Lebanon’s Amal Movement Accuses US of Stopping Salameh’s Dismissal

Caption: FILE PHOTO: Lebanon's Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh speaks during a news conference at Central Bank in Beirut, Lebanon, November 11, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo
Caption: FILE PHOTO: Lebanon's Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh speaks during a news conference at Central Bank in Beirut, Lebanon, November 11, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo
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Lebanon’s Amal Movement Accuses US of Stopping Salameh’s Dismissal

Caption: FILE PHOTO: Lebanon's Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh speaks during a news conference at Central Bank in Beirut, Lebanon, November 11, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo
Caption: FILE PHOTO: Lebanon's Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh speaks during a news conference at Central Bank in Beirut, Lebanon, November 11, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo

The US Ambassador to Beirut has warned the Lebanese authorities that any attempt to sack Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh would lead to the seizure of Lebanon’s assets and gold reserves in the US, an Amal Movement official revealed Sunday.

“US Ambassador (Dorothy Shea) informed President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Hassan Diab through the head of the Free Patriotic Movement, Gebran Bassil, that firing Salameh would lead to the seizure of Lebanon’s $20 billion-worth assets and gold in the US by considering them Hezbollah’s assets,” Qabalan Qabalan said on Sunday.

His comments came following reports that Speaker Nabih Berri and his Amal Movement were throwing their support behind the Central Bank governor and warning that his removal would send the currency tumbling and threaten deposits.

Qabalan said officials would not dare to sack the governor and therefore would search for another scapegoat in Lebanon's economic crisis.

He warned that the dismissal of Salameh without finding a credible alternative would lead to the evaporation of what is left of depositors’ funds.

“This also means the Lebanese currency would tumble further and cause more street protests,” he said.

The Lebanese pound, which has lost more than half its value since October, slid to record lows on a parallel market last week, nearing 4,000 to the dollar. The official pegged pound rate of 1,507.5 to the dollar is available only for certain vital imports.

On Sunday, Salameh received support from Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rahi, who asked, "Who benefits from the destabilization of the position of the Central Bank governor?

During Sunday’s Mass service, the Patriarch said, "While we were waiting for the Prime Minister to announce a reform plan that would eliminate corruption, waste and theft in the country...we were surprised by a final ruling against the governor without hearing him or giving him the right to self-defense.”

Diab and Bassil are pushing towards replacing Salameh.

On Sunday, Bassil said during a press conference that the corrupt, thieves, greedy beneficiaries, the banks, their owners and shareholders and the Central Bank should assume responsibility for Lebanon’s financial losses.



Two Million Syrians Returned Home Since Assad's Fall, Says UN

Syrian migrants wait at the Cilvegozu border gate to cross into Syria, after Syrian rebels announced that they ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in the Turkish town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, Türkiye, - Reuters
Syrian migrants wait at the Cilvegozu border gate to cross into Syria, after Syrian rebels announced that they ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in the Turkish town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, Türkiye, - Reuters
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Two Million Syrians Returned Home Since Assad's Fall, Says UN

Syrian migrants wait at the Cilvegozu border gate to cross into Syria, after Syrian rebels announced that they ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in the Turkish town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, Türkiye, - Reuters
Syrian migrants wait at the Cilvegozu border gate to cross into Syria, after Syrian rebels announced that they ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in the Turkish town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, Türkiye, - Reuters

Over two million Syrians who had fled their homes during their country's war have returned since the ouster of Bashar al-Assad, UN refugee agency chief Filippo Grandi said Thursday, ahead of a visit to Syria.

The Syrian civil war, which erupted in 2011 with Assad's brutal repression of anti-government protests, displaced half of the population internally or abroad.

But Assad's December 8 ouster at the hands of Islamist forces sparked hopes of return.

"Over two million Syrian refugees and displaced have returned home since December," Grandi wrote on X during a visit to neighboring Lebanon, which hosts about 1.5 million Syrian refugees, according to official estimates, AFP reported.

It is "a sign of hope amid rising regional tensions," he said.

"This proves that we need political solutions -- not another wave of instability and displacement."

After 14 years of war, many returnees face the reality of finding their homes and property badly damaged or destroyed.

But with the recent lifting of Western sanctions on Syria, new authorities hope for international support to launch reconstruction, which the UN estimates could cost more than $400 billion.

Earlier this month, UNHCR estimated that up to 1.5 million Syrians from abroad and two million internally displaced persons may return by the end of 2025.