Caretaker Minister of the Displaced Visits Syria, Discusses Repatriation The caretaker Minister of the Displaced Issam Sharafeddine, as part of a Lebanese delegation, made an official visit to Syria and met with officials there to discuss the topic of repatriation with respect to Syrian refugees in Lebanon. [Naharnet]
International Legal Conference Held in Beirut According to Naharnet, “The Lebanon Law Review and the German NGO Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Rule of Law Program have organized an international legal conference in Beirut to discuss the digitization in the fight against corruption and the digitization of law in practical business practices. More than 200 participants, including members of Parliament, international experts, and local experts have attended the conference, Lebanon Law Review said in a statement.” [Naharnet]
Lebanese Depositors Union Calls for Sit-In Following Detention of Bassam Sheikh Hussein After Bassam Sheikh Hussein created a hostage situation at the Hamra branch of the Lebanese Federal Bank, in which he demanded to withdraw the full $210,000 USD of his trapped deposit, the Lebanese Depositors’ Union and Hussein’s family are both organizing a sit-in in front of the Justice Palace in Beirut at 10:30 AM on Tuesday to protest his detainment. [The961]
OPINION & ANALYSIS
Mourning In Lebanon Jean AbiNader
AbiNader writes, “These past two weeks succinctly reflect the nature of Lebanon’s demise – a six-week old public sector strike, desperately needed grain being refused by the buyer after a five month delay, another threatening speech by Hassan Nasrallah. Another day spawns another disaster in Lebanon, or another threat of hostilities and civil disorder, or another rise in the cost of essential goods and services – if they are even available. It’s a never-ending marathon of man-made tribulations, mostly made in the case of Lebanon. On the government side, continued parliamentary impasses, an uncertain move towards a government formation, and the upcoming presidential elections all coincide with new members of parliament learning what it is like to govern in a vacuum of collaboration. The reality in Lebanon is that the state is in desperate need of triage, starting with the government owning up to its responsibilities to reform and recover. It has so far not come to terms with its own history over the last thirty years, out which this debilitating economic crisis has emerged, even if the outcome of the recent elections has offered hope to various opposition figures, emboldening them to make sure that presidential elections occur on time, the reform process goes ahead, and Lebanon’s road to survival becomes more than a fleeting hope.”
L’Orient Today The Proper Application Of The Public Procurement Law Still Has A Long Way To Go Fouad Gemayel
Gemayel writes,“After the new public procurement law, published on July 28, entered into force, the Gherbal Initiative civil society organization launched the Monaqasa(Arabic for tender) project on Wednesday, in cooperation with the US Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) and the Basil Fuleihan Institute. This platform aims to promote transparency and the application of good practices in public procurement by allowing the various stakeholders to research the requests for tenders by region, administration and sectors. It also gives the public and civil society the opportunity to keep an eye on the awarding of these contracts. In addition, the site plans to dedicate several sections to training public employees on their role in the application of this law.”
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in these articles are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the American Task Force on Lebanon, a non-profit, nonpartisan leadership organization of Lebanese-Americans.
