In the context of the dispute with the judiciary and the government, banks will resume operations starting Monday, for one week until March 6, unless judicial actions cease. This comes in an effort to urge the executive authority to prevent Judge Ghada Aoun from pursuing bank owners and managers who have been reluctant to provide the requested information regarding accounts or suspicion of "money laundering." The Association of Banks, represented by lawyer Akram Azouri, stated after a meeting with Prime Minister Najib Mikati that following his request to suspend the strike, promising solutions, they will temporarily suspend the strike to allow citizens to receive their salaries at the end of the month. The general assembly of banks will be called at the end of the week based on the practical measures taken to correct the dysfunction in the judicial public facility that was the primary reason for the strike.
While the dollar exchange rate dropped to around 76,500 and 77,500 before rising again, economic bodies quickly expressed their satisfaction with the suspension of the strike, anticipating this step would help ease market tensions. Meanwhile, attention turned to the third Cabinet session scheduled for next Monday, which will focus on eight agenda items, most of them financial, related to the demands of the public sector and public education teachers amid hopes for resolving the educational strike that has persisted for two full months. The agenda was distributed to ministers for feedback before calling for a meeting, and it remains unclear whether the session will address legal solutions for extending the term of General Security Director Abbas Ibrahim, which the concerned parties, including Ibrahim himself, insist should occur through a clear legal mechanism.
As discussions began among several ministers regarding attending or boycotting the session, Tourism Minister Walid Nassar commented, stating that he would decide whether to attend based on the agenda items. Agriculture Minister Abbas al-Haj Hassan noted that the upcoming cabinet meeting would focus on citizens' affairs and that it is premature to discuss the potential inclusion of items not on the agenda. However, the General Administration Association decided to extend the strike for an additional week. Furthermore, the President of the General Labor Union in Lebanon, Bishara Asmar, thanked the Prime Minister for his immediate response to the labor union's request to include compensation for productivity for all public sector names, including public institutions, independent agencies, government hospitals, municipalities, municipal unions, social security, Lebanon’s National Television, the Lebanese University, and anyone receiving a salary, wage, or compensation from public funds.
In a separate context, Prime Minister Mikati met yesterday with the accompanying ministerial team, including the Ministers of Interior and Municipalities and Environment, to discuss the support and assistance missions to Syria and Turkey following the devastating earthquake. The teams included members of the army, civil defense, the Beirut fire brigade, and the Red Cross. Mikati assured the civil defense of moving forward with its stabilization process and giving this agency its due as much as possible.
Presidentially, Christian sources expressed concern over the continued absence of presidential movement and raised several questions regarding the true nature of what is being prepared or whether it is an enforced complacency given the difficulty of making a breakthrough in the presidential electoral process anytime soon. However, sources close to the "Shiite duo" reflect a different picture, speaking of intensive communications over the next two weeks to mature a settlement within a timeframe not exceeding June or the end of spring. Reports indicate that a settlement may be on the horizon, involving the election of Sleiman Frangieh in exchange for naming Ambassador and Judge Nohad Salam for the presidency of the first government in the new term.
Judicially, Mount Lebanon's Public Prosecutor Ghada Aoun tweeted, "Thank you to the judiciary council and to Minister of Justice. You have given hope to this people that despite all the hardships, there are still judges who are faithful to their oath and believe in the principle of separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary." Additionally, after the public prosecutor in Beirut, Judge Raja Hamoush, filed charges against Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh and his brother Raja, and Marian Howayek, Salameh's assistant, as well as anyone else referred to by the investigation for "embezzlement of public funds, forgery, use of forgery, unlawful enrichment, money laundering, and tax violations," concerned sources stated that the investigation will commence upon a decision from the First Investigative Judge in Beirut, Charbel Abou Samra, to schedule an interrogation session and take the necessary legal action.
On the assistance front, Army Commander General Joseph Aoun received in his office in Yarzeh a delegation of aides to members of the U.S. Congress from both the Democratic and Republican parties, in the presence of U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea. They discussed the conditions of the military institution and the challenges it faces amid the current crisis, and ways to continue supporting it. Members of the delegation praised the army's professionalism and proper utilization of U.S. aid to enhance its operational readiness, cohesion, and ability to maintain Lebanon's security and stability despite the difficult circumstances, emphasizing the need to continue cooperation and ongoing assistance to overcome the current phase. General Aoun affirmed that U.S. support plays a fundamental role in enabling the army to continue fulfilling its missions and alleviating the hardships faced by military personnel.
