Siniora: Lebanon's Problems Caused by Hezbollah

 Former Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora gestures at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon, November 7, 2017. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
Former Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora gestures at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon, November 7, 2017. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
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Siniora: Lebanon's Problems Caused by Hezbollah

 Former Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora gestures at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon, November 7, 2017. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
Former Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora gestures at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon, November 7, 2017. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

Former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora reiterated that Lebanon was hijacked by Hezbollah, stressing that the country could not be restored without the return of the rule of state.

In an interview with a number of media outlets, including Asharq Al-Awsat, Siniora said any solution to the crisis with Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries should begin with the resignation of Information Minister George Kordahi.

“The problem is Hezbollah; it is no longer permissible to ignore the perpetrator,” he said, asserting that the state “no longer enjoys the free decision.”

The danger of what is happening lies in “messing with the democratic system,” the former premier warned, noting that the national unity governments that were formed following the Doha agreement and the events of May 7, 2008 (Hezbollah’s invasion of Beirut and some areas) were an “unnatural context for the course” of the democratic political life.

He stressed that a natural democratic rule requires “a majority that controls, and an opposing minority,” adding that the Council of Ministers should be the basis for decision-making.

Siniora considered that the election of President Michel Aoun to power “messed up the role of the Presidency of the Republic,” pointing out that the president should be the symbol of the unity of the Lebanese in line with the Constitution.

“When he became a party to the internal crisis, he lost his ability to unite the Lebanese people,” the former premier stated.



UN Libya Mission to Resume Talks between Factions over Bank Governor

 Libyan Ministry of Interior personnel stand guard in front of the Central Bank of Libya in Tripoli, Libya, August 27, 2024. (Reuters)
Libyan Ministry of Interior personnel stand guard in front of the Central Bank of Libya in Tripoli, Libya, August 27, 2024. (Reuters)
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UN Libya Mission to Resume Talks between Factions over Bank Governor

 Libyan Ministry of Interior personnel stand guard in front of the Central Bank of Libya in Tripoli, Libya, August 27, 2024. (Reuters)
Libyan Ministry of Interior personnel stand guard in front of the Central Bank of Libya in Tripoli, Libya, August 27, 2024. (Reuters)

The UN mission in Libya will resume facilitating talks between factions in Tripoli on Wednesday to try to resolve the central bank crisis that has slashed oil output and threatened to end four years of relative stability.

Libya's two legislative bodies, the House of Representatives based in Benghazi in eastern Libya, and the High Council of State in Tripoli in the west, agreed this month to jointly appoint a central bank governor, potentially defusing a battle for control of the country's oil revenue.

Libya's central bank is the sole legal repository for oil revenue, and it pays state salaries across the country.

The consultations between the two bodies were supposed to have concluded on Monday over an agreement to choose a nominee for governor and a board of directions within 30 days, having already been extended last week by five days.

The UN mission, in agreeing to resume the talks with both legislative bodies and the Presidential Council, said "time is of the essence in reaching a consensual solution to the crisis and mitigating its adverse effects".

The Presidential Council, based in Tripoli, had only rarely intervened directly in Libyan politics before its head Mohammed al-Menfi moved in August to replace veteran central bank Governor Sadiq al-Kabir which led eastern factions to order a halt of oil flows across Libyan oilfields in protest.

Libya has had little peace since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising and it split in 2014 between eastern and western factions. Major warfare ended with a ceasefire in 2020 and attempts to reunify, but divisions persist.

The House of Representatives parliament and the High State Council were both recognized internationally in a 2015 political agreement, although they backed different sides for much of Libya's conflict.