(AFP/Patrick Baz)
Patrick Durel, the French president’s advisor on North Africa and the Middle East, arrived in Beirut. This visit aims to revive the French initiative, rolled out in early September, to kick-start economic and political reforms in Lebanon. The French diplomat is set to meet today with the President Michel Aoun, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Premier-designated Saad Hariri, and several other political leaders before returning to Paris tomorrow. A diplomatic source told our sister publication L’Orient-Le Jour that Durel’s trip will be an opportunity to ensure they remain committed to Emmanuel Macron’s road map. Lebanon’s political class has claimed they back the initiative, all while failing to move forward on its initial step, the formation of a government capable of reforms.
Lebanon and Israel held a new round of maritime border demarcation talks yesterday. The US and UN issued a joint statement describing “positive talks” between the two parties, which are technically at a formal state of war with each other. Mediated by the US, the talks have seen both sides take maximalist positions, with reports saying differences between Israel and Lebanon were still wide at the most recent negotiations. Sources told L’Orient-Le Jour that the US is pressuring President Michel Aoun to encourage Lebanese negotiators to lessen their demands. The next round of talks are scheduled for early December.
Hassan Nasrallah weighed in on the talks, saying they are solely for the technical demarcation of the maritime border and will not lead to a normalization of ties with Israel. The Hezbollah leader compared the negotiations to those done to demarcate the Blue Line when Israel withdrew in 2000, saying that it is up to the state to decide its borders. He also weighed in on the US presidential election, saying that he is personally happy that Donald Trump lost. He excoriated the US for lecturing other countries on democracy and corruption, defending his ally Gebran Bassil, who was sanctioned last week ostensibly for corruption.
Lebanon, represented by its caretaker social affairs and tourism minister, advocated for the return of Syrian refugees during a conference in Damascus. Rami Musharrafieh claimed in a speech to the assembly that the Lebanese government’s plan for the return of Syrian refugees would allow for their “dignified” repatriation. He also claimed that Syrian refugees in Lebanon, 90 percent of whom live in extreme poverty, have cost Lebanon more than $40 billion. The conference, snubbed by the EU, US and other international powers, will resume today for a second session. Syrian refugees, many of whom fear a return to their home country, are not represented at the Russian-organized meeting.
A high-level security meeting at the Grand Serail ended with no guidance being issued regarding measures to take effect this Saturday when the country goes into its second coronavirus lockdown. The lockdown comes as mounting infections threaten to overwhelm hospitals. Lebanon registered 1,922 new COVID-19 cases yesterday, but 15 percent of local tests came back positive, meaning many cases may be going undetected. Two field hospitals arrived from Qatar, destined for Tripoli and Sur, to bolster the health system. And caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab met with the World Bank’s regional director, Saroj Kumar Jha, to request funds and assistance to combat the epidemic. The virus took 17 lives yesterday, bringing the death toll to 763.
Families of students at foreign universities plan to protest again in front of Banque du Liban this morning. They are upset that the “student dollar law,” approved by Parliament and published in the Official Gazette in October, has not yet been implemented. The law allows depositors to transfer up to $10,000 at the official exchange rate for students living abroad. Ahmad Mezhar, a judge of urgent matters in Nabatieh, reportedly ordered Banque Libano-Française to transfer the university tuition for a student in Russia, in accordance with the student dollar law. In the event of non-payment, the bank will be fined LL50 million for each day of delay.
