DAILY NEWS
PM-designate Saad Hariri Resigns
After nine months of political deadlock, Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri resigned yesterday. His resignation followed one last attempt at forming a government earlier this week when he submitted a new 24-minister cabinet proposal to President Michel Aoun on Wednesday. After Aoun and Hariri met yesterday to review the line-up, they failed to come to an agreement and Hariri announced he was stepping down. [NYTimes]
Consultations For a New Prime Minister to Begin Next Week
The presidential palace is making preparations for parliamentary consultations to name a new prime minister. After talks throughout the night on when to set the date, consultations are expected to begin Monday or after the Eid-al-Adha holiday on Tuesday. [Naharnet]
France Announces International Aid Conference
France will host an international conference in August on the anniversary of the August 4 Beirut Port explosion. The conference will be organized with the help of the United Nations and will aim to raise aid from the international community for the Lebanese people. [Al Jazeera]
Lebanese Pound Hits New Record Low
Following Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri’s resignation, the Lebanese pound hit a new record low today at LL23,250 to the dollar. [The Daily Star]
OPINION & ANALYSIS
Hiding in Plain View – No Solutions in Lebanon
Jean AbiNader
AbiNader writes, “There are many culprits. From officials to economic elites, from militia members to the mafia and thugs that abuse human and civil rights with impunity, knowing that they are beyond the law, such as it is in Lebanon. The latest drama is playing out in many scenarios but I want to focus on three: the port explosion investigation, the resignation of Saad Hariri as PM designate, and the alleged Hezbollah missile storage facilities near a school in the South…”
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.