The newspaper "Nidaa Al-Watan" reported that the "fiery" conflict between banks and the judiciary continues as the dollar's price rises in the black market, breaching the "Sayrafa" ceiling by three thousand Lebanese pounds in the evening, surpassing 24,000 pounds, influenced by the banks' warning strike and the judicial pursuit of the Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh. He absent again from the interrogation session with Judge Ghada Aoun, who promptly charged him with "illicit enrichment and money laundering," as well as charging his brother Raja and Ukrainian citizen Anna Kuzakova, referring the case to the first investigating judge in Mount Lebanon, Nicolas Mansour, along with a prohibition notice on all real estate properties belonging to Raja Salameh. Meanwhile, the Central Bank Governor commented to "Reuters" on the accusations against him, indicating that the financial audit of his accounts "did not reveal that public funds represent any source of my wealth."
Amid institutional, financial, monetary, and economic decay, the living and social reality in the country continues to deteriorate under the grip of a ruling "mafia" controlling state decisions, having seized its management and stripped it of will and responsibility toward its people, leaving its resilience reliant on the flow of aid from friendly and sisterly countries, primarily from Saudi Arabia, which has agreed, in collaboration with France, to establish a financial support fund dedicated to providing humanitarian, medical, and food assistance directly to the Lebanese without passing through state channels and its accounts.
Recent tweets by Saudi Ambassador Walid Bukhari hinted in a "coded" message at the imminent launch of the implementation mechanisms for this aid through the "King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Work," which Prime Minister Najib Mikati welcomed by paving the way for the increasing Lebanese appeals to the Saudi leadership to reach their goals, preparing for the arrival of the anticipated aid. He issued an official statement yesterday reaffirming the government's commitment to take the necessary measures to enhance cooperation with Saudi Arabia and Gulf countries.
In line with this commitment, Mikati reiterated the content of a call he made to the Kuwaiti Foreign Minister, stressing that his government is committed to "the provisions of the Kuwaiti initiative, all decisions of the Arab League and international legitimacy, and to genuinely and effectively follow up on and complete its implementation to ensure civil peace and national stability in Lebanon and reinforce its unity." He emphasized "the need to stop all political, military, security, and media activities originating from Lebanon that affect the sovereignty and security of Saudi Arabia and Gulf Cooperation Council states, taking all measures to prevent the smuggling of prohibited substances, especially drugs, into the kingdom and Gulf states, either directly or indirectly, and to enforce strict measures at all entry points, while committing Lebanon to the Riyadh Agreement for judicial cooperation and the extradition of wanted individuals to Saudi Arabia."
Simultaneously, Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi stressed from Egypt the Arab depth and identity of Lebanon, warning against leaving it "isolated." This was exemplified by his historic visit to the Arab League, where he received support and approval for his proposal for "Lebanese neutrality," along with his meeting with the Sheikh of Al-Azhar to elevate the values of "human fraternity" over "tensions, conflicts, wars, violence, and extremism."
As for President Michel Aoun's visit to the Vatican, March 8 forces and their media included it in an agenda of "incitement" against Bkerke's sovereign and neutral proposals, in favor of "polishing" the image of "Hezbollah" and promoting March 8 Christian proposals within the Vatican, as noted by opposition political sources evaluating the visit's objectives. They remarked, "It suffices that Hezbollah's media describes Aoun's visit to the Vatican as reviving the hopes of March 8 Christians in the upcoming presidential election, considering that the Vatican is a key voter in this election, to clarify the real objectives behind it, far from everything written in the 'protocol' of presidential statements regarding the visit."
In contrast to the lengthy statements from Baabda Palace concerning the details of Aoun's meeting with Pope Francis, the Vatican's statement was clear and concise, shedding light on "the significant economic and social problems that Lebanon is suffering from," expressing hope that "international aid, in addition to the upcoming parliamentary elections and necessary reforms, will strengthen peaceful coexistence between the various sectarian components in the land of cedars." The statement concluded with a significant message reiterating the papal position on "the catastrophic consequences of the Beirut Port explosion on August 4, 2020," emphasizing "the necessity of achieving justice and uncovering the truth demanded by the victims' families."
