The US administration took decisions regarding sanctions which it will impose on Lebanon. The sanctions will be harsh, and include several points, the most important are:
1- Limiting all Hezbollah officials and the party’s movements with all its institution.
2- Imposing sanctions on Amal movement and on Shiite and non-Shiite personalities linked to Hezbolah.
3- Demanding Lebanese banks to present name lists including those who they believe are linked to Hezbollah.
4- Imposing sanctions on all institutions that follow and cooperate with Hezbollah’s humanitarian, health, social and other institutions.
Besides the 4 mentioned points, the Congress will decide on further sanctions, and they will be, according to President Michel Aoun, harmful for the Lebanese people.
BoL Governor M. Riyadh Salemeh used to negotiate with the US administration, US Treasury and Congress members in the past. He was able to attenuate in many fields the American sanctions, and instead of rushing to re-designate him as Governor immediately, so he could fly to Washington and negotiate with the US Treasury, with the Financial Council in the American Congress, and with US officials in Washington to explain to them the consequences of those sanctions on Lebanon, and that they will harm the Lebanese Economy and worsen the Economic impairment in Lebanon. This will make path to terrorist growth all over Lebanon, as well as it will increase unemployment among Lebanese and deficiency for those who live below poverty rate. Also, social and economic security will be threatened, a security that is already suffering on the borders from a war with ISIS, and arresting terrorist ISIS cells inside the borders. If the Lebanese economy is in deterioration mode, it will reflect negatively on the Lebanese Army and all security forces capabilities, especially with the cost of living on the rise and the possibility of economic inflation and lack of growth and decrease in productivity. The BoL Governor knows all of this, and he is capable of negotiating with American officials and the US administration in order to change a big part of its sanctions and not harming the whole Lebanese people.
President Michel Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri, PM Saad Hariri and political forces demanding to push towards an immediate ministerial session to renew the current governor’s mandate, and assigned to fly to Washington as soon as possible, and deal with the US sanctions law which will lead to a serious deterioration of the US-Lebanese relations, leaving the Zionist lobby to victory, when it is the latter that is trying to destroy those relation through pressuring the US Congress and administration to impose sanctions on Lebanon.
President Michel Aoun had warned from the American sanctions, and is making high end calls. So why not return to the important experience that BoL Governor Riyadh Salemeh had done in the past where he attenuated the sanctions on Lebanon and protected both monetary and financial fields, and Bank movement freedom, and made path for Lebanese personalities to do their role and give their opinion freely in a time where Hezbollah includes more than a million citizen and it has MPs and it has members in the Parliament and Ministers in the Lebanese government. So we salute President Michel Aoun who warned from the US sanctions. But what we need now is fast and effective governmental steps renewing Riyadh Salemeh’s mandate and assigning him to travel to Washington to treat the sanctions matter against Lebanese political forces and personalities, and against the entire Lebanese people.
The president has warned in front of an American labor group delegate for Lebanon “Task Force For Lebanon”, from the law project that is being made in the Congress to impose new financial sanctions on parties and institutions and personalities inside of Lebanon, sanctions that will greatly harm Lebanon and its people, and that is not in harmony with the US-Lebanese relations which Lebanon is keen to enforce them on different levels.
Head of the delegation Edward Gabriel insisted on the effort the Lebanese security forces are putting into facing terrorism, hoping that President Aoun will visit Washington to give the correct Lebanese context of positions from current events, to US officials.
He also met with Speaker Nabih Berri and PM Saad Hariri.
President Aoun affirmed that “Lebanon is seeking to exit the difficulties it is currently going through as a result of the tiled up crises that effected it, especially the economic world crises and the troubled situation in a number of Mediterranean countries as well as the large Syrian emigration wave to Lebanon.”
The delegation was informed that the national agreement that was reached through the presidential elections permitted a perfect ambiance of stability, despite unresolved matters, mainly the Syrian immigration and fighting terrorism and protecting Lebanese-Syrian border security, and stopping Israeli violations in the South, and applying 1701 resolution fully.
Translated from Addiyar Arabic version
