Lebanese attention has turned towards the Élysée Palace, awaiting the results of the visit by the head of the "Maronite Movement," Suleiman Frangieh, to Paris in response to an invitation from the French president's advisor on the Lebanese file, Patrick Dorell. This comes amid information of a retreat by the French capital from the proposed trade based on the offer from the Shiite duo regarding the election of Frangieh as president and ambassador Nohad Salam as prime minister, following Saudi Arabia's rejection of a candidate close to "Hezbollah" and U.S. intervention to exclude such a candidate.
Frangieh's visit followed a trip by the head of the Progressive Socialist Party, Walid Jumblatt, to Paris, where he conveyed that there are complications surrounding Frangieh's election as he is considered a candidate of challenge and associated with one faction, which is rejected by the main Christian blocks. He called for consensus on an alternative choice. The visit also occurred after President Macron's call to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to discuss the Lebanese file, while the Shiite duo continues to wager on the impact of the Saudi-Iranian agreement on the Lebanese situation, contrary to the belief of their political opponents that the duo is apprehensive that this agreement might lead to a retreat by "Hezbollah" and President Nabih Berri from their support for Frangieh's candidacy in line with the equation of "no victor, no vanquished."
In this context, the response of Hezbollah's Deputy Secretary-General Sheikh Naeem Qassem to Gebran Bassil's remarks at the "Movement's" conference last Sunday has emerged. Bassil hinted that "Hezbollah" had not adhered to its promise of not presenting a candidate for the presidency or agreeing on someone Bassil does not approve of, and that the party was "upset" when Bassil asked, "If 65 votes are secured for Suleiman Frangieh, will you proceed without us?" He claimed they responded, "How can you allow yourself even to think about it?"
Qassem confirmed in his response, "We did not commit to anyone regarding naming a candidate throughout the entire period of discussions about the presidency; rather, we would say to those who inquired about our indecision that we are still thinking, and then at a later stage, we made our choice without announcing a name, followed by a third stage in which the announcement was made through Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah." He clarified that "at all three stages, we did not promise anyone that our position would be tied to their stance, their naming, their opinions, or their beliefs."
On the presidential front, Qatar is also expected to intervene by dispatching Qatar's state minister for foreign affairs, Mohammed Abdul Aziz Al-Khalifi, to Lebanon next Monday to meet with Speaker Nabih Berri, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, and Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib.
In terms of living conditions, unions and the coordinating council of state retirees, whether in the military branches or the Lebanese University or secondary and primary education, have rejected receiving salaries at the Sayrafa rate of 60,000 LBP, down from 90,000, insisting on receiving it at a rate of 28,500 LBP based on financial calculations. Some of these calculations increase salary costs by 20 million dollars or more, and some relate to the dangerous erosion of the purchasing power of employees and retirees, which has hit its lowest levels known in the country. Perhaps the shocking surprise was the banks keeping the Sayrafa rate at 90,000 and transferring salaries in Lebanese pounds, not in dollars, while paying the Sayrafa difference of 90,000 and 60,000, meaning 30,000 per each dollar.
Accordingly, employees and retirees await preparations for a potential cabinet session scheduled for next Wednesday, following an invitation from the Minister of Finance and Communications and other ministers, who have instructed the Grand Serail departments to prepare for such a session.
Regarding living conditions, the strike by employees of the "Ogero" authority continues, leading to a decline in the telecommunications sector and internet service outages in many areas, impeding the work of official and private institutions. The status of the telecommunications sector and salaries in both public and private sectors will also be on the cabinet agenda next week.
In the context of the cascading economic crises, Ramco company informed the Council for Development and Reconstruction of its inability to continue executing its contract and its failure to proceed with the work of collecting and sweeping waste in the Metn and Kesrouan districts due to delays in payment of financial entitlements, and due to its inability to exchange the sums received for cash in Lebanese pounds or U.S. dollars.
As soon as the company communicated its intention, fears renewed about the resurgence of the waste crisis in Beirut, a horrendous scene that the capital has suffered from at different stages.
Regionally, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard announced yesterday that an Israeli attack on a target in Syria resulted in the death of an IRGC officer, marking the second attack within 24 hours on sites near Damascus. Concurrently, U.S. military officials indicated that the United States has decided to extend the mission of the strike group accompanying the aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush to provide options for policymakers following bloody attacks by Iran-backed forces in Syria last week. Additionally, TASS news agency reported that Russia protested to the U.S.-led coalition fighting ISIS regarding the "provocative actions" of U.S. forces in Syria.
