Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab struck a defiant tone on Saturday, saying that he would “not resign” despite hitting a brick wall in negotiations for a bailout with the IMF as the country sinks deeper into its worst economic crisis.
“I will not resign,” Mr Diab, who has served as prime minister since January, told journalists after meeting Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai.
Lebanese politicians, including two ministers affiliated with President Michel Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement, have publicly discussed the possibility of the government’s resignation.
Government members questioned the “benefit of continuing in light of the lack of achievements”, Energy Minister Raymond Ghajar told a local radio station on July 4.
Others pushed for the return of former prime minister Saad Hariri, who stepped down on October 29 under the pressure of nationwide anti-government protests triggered by the economic crisis.
Mr Diab said that if he resigned, “an alternative would not be found easily. We will be a caretaker government for perhaps a year or two, and this is a crime against the country and against the Lebanese.”
Negotiations to form a government or appoint a president in Lebanon can take months or years as political parties must reach a consensus to maintain the country’s delicate sectarian balance.
Mr Diab formally requested IMF assistance in early May, after announcing that the country would default on its debt for the first time, but the negotiations on a bailout have not moved forward. The IMF has blamed the deadlock on the lack of a unified Lebanese position on the losses of the country’s banking sector.
Starting last summer, a cash crisis has pushed Lebanon, one of the world's most indebted countries, into the worst economic and financial crisis in its modern history. Half of the Lebanese population is now living in poverty and the value of the local currency has dropped by roughly 80 per cent.
Mr Diab’s statement came after increasing criticism from Mr Rai of the Shiite Muslim party Hezbollah, one of the government’s most influential backers and an ally of President Aoun.
In an interview with Vatican News on Thursday, the Maronite patriarch said Hezbollah “sidelines the state, and declares war and peace wherever it chooses. It helped precipitate war in Syria, Iraq and Yemen.”
Mr Rai said the United States, European Union and Arab Gulf countries would not help Lebanon because they did not want their financial aid to be used by Iran-backed Hezbollah.
“That’s why we’re paying the price,” he told Vatican News.
Earlier in the week, Mr Rai met Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Mohammad-Jalal Firouznia, who said that his country “does not intervene in internal Lebanese affairs”.
On Saturday, the patriarch reiterated calls for Lebanon to remain “neutral”, in what has been widely interpreted by Lebanese media as a criticism of Hezbollah's military interventions in the region.
His calls have been well received by Mr Hariri and the Lebanese Forces, a Christian party, but was rejected by Shiite clerics in their sermons on Friday, local media reported.
Mr Diab dismissed claims that his government was controlled by Hezbollah, likening them to “a broken record”.
“The topic of neutrality is political and needs a deep political dialogue between all parties in Lebanon,” he said.
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
Results
5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Dirt) 1,600m, Winner: Panadol, Mickael Barzalona (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)
6.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m, Winner: Mayehaab, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
6.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh85,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Monoski, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer
7.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (T) 1,800m, Winner: Eastern World, Royston Ffrench, Charlie Appleby
7.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Madkal, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
8.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (T) 1,200m, Winner: Taneen, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
England squad
Joe Root (captain), Alastair Cook, Keaton Jennings, Gary Ballance, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Ben Stokes (vice-captain), Moeen Ali, Liam Dawson, Toby Roland-Jones, Stuart Broad, Mark Wood, James Anderson.
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Champions League Last 16
Red Bull Salzburg (AUT) v Bayern Munich (GER)
Sporting Lisbon (POR) v Manchester City (ENG)
Benfica (POR) v Ajax (NED)
Chelsea (ENG) v Lille (FRA)
Atletico Madrid (ESP) v Manchester United (ENG)
Villarreal (ESP) v Juventus (ITA)
Inter Milan (ITA) v Liverpool (ENG)
Paris Saint-Germain v Real Madrid (ESP)
