General #13103: Flash Bam Alacazam out of an ORANGE colored sky Edition
>>10238838
The bureaucracy at Beirut's port and the mafias who are actually in charge are closely linked to, among others, the al-Mostaqbal faction, which is led by former Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri, himself fully backed by the House of Saud.
The immensely corrupt Hariri was removed from power in October 2019 amid serious protests. His cronies "disappeared" at least $20 billion from Lebanon's treasury - which seriously aggravated the nation's currency crisis.
No wonder the current government - where we have Prime Minister Diab backed by Hezbollah - had not been informed about the ammonium nitrate.
Ammonium nitrate is quite stable, making it one of the safest explosives used in mining. Fire normally won't set it off. It becomes highly explosive only if contaminated - for instance by oil - or heated to a point where it undergoes chemical changes that produce a sort of impermeable cocoon around it in which oxygen can build up to a dangerous level where an ignition can cause an explosion.
Why, after sleeping in Hangar 12 for seven years, did this pile suddenly feel an itch to explode?
So far, the prime straight to the point explanation, by Middle East expert Elijah Magnier, points to the tragedy being "sparked" - literally - by a clueless blacksmith with a blowtorch operating quite close to the unsecured ammonium nitrate. Unsecured due, once again, to negligence and corruption - or as part of an intentional "mistake" anticipating the possibility of a future blast.
This scenario, though, does not explain the initial "fireworks" explosion. And certainly does not explain what no one - at least in the West - is talking about: the deliberate fires set to an Iranian market in Ajam in the UAE, and also to a series of food/agricultural warehouses in Najaf, Iraq, immediately after the Beirut tragedy.
Follow the money
Lebanon - boasting assets and real estate worth trillions of dollars - is a juicy peach for global finance vultures. To grab these assets at rock bottom prices, in the middle of the New Great Depression, is simply irresistible. In parallel, the IMF vulture would embark on full shakedown mode and finally "forgive" some of Beirut's debts as long as a harsh variation of "structural adjustment" is imposed.
Who profits, in this case, are the geopolitical and geoeconomic interests of US, Saudi Arabia and France. It's no accident that President Macron, a dutifulRothschild servant, arrived in Beirut Thursday to pledge Paris neocolonial "support" and all but impose, like a Viceroy, a comprehensive set of "reforms". A Monty Python-infused dialogue, complete with heavy French accent, might have followed along these lines: "We want to buy your port." "It's not for sale." "Oh, what a pity, an accident just happened."
Already a month ago the IMF was "warning" that "implosion" in Lebanon was "accelerating." Prime Minister Diab had to accept the proverbial "offer you can't refuse" and thus "unlock billions of dollars in donor funds." Or else. The non-stop run on the Lebanese currency, for over a year now, was just a - relatively polite - warning.
This is happening amid a massive global asset grab characterized in the larger context by American GDP down by almost 40%, arrays of bankruptcies, a handful of billionaires amassing unbelievable profits and too-big-to-fail megabanks duly bailed out with a tsunami of free money.
Dag Detter, a Swedish financier, and Nasser Saidi, a former Lebanese minister and central bank vice governor, suggest that the nation's assets be placed in a national wealth fund. Juicy assets include Electricité du Liban (EDL), water utilities, airports, the MEA airline , telecom company OGERO, the Casino du Liban.
#7877566 at 2020-01-22 20:25:09 (UTC+1)
Q Research General 10081 Anons want sauce - Edition
Lebanon's New Hezbollah-Backed Government Meets After 3-Month Vacuum Amid Crisis
After in October Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri resigned amid worsening violence and protests related to the nation's banking crisis, but remained in a caretaker capacity, Lebanon announced Tuesday the formation of a new government, which met for the first time Wednesday. The crisis-hit country has been three months without a government.
President Michel Aoun said it's vital the new government led by caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab wins back international confidence at a moment Lebanon is on the verge of deft default and currency devaluation. The new leaders will attempt to instill enough faith to unlock crucial external funding, conditioned on badly needed reforms which have thus far remained elusive.
Your mission is delicate," Aoun told the cabinet in a statement. "It is necessary to work to tackle the economic situation, restore the confidence of the international community in Lebanese institutions and reassure the Lebanese about their future," Aoun said.
Caretaker PM Diab, formerly the education minister and importantly the candidate put forward by Hezbollah, has unveiled a plan for a new election law meant to promote national unity and placate key demands of protesters after demonstrations have raged for months, at times bringing daily life in the major cities, especially Beirut, to a standstill. This also as a liquidity crisis has resulted in strict capital controls imposed on banks, which has also lately seen account holders limited to withdrawing a mere $200 a week.
It's now been over two months since commercial banks have enacted severe controls preventing large money transfers abroad and restricting clients' access to their deposits. Throughout the nationwide protests, which at their height saw one million people hit the streets (a whopping some 20% of the entire population), both national and commercial banks have been routinely targeted for destruction and vandalism.
The new government includes Minister of Defense Zeina 'Akkar, Minister of Foreign Affairs Nassif Hatti, Minister of Finance Ghazi Wazneh and Minister of Interior Mohammad Fahmi.
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/lebanons-new-hezbollah-backed-government-meets-after-3-month-vacuum-amid-crisis
#7419932 at 2019-12-03 19:07:07 (UTC+1)
Q Research General #9489: Don't Panic! Refresh! Good wins in the end! Justice! Edition
Lebanon's FM suggests government talks near 'happy ending'
Lebanon's caretaker foreign minister, Gebran Bassil, signalled on Tuesday that progress had been made in talks on forming a new government that must pull the country out of its worst economic crisis in decades, reports Reuters.
Talks between the main feuding parties have been deadlocked since Saad al-Hariri resigned as prime minister in late October under pressure from huge protests against the ruling elite.
A previous deal had appeared to be done but unravelled last month after a candidate for premier withdrew.
Political sources said on Tuesday progress had been made in negotiations to form an interim cabinet with Lebanese businessman Samir al-Khatib as prime minister.
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20191203-lebanons-fm-suggests-government-talks-near-happy-ending/
#7018479 at 2019-07-12 22:32:36 (UTC+1)
Q Research General #8980: Namefag Bakers Special No More Edition!
Hezbollah leader says U.S. seeking to talk
The leader of Hezbollah said on Friday that Washington was seeking to open channels of communication despite ramping up sanctions against the Iran-backed movement's officials.
U.S. President Donald "Trump's administration is seeking to open channels of communication to Hezbollah in Lebanon through mediators. … These are the American pragmatists," Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said in an interview with Hezbollah's al-Manar TV without elaborating.
There was no immediate comment from the U.S. State Department on the assertion.
New sanctions this week marked the first time the United States has targeted lawmakers of the heavily-armed Shi'ite Hezbollah, which is part of Lebanon's coalition government.
The U.S. Treasury added three Hezbollah figures to its sanctions list, including two Lebanese MPs and a security official.
The move widens a U.S. campaign that since 2017 has designated 50 people and entities linked to Hebzollah, which Washington classifies as a "terrorist" organization.
Nasrallah called the new sanctions "an honor" that came as "part of the ongoing battle" against Hezbollah and its allies.
"What's new is the affront to the Lebanese state," Nasrallah said.
"At the end of the day, Hezbollah is an important part of the country. The Lebanese government will tell the Americans, as it has before, that these are a part we can not ignore."
A U.S. State Department official said on Tuesday that the message was that the rest of the Lebanese government "needs to sever its dealings" with these officials.
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri said on Wednesday that the sanctions moved in a "new direction," but would not affect government work.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-lebanon-hezbollah/hezbollah-leader-says-u-s-seeking-to-talk-idUSKCN1U72JV?il=0
#3506875 at 2018-10-17 06:44:45 (UTC+1)
Q Research General #4447: Are You Down With NPC? Edition
Pompeo says Saudis committed to complete probe into journalist's disappearance
ANKARA (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has committed to conducting a complete investigation into the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday before departing the kingdom for Turkey. Pompeo said he would meet with President Tayyip Erdogan in the Turkish capital Ankara, two weeks after Khashoggi vanished when he visited the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to collect documents he needed for his planned marriage. Earlier, President Donald Trump gave Saudi Arabia the benefit of the doubt in Khashoggi's disappearance, while U.S. lawmakers pointed the finger at the Saudi leadership and Western pressure mounted on Riyadh to provide answers. In Saudi Arabia, Pompeo met with Saudi King Salman, the crown prince and the foreign minister. "In each of those meetings I stressed the importance of them conducting a complete investigation into the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi. They made a commitment to do that," he told reporters traveling with him after boarding the plane for Ankara. "They said it would be a thorough, complete and transparent investigation," he said. "They indicated they understood that getting that done in a timely, rapid fashion so they could begin to answer important questions."
Turkish officials have said they believe Khashoggi was murdered and his body removed, which the Saudis have strongly denied. Khashoggi was a U.S. resident who wrote columns for the Washington Post and he was critical of the Saudi government, calling for reforms. Earlier, in a Twitter post, Trump said Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman denied knowing what happened in the Saudi consulate. "I think we have to find out what happened first," Trump told the Associated Press in an interview on Tuesday. "Here we go again with, you know, you're guilty until proven innocent. I don't like that." How the crown prince, often referred to as MbS, emerges when the dust settles over Khashoggi's disappearance is a test of how the West will deal with Saudi Arabia in the future. At issue will be to what extent the West believes responsibility lies with MbS for Khashoggi. "They made no exceptions to who they would hold accountable. They were very clear: they understand the important of this issue, they are determined to get to the bottom of it," Pompeo told reporters. Asked whether they said Khashoggi was alive or dead, Pompeo said: "They didn't talk about any of the facts."
MbS, who has enjoyed a close relationship with the Trump administration, has painted himself as the face of a new, vibrant Saudi Arabia, diversifying its economy away from reliance on oil and making some social changes. But there has been mounting criticism of some of the prince's moves. These include Riyadh's involvement in the war in Yemen, the arrest of women activists and a diplomatic dispute with Canada. The kingdom also denied an assertion by France that it held Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri captive in November 2017. Despite Western concerns about Saudi Arabia's human rights record, Trump still says he is unwilling to pull out of weapons sales agreements with Riyadh.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-politics-dissident/pompeo-says-saudis-committed-to-complete-probe-into-journalists-disappearance-idUSKCN1MR0G6
8kun Midnight Riders Posts (1)
#70651 at 2021-03-16 14:06:10 (UTC+1)
QR Midnight Riders #315: Heal the World Edition
Lebanon protesters back on streets as pound loses 90% of its value
Angry protesters used burning tyres to block roads in parts of Beirut on Tuesday as the Lebanese pound crashed past a new milestone in its plunge against the dollar, losing most of its value as the country's financial meltdown worsens.The pound traded at around 15,000 to the dollar and above for the first time on Tuesday, according to market dealers, and has now lost nearly 90% of its value since the crisis started in late 2019. "We are absolutely fed up, we are hungry we are finished," one protester yelled.
Lebanon's economic crisis is posing the biggest threat to its stability since the 1975-1990 civil war, wiping out jobs, locking people out of their bank deposits and raising the risk of widespread hunger. Parliament convened committees to discuss an emergency loan for the country's electricity company after the energy minister warned it would be lights out across Lebanon by the end of March if a cash injection is not made.
The committees only managed to promise $200 million out of a total requested of around $1 billion. The proposal now has to be approved by parliament. An official source told Reuters that Lebanon's foreign reserves now stand at around $16 billion. That compares with about $19.5 billion in August and means that not much is left for a subsidy programme to fund basic goods, including wheat and fuel.
Lebanon's problems were compounded after an explosion at the port in August devastated whole tracts of Beirut, killing 200 people and prompting the government to resign, leaving the country rudderless as it sinks deeper into financial collapse. Prime minister Hassan Diab's cabinet has stayed on in a caretaker capacity until a new government is formed. No budget has yet been passed by parliament for 2021.
Prime minister-designate Saad al-Hariri, nominated in October, is at loggerheads with President Michel Aoun and has been unable to form a new government to carry out reforms to unlock international aid.
https://www.reuters.com/article/lebanon-crisis/lebanon-protesters-back-on-streets-as-pound-loses-90-of-its-value-idUSL1N2LE10E