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Mikati: If Salameh is fired, 'who will suffer the consequences?'

A ministerial delegation, currently being formed, is due to visit Damascus to discuss the issue of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, according to the caretaker Prime Minister in an interview with Euronews.

Mikati: If Salameh is fired, 'who will suffer the consequences?'

Caretaker Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati at a press conference in Beirut's Grand Serail, May 15, 2022. (Credit: Dalati and Nohra/File photo)

BEIRUT — Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati commented Friday on Banque du Liban (BDL) Governor Riad Salameh, who is the subject of two international arrest warrants and two Interpol red notices.

"It is easy to sack Riad Salameh now, but who will suffer the consequences?" asked Mikati.

Salameh is charged with corruption, forgery, money laundering and embezzlement. German and French courts are prosecuting Salameh, who is also the subject of several investigations in Lebanon.

The BDL governor denies the charges brought against him by the Lebanese and European courts. He continues to enjoy the support of certain political leaders, while others are now calling for his resignation or dismissal. 

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Riad Salameh affair

"Who will take over the reins of the bank?" asked Mikati during an interview with Euronews published on Friday. "We must not focus on one person, but on the institution, which must remain a source of respect in the eyes of the world and the Lebanese."

BDL Vice Governor Wassim Mansouri, a Shia, could succeed Riad Salameh as the head of the central bank. The position is traditionally headed by a Maronite, so Mansouri would be the first member of the Shia community to fulfill the role. 

Read also:

Wassim Mansouri could be the next BDL governor. Who is he?

In the Euronews interview, Mikati pointed out that "the Lebanese justice system plays a fundamental role" in the Salameh affair.

"What matters to us is preserving the institutions," he insisted, arguing that "there is no difference between the BDL and the Lebanese state" which, in his view, bears responsibility "for everything that has happened in recent years."

'They can't accuse us of racism'

Turning to the issue of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Mikati said Friday that "the government is in the process of forming a ministerial delegation to go to Damascus and discuss this issue."

He assured that this step would be taken in coordination with a committee made up of certain Arab League countries.

The League recently welcomed Bashar al-Assad back into the fold, marking the first time since the start of the Syrian Civil War that Arab countries normalized relations with the Syrian regime.

"Syria will play its natural role within the Arab League. The most important thing for Lebanon right now is the return of Syrian refugees to their country," Mikati insisted. "You can't accuse us of racism, because we simply want to exercise our full sovereignty over all our territory. Hence the decision to send back any foreigner who does not have the legal documents required to reside in our country."

"Syrians cannot be forced to return home," he added.

The forced return of Syrian refugees is denounced by many NGOs and UN agencies in Lebanon, who believe that their return to Syria remains too dangerous.

Hezbollah parade and the presidential election

Mikati also touched on the subject of Hezbollah's weapons, which the party recently displayed in a major parade.

The caretaker prime minister condemned the display of force: "The solution to this problem is not in the hands of the government, but requires a comprehensive and total Lebanese agreement on the subject of Hezbollah's weapons."

At a recent meeting, "the Arab League issued directives that distinguish between terrorism and the weapons of the Resistance [Hezbollah]," added Mikati. "This is the official Lebanese position, which considers that the party resists until the liberation of the occupied Lebanese territories."

As for Hezbollah's role in Lebanon, Mikati said he felt that "no one dominates the Lebanese state, and no one is greater than Lebanese sovereignty. We do not accept the presence of a state within the state, and I am the first to criticize anything that undermines national sovereignty."

He assured he would "never accept the use of Hezbollah weapons inside" Lebanon, even though Hassan Nasrallah's party did so in 2008 and 2021.

Presidential vacuum

Finally, referring to the presidential vacuum that has persisted since the departure of Michel Aoun on October 2022, Mikati said: "this situation has unfortunately become part of Lebanon's political history."

He deplored the "paralysis in the Lebanese political system."

On the subject of outside interference in the Lebanese presidential election, Mikati said: "If the country agrees internally, the outside world has nothing to say. The most important thing is for the Lebanese players to work together before anything else."

Lebanese MPs repeatedly failed to elect Aoun's successor during the 11 electoral sessions held between September 2022 and January 2023.

Hezbollah and the Amal Movement openly support the candidacy of Marada Movement leader Sleiman Frangieh, while pposition parties are struggling to reach an agreement.

The candidacy of Jihad Azour, former Finance Minister and a current senior official at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), is being discussed by several opposition political forces and is close to becoming official, according to several observers.

BEIRUT — Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati commented Friday on Banque du Liban (BDL) Governor Riad Salameh, who is the subject of two international arrest warrants and two Interpol red notices."It is easy to sack Riad Salameh now, but who will suffer the consequences?" asked Mikati.Salameh is charged with corruption, forgery, money laundering and embezzlement. German and French courts are...