di “Yves”
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Inizia con questo Rapporto la collaborazione a mezzo di Reportage da Beirut da parte di «Yves», un lettore storico del giornale
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In Beirut, although life is going on its normal self in the rest of the city, the situation remains tense near the “Sérail” (parliament building) in the center. During the week-end demonstrations went on and security forces have reinforced their deployment by building higher concrete barricades on the street leading to the Sérail. Today Monday, demonstrators have threatened to prevent members of the parliament to go and discuss the budget by blocking the whole area. In spite of renewed demonstrations, this past week had been marked by a relative pause as the government was finally announced on Wednesday 22 after a vacancy of three months. Overall, it seems to have answered some of the requirements for a relatively compact government of 20 with no previous “history of politics”. With six women including Ms. Zeinar Acar-Asra, first Defense Minister ever nominated who is also vice-president of the council of minister, it is a first in the history of the country and certainly of the region. It remains multi-confessional with four Shiites, two Druzes, four Maronites, three Greek Orthodoxes and two Greek Catholics, one Armenian orthodox et four Sunnis. Also, of some note, the nomination of former General (ret’d since 2016) Mohammad Fehmi as minister of interior and municipality with a reputation of relative diplomacy, a sensitive nomination at this time of the crisis. The “Hirak” (contest movement of 17 November) has nevertheless called this new government a “farce” criticizing the way it was formed stating that it remains still the product of pure political maneuvering between parties and not what the Lebanese population want. Economically, the situation remains very critical as the Eurobond actions which had been issued by the government will need to provide dividends in early March, April and June and no practical decision has been taken yet about what options to take to fund these
“Yves” (°)
(°) Questo, per sommi capi, il background di “Yves” in Medio Oriente: In Libano nel 1984/85 con la “UN Interim Force in Lebanon”. Dal 1990 al 1992 fa parte del dell’“UN observer Groups Lebanon, Syria and Egypt. Dal 2002 al 2004 Capo Sezione Medio Oriente presso il Ministero della Difesa francese. “UNDPKO military liaison Officer” in Libano nel 2006. Attualmente, professore di relazioni internazionali presso l’università di Parigi e per 4 mesi presso l’università St Joseph di Beirut