The Municipal Elections

Speaker Hussein al-Husseini

Cost of renting airplanes for the presidency July 2010 | 96 The Monthly interviews Ambassador Tomasz Niegodzisz issue number www.iimonthly.com • Published by Information International sal

Ministry of Interior: $554 M and 40,000 employees

A search for the missing $11 billion

MUNICIPALITIES OF FIVE REPUBLICS

5 LEADER: Municipal and Ikhtiariah Elections 2010

14 A search for the missing $11 billion

18 Ministry of Interior and Municipalities

24 Cost of renting airplanes for the presidency

26 Divorce

28 Blasphemy, apostasy and disdain of religions

29 Lycée des Arts

31 The innate human resistance to evidence by Dr. Hanna Saadah Page 18

32 Is intelligence a single entity independent from the brain? by Antoine Boutros

33 Your facial muscles, your emotions by Dr. Samar Zebian

34 The Monthly interviews Ambassador Tomasz Niegodzisz Page 24 Page 4 36 Popular culture 47 Real estate index in Lebanon- 37 Myth #35: Argileh: ‘Safer’ than Cigarettes? May 2010

38 Must-read books: Orientalism 48 Food Price Index - May 2010

39 Must-read children’s book: “Caterpillars can’t ﬂy” 50 Highest Taxes in the World

40 Lebanon Families: Saba Families 50 Beirut Raﬁc Hariri International Airport - 41 Discover Lebanon: Zan May 2010

42 Aoun-Geagea (2/2) 51 Lebanon stats

43 May 2010 Timeline in Lebanon

45 New York’s Failed Bomb Plot

46 Women in Arab governments Editorialﹺ | 3 WHEN THE “SUNNI” COUNT THEIR DEAD In memory of the victims of the army and refugees of Nahr Al-Bared we re-publish this article which was published in The Monthly issue number 63 of October 2007.

Once again, a descendent of Al-Saifa1 al-Bared militants and civilians were addressed a letter to his Lebanese killed, 300 of whom were Sunni. At the same time, friend, not to “correct” a historical he decides to “fact” as he often does, but to Many thoughts crossed his mind. He forgive but would announce the tragic death of his only remembered the day when he joined he ever forget? child in Nahr al-Bared. a demonstration against Hizbullah He recalls the precious words of and raised the flag of the Lebanese Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah He says that when it comes to Forces following the July war, about revenge. patriotism, his credentials are because Hizbullah (according to pro- “This barbaric behavior is a horrendous uncontested. He is a descendant of a government forces) was responsible crime… It indicates how deep-rooted prominent Sunni family from A’arqa for the death of 1,100 citizens. the tribal mentality of backwardness, fortress whose ancestors lost their “I did that although the majority of ignorance and fanaticism is; such fiefdom to Fakhreddine and simply victims were Shia’a”, he said. a mentality approves of punishing paid the price of their devotion to the the innocent for the crime of the Ottomans and the Sunni Caliphate. Now he wonders that Hizbullah was guilty…” fighting the Israelis, who were trying He was deeply moved by Grand Mufti to “eradicate it”. Al-Saifa descendant is dreaming of Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani However, he can’t understand for the day when the Lebanese people and Sa’ad Hariri’s call on “Ahlu whom and against whom his son was will acknowledge their wrongs and al-Sunna”2 (the “Sunni people”) in fighting. settle their conflicts, starting from the North to “rally and support the the massacres of 1840 to the 1975 Lebanese Army against a militia Al-Saifa descendant swears that he civil war to the assassination of Rafik which has nothing to do with Fatah still supports the Lebanese Army Hariri in 2005. Movement or Islam”, as they said. and that if he had another son, he He recalled Ibn Arabi’s poem, would have sent him to fight with “Wonder”: Crying over his son’s dead body, the the soldiers. Nonetheless, he admits A garden among the flames! descendant of Al-Saifa wondered that he had tears in his eyes when he My heart can take on any form: why his family has been paying the saw the women and children of Nahr A meadow for gazelles, ultimate price since hundreds of al-Bared militants leaving the camp A cloister for monks, years, although they belong to the while dead bodies were scattered in For the idols, sacred ground, “Sunni people”, who are supposedly the streets. Ka’ba for the circling pilgrim, rulers and not victims like the Shia’a, “Did they know that they were The tables of the Torah, he stated. fighting and killing Sunni, including The scrolls of the Quran. my son?” he asked. My creed is Love; He hoped that his desperate calls “I swear I will never turn on the Wherever its caravan turns along the would be heard by “Ahlu al-Sunna” television again or listen to a Lebanese way, in every corner of the world, and all religious leader or politician”, the That is my belief, the way to Pakistan. man said furiously. My faith. The words of a “Christian martyr’s “The road of tribes and confessions is He was told that 166 Lebanese Army mother” crossed his mind. “No one paved with our bodies. My inspiration soldiers and officers and 220 of Nahr deserves the life of my son. Turn off now comes from a Christian lady and the cameras; let him rest in peace…” a Shia’a Mullah”, he said.

(1) Rulers of A’akkar and allies of the Ottomans, they were defeated by Emir Fakhreddine II in the 17th Century. (2) “Ahlu al-Sunna”, a term coined following the battle of Siffin, which broke out between Imam Ali Bin Abi Taleb and Mu’awiyah in 657 A.D. The battle resulted in an arbitration that caused the split between what was later called “Sunni” and “Shia’a”. This is perhaps the first time in Lebanon’s political history that the term “Ahlu al-Sunna” is used by a senior politician and a Mufti.

issue 96 - July 2010 4 | Interview SPEAKER HUSSEIN AL-HUSSEINI: ormer Speaker of Parliament Hussein al-Husseini, despite having stayed away from formal duties and responsibilities, remains a public figure up to Fdate with all legal, constitutional and political discussions, is trying to set the record straight with the hope that the reforms stipulated by the Ta’ef accord will finally be realized. The Monthly interviewed Husseini about 4 topics that are repeatedly raised: The powers of the president following the Ta’ef accord, the independent judiciary, reforms according to the Ta’ef, Syrian-Lebanese relations and the Lebanese-Syrian Supreme Council.

1-President’s powers post- guarantees stipulated by Article 20 implemented), to make all citizens in Ta’ef accord of the Constitution. There are four all regions feel that they belong to one After the Tae’f accord, the president guarantees: Appointment guarantee, nation and to be patriotic; emphasize was no longer a cog in the executive Promotion guarantee, Compensation on education and learning; preventive authority, instead he became the head guarantee, Accountability guarantee and curative health; agriculture and of all authorities. He is the head of the We find that these guarantees are absent agricultural credit; industry, tourism and republic and has wide authority and as the political authority is the one that other development programs to keep the powers. However, the problem is that assigns, promotes and sets the salary citizens in their areas. Re-organization consecutive presidents since the Ta’ef scale of magistrates (under a law ratified of media outlets based on the law and in accord have never used the powers by Parliament). As for accountability, it the framework of responsible freedom granted to them by the Constitution, is completely absent and the reformation in accordance with the directions of especially in three essential matters. First, of the judiciary inevitably leads to compromise and the ending of the state the prime minister, who drafts the agenda the reformation of the Constitutional of war in the country. for Cabinet sessions must show it to the Council which was one of the outcomes president prior to meetings. The president of the Ta’ef Accord. 4-Lebanese-Syrian Relations has the right to cross out any provision I was the first to put forward the idea that he does not approve of or that he 3- Required Reforms in December 1987 in the following sees as a violation of the Constitution. After the ratification of the framework: Lebanon and Syria are two As such, he is present at the Cabinet constitutional reforms in 1990, new Arab states. Lebanon and Syria enjoy sessions even if he is not in attendance. laws should have been passed to apply a special relationship that requires The second matter is that the president the text and spirit of the constitution and closer coordination and joint ventures. has the right to postpone the convening the charter as follows: Law regulating In the framework of a cooperation of Parliament for a maximum of one the departments of the Presidency of council that does not conflict with month. The third matter is the president’s the Republic. Electoral law to secure them being two independent states and role in mandatory parliamentary a parliamentary system, monitoring members of the Arab League and the deliberations. This role is not limited to and accountability, Law regulating United Nations. Other Arab states can listening to the MPs’ proposed candidate the works of the Council of Ministers join this council. for the premiership-the president is not a since it is the executive authority, Law In the Ta’ef, we agreed on special mailbox- and rather he listens, discusses ensuring an independent judiciary, relations with Syria based on three and goes over the names, the line-up and An army law based on constitutional main points that were used to develop the government’s platform. Presidents provisions and the National Charter, the Lebanese system: Implementation rarely practice this mechanism in the Law regulating security services (army of international resolutions to liberate deliberations preceding the designation intelligence, general security, state the land. To consolidate the relationship of a prime minister. security) and their relations with all with Syria. The establishment of other authorities, State administrative the Lebanese state. The presence of 2-The independent judiciary regulatory law, Administrative embassies today does not cancel the The fundamental entrance to reform decentralization law and identifying necessity for such a council, which has is the formation of an independent administrative divisions, Lunching a two clear targets: To coordinate and judiciary, removed from political comprehensive development plan for resolve accumulating problems over hegemony and by providing the the country (which is available but not the years.

issue 96 - published by Information International s.a.l. Municipal and Ikhtiariah Elections 2010 Leader | 5 MUNICIPAL AND IKHTIARIAH ELECTIONS 2010 or the five republics of Lebanon

fter months of hesitation about the municipal elections: Would it be done on time, or delayed for few months, a few years, or a full six-year term? What law will govern it, the law in effect since 1977, or the one introduced by Athe Minister of Interior and Municipalities? But all questions were null, as well as possible reforms of the electoral law and elections were held on time.Below is a summary of the most important conclusions:

1- A politician commented about the municipal elections in West Beqaa. The Future Movement supporting ex- and their results by saying “the loser is a loser, the Prime Minister Omar Karami made a good alliance in winner is a loser, and the citizen is the biggest loser.” He Tripoli. said that because the development plans and projects that he wanted to see adopted were absent from the 7- Lebanese Forces was able to conﬁrm its Christian programs of the candidates and voting was based on presence thanks to the alliances it made in Mount politics, family and party. Lebanon and the North.

2- The political forces and the different parties tried to 8- The elections in the Chouf conﬁrmed the leadership escape from the elections by forming alliances in some of MP Walid Jumblat, except for some objections that villages and areas that contrasted with the current were situational and family-based. The most important political scene in the country. For example, alliances indicator is the result of the elections in Iqlim Al- were made between Lebanese Forces, Free Patriotic Kharroub where the Future Movement emerged as a Movement and Phalanges or between Hizbollah, competitor, especially in major towns of the region Future Movement and Progressive Socialist Party. This like Barja, Chhim, Katermaya. In these areas, the election can be considered as stages of reconciliation Jumblat crowd declined to participate, which will have in some villages. implications in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

3- Who advanced and who fell backwards in this election? 9- Elie Skaff was able to regain his leadership of Zahle It is a difficult question to answer for it seems that all after losing in the last parliamentary elections, and fell back given the strong emergence of families and now appears to be the main Zai’m of the city. local competition. 10- Suleiman Franjieh enhanced his victory in Zgharta- 4- Although it is true that Free Patriotic Movement won in Ehden. His opponent Michel Mouawad’s popularity major municipalities like Jezzine and Batroun, it also registered a major decline evidenced by the huge lost, albeit by a small margin, in Jbeil and Moukhtars difference in votes. in Achrafieh. 11- Michel El-Murr maintained his position in Matn due 5- The alliance between Amal and Hizbollah took to his alliances with the Free Patriotic Movement, control over most villages with a Shia’a majority. Phalanges, the Lebanese Forces and the families. This caused divisions within some villages where the opponents considered that the two parties crossed all In summary, one can say that the society is diametrically the lines in putting up lists together without taking into polarized between at least 5 zua’ama or parties consideration local and family merits. (Hizbollah-Amal, FPM, Lebanese Forces, Future Movement and Walid Jumblat). This division is further 6- Although the Future Movement won in the Beirut and ascertained through staffing and sharing the spoils in Saida municipalities, they fell back in some villages the public sector which renders the Republic of Lebanon in West Beqaa and the North, which caused in the into 5 defacto republics. What follows are the results of emergence of opposing Sunni forces like Oussama the elections in major cities and towns. Saad (although he lost in Saida) and Abdel Rahim Mrad

issue 96 - July 2010 6 | Leader Municipal and Ikhtiariah Elections 2010 The city of Beirut he municipal elections in Beirut did not go through any Tfierce competition, but were more likely as if there was only one candidate because of a lack of parity between the Future Movement and its rivals, notably Hezbollah, the Free Patriotic Movement, the Union of Working Forces and other opposition parties that preferred to boycott the municipal elections. On the other hand, some polling centers sustained some fierce competition especially in Ashrafieh, Rmeil and Al-Saifi, because the Free Patriotic Movement who has a strong presence in these neighborhoods decided to participate in the municipal elections. The Municipal Elections What was interesting in the municipal elections that took place in Beirut was the large reduction in the participation Beirut Municipality INMA-SRI rate which was only 18.2% (the Minister of Interior and Municipalities has announced that the rate reached 21%, whereas the Future Movement and March 14 forces The names of the members of Beirut’s Municipal Table 1 affirmed that the turnout exceeded the figure registered in the Council’s names, their confessional affiliation and the number of votes they obtained. municipal elections of 2004 which reached back then 24%). Name Confession List Votes The number of registered electors was 453,951 although the Bilal Salim Hamad Sunni Unity of Beirut list 65,543 number of declared voters was estimated at approximately Samer Mohamad Kheir Sunni Unity of Beirut list 64,906 83,000 voters according to the best statistics (other statistics Soubrah Abed Al-Hafiz Salim estimate 78,000 voters; a rate of 17.2% for if we were to Ghalayini Sunni Unity of Beirut list 64,905 judge by the number of participants in the ikhtiariah elections, Mohamad Ahmad Sunni Unity of Beirut list 64,868 it is definitely greater than the number of participants in Doughan the municipal elections for the ratio would reach 20.2% in Issam Bashir Barghout Sunni Unity of Beirut list 64,860 Marwan Mohamad Said other words the number of voters was about 92,000, and Shab Sunni Unity of Beirut list 64,578 this may be the ratio adopted by the Minister of Interior). Nada Sami Yamout Sunni Unity of Beirut list 64,447 Searching for the reason behind the low turnout, each party Alya Hanine Farah Catholic Unity of Beirut list 64,210 attributes it to a variety of reasons: Nadim Nasri Abo Rizk Orthodox Unity of Beirut list 63,966 Elie Shafik Hasbani Orthodox Unity of Beirut list 63,950 The Minister of Interior and Municipalities, Ziad Baroud, Nadim Kizhaya Elias Evangelical Unity of Beirut list 63,847 considered that the low turnout was due to the absence of Kizhaya Kosta Boushra Mahmoud Itany Sunni Unity of Beirut list 63,824 relativity in the electoral law, this statement raised objections George Joseph Al- Syriac from the Future Movement’s part, who in its turn attributed Khoury Catholic Unity of Beirut list 63,813 the cause to the lack of real competition that reduced the Khalil Emil Bermani Catholic Unity of Beirut list 63,811 determination and enthusiasm of the voters. Their opponents, George Philip Michel Di Bistris Catholic Unity of Beirut list 63,713 however, attributed the reason to the fall down of the Future Khalil Mohamad Shokair Shia’a Unity of Beirut list 63,704 Movement’s popularity amongst voters in addition to their Imad ayelMohsin incapacity to to make the people come together. Whatever Baydoun Shia’a Unity of Beirut list 63,513 the reasons were, the list of Beirut’s Unity, presided by Bilal Rashid Antoine Ashkar Maronite Unity of Beirut list 63,131 Sarge Aghob Armenian Hamad, nominated by the Future Movement, won all 24 seats Joekhadarjian Catholic Unity of Beirut list 63,091 allocated to the Municipal Council of Beirut according to the Joseph Antoine Ro Marontie Unity of Beirut list 63,050 customs adopting the principle of equality between Muslims Aram Sarkis Malian Armenian Unity of Beirut list 62,875 and Christians. It included 12 Muslim seats distributed as Orthodox Hagob Mardiros Armenian follows: 3 Shia’a, 8 Sunni, 1 Druze and 12 Christian seats Hembarsom Tarzian Orthodox Unity of Beirut list 62,822 distributed as follows: 4 Orthodox, 2 Maronites, 2 Armenian Monib Salim Naser Druze Unity of Beirut list 62,737 Orthodox, 1 Catholic, 1 Evangelical, 1 Armenian Roman Al-Dein Catholic, and 1 Syriac Catholic. The differential in the number Fadi Ali Shahrour Shia’a Unity of Beirut list 60,079 of votes was sizable, that is between the winner’s list, other

issue 96 - published by Information International s.a.l. Municipal and Ikhtiariah Elections 2010 Leader | 7 lists and independent runners; the average number of votes George Raymond Sfeir, 40, Adel Fouad Al-Deek 35, Sarkis obtained was 63,760 votes, whereas the average of Islamic and Artihuar Soeridarian 33, Raymond Joseph Barbari 32, Charity Projects Association list (an incomplete list of only Hani Mohammad Qasim 32, Robert Abdo Al-Abyad 28, 4 candidates) reached 11,408 votes. The average of the list Thanaa Shafiq Halawani 28, Samir Abdel Hafiz Kino 28, of “the people of Beirut” (Albayaritah) (an incomplete list Yousef Shaker Kanaan 27, Rafik Elias Armuni 26, Abbas of only 6 candidates) reached 1,463 votes. In addition, the Fawzi Balaa 25, Ramzi Nazih Dsom 23, Shaheen Fayyad number of votes obtained by the most prominent independent Bishara 22, Zakaria Yahya Kaaki 21, Elias Abdel Massih candidates, Saad Al Wazzan, was 3,792. Mini 20,Nicolas Ibrahim Ibrahim 18, Karen Samir Kamil Table No. 1 shows the names of Beirut’s Municipal Council’s 17, Michel Sarj Habis 16, Joseph George Atiq 16, Suleiman names, their confessional affiliations, and the number of Abdu Jaber 16, Henry Michel Bashour, 15, Mohamed Abdel votes they obtained. Kader Afrah 15, Bassam Mohyieddine Barghout 12, Gaby Table 2 shows the names of most prominent losing Michel Ziedeh 12, Emile Andre Bchknge 12, Joseph Paul candidates, their confessions and the lists they belonged to, Al-Jamil 11, Tania Habib Eid 10, Ghassan Salim Sakher 8, and the number of votes they obtained. Imad Marcel Ja’ara 8, Iskandar Hagop Kochkerian 7.

The names of the most prominent losing candidates, their Table 2 confession, the list they belonged to and the number of The Election of Moukhtars votes they obtained. The election of moukhtars was also characterized by a Name Confession List Votes significant rise in the rate of abstentions. Because of the Yehya Rashid Al-Tabesh Sunni Projects Association 11,569 lack of serious competition in most neighborhoods, many list moukhtars won by acclamation. Real competition was Projects Association Ahmad Mustafa Kadoura Sunni list 11,408 limited to the neighborhoods of Ashrafieh, Remeil and Al-Saifi due to their political and confessional diversity Mohamad Afif Meshakah Sunni Projects Association 11,406 list especially after the Free Patriotic Movement and Hezbollah Projects Association Ghassan Mohamad Rekha Sunni list 11,249 asked their supporters to participate in the ikhtiariah Saadeddine Nemer Al- Projects Association elections and boycott the municipal elections. The FPM Wazzan Sunni list 3,972 wanted the elections in the Christian quarters in Beirut to be Ziad Ahmad Salaheddine a referendum on their presence and popularity in comparison Najah Sunni People Of Beirut List 2,083 Mohamad Kheir Saleh to the presence and the popularity of their Christians Al-Kadi Sunni Independent 1,933 opponents in the March 14 forces, notably the Lebanese Mahmoud Ibrahim Asyala Sunni People Of Beirut List 1,859 Forces. Based on the distribution of the 108 Moukhtar Asyala seats in the 12 neighborhoods of Beirut, in accordance with Dalah Misbah Ghandour Sunni Independent 1,470 the political and confessional combination of registered Ghassan Foud Sobrah Sunni People Of Beirut List 1,445 voters in these neighborhoods, the Future Movement (and Adnan Mustafa Al-Hakim Sunni People Of Beirut List 1,233 a number of moukhtars) gained the largest electoral force in Mohamad Ali Abedalkarim Sinno Sunni People Of Beirut List 1,155 all neighborhoods: Almazraa, Musaitbah, Dar el Mreisseh, Abedalrahman Kamal Sunni Independent 1,022 Ras Beirut, Minaa Al-Hoson and the port, which enabled the Al-Obaidi party to go through an easy battle that guaranteed victory Youssef Mohamad Khaled Al-Daouk Sunni People Of Beirut List 1,007 for the moukhtars and the lists it supported. After having an Mark Pierre Akil Maronite Independent 530 agreement between the Hezbollah, Amal Movement and the Future Movement in the neighborhoods of Bachoura and Mohyeddine Mustafa Sunni Independent 436 Al-hafi Zkak Al-Blat as well as having an agreement between the Mohamad Ahmad Tashnak party, Alhinchak, the Free Patriotic Movement, the Mokhtar Al-Assi Sunni Independent 281 Youssef Sherif Sawah Druze Independent 215 Phalanges, the Lebanese Forces and the Future Movement Mahmoud Ahmad Tamerji Sunni Independent 174 in Almedawar neighborhood, the competition was limited in each of the districts of Ashrafieh, Remeil, Al-Saifi, which Mohamad Hassan Shia’a Independent 173 Karneeb includes 28 moukhtars. The Free Patriotic Movement and Joseph Hirji Saad Maronite Independent 96 Tashnak party were able to win seven seats, including Remeil, and lost the battle in Ashrafieh and Al-Saifi. This will The rest of the losing candidates are: Suhaila Asaad Qabbani be discussed thoroughly afterwards. The Future Movement 86, Mohamed Khair Mohamed Rachid Qirdouhi 80, and March 14 forces won 77 elective seats, while Hezbollah, Mohamed Mahmoud Al-Masri 79, Nabila Mohamed Saab Amal Movement, the Free Patriotic Movement and Tashnak 71, Suhail Alhan Mustafa Almekhal 66, Salim Mohammed party won 28 seats and 3 seats remained for the independent Itani, 65, Nada Michel Atwi 43, Mark Jihad Bukhaazi 42, candidates.

issue 96 - July 2010 8 | Leader Municipal and Ikhtiariah Elections 2010 Table 3 shows the distribution of moukhtars according to the lists that brought them success and the political entity supporting them (this is not a fixed classification and could later be modified.)

The distribution of moukhtars in the neighborhoods of Beirut, according to the affiliation of the stated electoral lists Table 3 No. of Future Amal March 14 FPM and Neighborhood Movement Independents Alhinchak Phalanges moukhtars Movement and Hezbollah forces Tashnak Party party Ashrafieh 12 - 12 Almazraa 15 15 - Al- Saifi 4 - 4 - - Musaitbah 15 10 2 - - 3 Bachoura 10 4 6 Remeil 12 - - 5 7 Zkak Alblat 8 4 4 - - - Dar el Mreiseh 4 4 Ras Beirut 6 6 Almodawar 12 1 9 1 1 The port 4 4 Minaa Al-Hosn 6 Acclamation 6 Total 108 54 12 21 16 3 1 1

If the law does not specify the confession of moukhtars, it and ended in victory for the latter with all 12 seats. relies on the composition of ethnic voters in neighborhoods Despite the enthusiasm, the turnout barely reached 25% ; and on the existing norms in terms of representation of all 13,767 out of 53,729 electors actually voted. The average major sects in the neighborhood. The results are as shown in number of votes the winning list won reached 6,463 in Table 4; the Sunni’s reaped the majority of the seats (49 seats comparison to 5,660 votes for the losing list, totaling up a followed by the Orthodox by 18 seats). If the municipal seats differential of 803 votes. The winners are shown in table 5: were to be divided equally between Muslims and Christians, the results of the elections on the ikhtiariah seats would The winners in the ikhtiariah elections in Ashrafieh Table 5 not be favorable to the Muslims’ interest for the number of Name Confession Votes selected Muslim moukhtars was 63 whereas the selected Ahmad Said Baydoun Sunni 6,730 Christians moukhtars got 45. Table 4 lists the distribution of Simaan Michel Khoury Orthodox 6,601 the 108 Moukhtars in Beirut by confession. Samira Ishak Ammar Orthodox 6,578 Elie Nicolas Sbaghah Orthodox 6,557 The distribution of the 108 moukhtars in Khalil Nicolas Wakim Orthodox 6,487 Table 4 Beirut according to the confession Elias Jado Jreis Catholic 6,486 Confession No. of Moukhtars Elias Nicolas Al-Hayik Orthodox 6,440 Sunni 49 Pierre Joseph Sidka Maronite 6,430 Shia’a 12 Fares Michel Mrad Orthodox 6,425 Druze 2 Antoine Bshara Rizk Maronite 6,401 Maronite 13 Walid Salim Al-Bitar Orthodox 6,237 Catholic 1 Jean Joseph Nehmeh Syriac Catholic 6,186 Orthodox 18 Armenian Orthodox 9 The losing list was composed of: Latin 2 Rafi Krikor Markarian: 5,822 votes, Robert EliasMehmari: Syriac Orthodox 1 5,804 votes, Fouad Habib Haddad: 5,688 votes, George Syriac Catholic 1 Joseph Moukarzel: 5,672 votes, Hayek Agob Daredrian: 5,640 votes, Antoine Elias Tohme: 5,640 votes, Rasmah The ikhtiariah elections in Ashrafieh Nicola Al-Jabran: 5,630 votes, Caroline Elias Moukarzel: The elections in Ashrafieh witnessed strong competition 5,588 votes, George Younan Hanna: 5565 votes, Fouad between the FPM and their allies on one hand, and the Khader Beydoun: 5,546 votes March 14 Forces on the other (Lebanese Forces, Future Faris Nimr Haddad (1,238 votes), Charles Shimon Movement, the Minister Michel Pharaon, Alhinchak Naim (747 votes), and Najib Michel Bashour (688 party, and the Phalanges) in order to win all the 12 seats votes) are among the most prominent losing candidates.

issue 96 - published by Information International s.a.l. Municipal and Ikhtiariah Elections 2010 Leader | 9

The ikhtiariah elections in Remeil The city of Zahle This region witnessed an electoral competition, but it did he municipal and ikhtiariah elections in the city of not register a gain in turnout, only reaching 22.3%. It is TZahle formed one of the main electoral stops the worth noting that the number of registered voters is 29,373 results of which the Lebanese were waiting for due to their electors of whom only 6,567 voted. The competition was implications. strong between the list of the Free Patriotic Movement and Tashnak party on one hand, and the list of the Lebanese In the 2009 parliamentary election in the Zahle district (the Forces and March 14 forces on the other, and it ended up city of Zahle and the district’s villages) toppled the complete with the first list, obtaining 7 moukhtars, and 5 moukhtars list of Minister Elie Skaff which in itself was a significant for the second list. The differences were minor between the political development. There are several considerations winners and the losers. The average number of votes won for this defeat, most significantly was the fact that Sunni by the list of the Free Patriotic Movement and Tashnak party electors voted for the ticket backed by Future Movement, was estimated with 2,987 votes in comparison to 9,642 votes the Lebanese Forces and the Phalange Party vis-à-vis that to the list of competition. of Skaff, the Free Patriotic Movement and Hezbollah. Considering this background, the municipal elections The seven winners from the first list: constituted an important stop for Skaff. In the case of victory Joseph Sassine Shahwan (Maronite) 3,103 votes, Badrous he would establish his Christian leadership in Zahle and Khurin Kolajian (Armenian Orthodox) 3,079 votes, Elias therefore show that his defeat in the parliamentary elections Antoine Flouti (Orthodox) 3,026 votes, Ziad Alfred Armuni was a result of the Sunni vote from outside the city itself. (Orthodox) 3,008 votes, Nazirat Istiban Habibian (Armenian Meanwhile his defeat in the municipal polls would confirm Orthodox) 2,996 votes, Reine Michel Abdel Nour (Orthodox) that his Christian popularity has declined inside the city 2,972 votes, Elie Michel Nassar (Maronite) 2,965 votes regardless of the situation in the district’s villages.

The five winners from the second list: Number of voters Michel Emile Fayyad (Maronite) 3,153 votes, Charles The city of Zahle has 63,053 registered voters distributed Samir Ziede (Orthodox) 3,084 votes, Antoine Bechara among various confessions as listed in Table 1. Gholam (Orthodox) 3,054 votes, Elie Kamil Nassar (Latin) 3,002 votes, Mai Tanios Saab (Maronite) 2,982 votes The confessional structure of registered voters in Table 1 the city of Zahle The ikhtiariah elections in Al-Saifi Confession Number of voters % Christian 52,389 83% Competition was very intense in Al-Saifi; 10 candidates Catholic 18,123 28.70% fought for 4 seats. However, this competition did not Maronite 14,833 23.50% raise the turnout either; it was low and was estimated Greek Orthodox 8,047 12.80% at 19.6% for 1,840 voted out of 9379 registered electors. Syriac Orthodox 4,703 7.50% The list which was supported by March 14 forces won with Armenian Orthodox 3,347 5.30% a differential of 332 votes in comparison to the losing list. Syriac Catholic 911 1.40% The average number of votes was 988, obtained by the Armenian Catholic 751 1.20% winning list, in comparison to 656 votes to the losing list Other Christians (Evangelical, and the winners are: Caledonian, Catholic, Latin, 1,674 2.60% Jean-Michel Nasr (Maronite) 1,084 votes, Elias Metri Assyrian and others) Muslim 10,311 16.3 Khayat (Orthodox) 996 votes, Antoine Michel Louis Shia’a 6,375 10.10% (Maronite) 939 votes, Michel Elias Morani (Maronite) Sunni 3,936 6.20% 932 votes. Israelite 77 0.12% Other and unspecified 276 0.43% The losing list which was supported by the Free Patriotic Movement was composed of: Youssef Ne’matallah (Maronite) 778 votes, Adel Eli Kokony Election results (Orthodox) 620 votes, Nicolas Joseph Chedid (Maronite) Some 26,170 voters cast their ballots in the municipal 617 votes, Nabil Michel Sadik (Maronite) 610 votes. elections or 41.5% of registered voters. The percentage is lower than that in the parliamentary polls of 2009 when the number of votes reached 31,297 or 50% of registered voters then (62,658).

issue 96 - July 2010 10 | Leader Municipal and Ikhtiariah Elections 2010

The competition took place between three complete lists each including 21 candidates in addition to the contender/ referendum of the FPM. The ticket backed by Skaff won as 19 of its members won and the Sunni candidate the list and one of the Maronite contenders lost. The list of municipal president Assad Zogheib, backed by the LF and March 14 Forces, won two seats (Zogheib and Maha Anis Ma’alouf). The differences of votes between the two lists reached 1,473 ballots with the average number of votes for the winning list being 11,078 compared to 9,665 for the competing ticket. The average number of votes for the third ticket, led by

Walid Choueiri, reached 1,815 votes compared to 6,682 Zahle Berdawni River votes for the FPM’s sole candidate (Antoine Joseph Abou INMA-SRI Younis). Among the most prominent defeated candidates: Roukoz These results lead to these following conclusions: Saleem Qassouf (Catholic, won 9,855), Kamil Antoine al- A’amouri (Catholic, won 9,770 votes) and the head of the A The advancement of the list supported by Skaff by 1,473 third competing list, Walid Michel Choueiri, won 2,374 votes, after winning 2,720 Shia’a votes means it won votes (Catholic) preceded on his list by Elham Riad al- thanks to the Shia’a ballots at a time when the percentage Ma’alouf who won 2,466 votes. Table 2 lists the members of Christian votes it won compared to the competing list of the Zahle municipal council based on the number of was close votes they won and their confessions.

The fact that the FPM’s candidate won 6,682 votes does A The members of the Zahle municipal council based on the Table 2 not mean that this is the weight of the FPM in Zahle number of votes they won and their confessions Candidate Confession Ticket Ballots

A The voters who elected FPM’s candidate also voted Joseph Diab al-Ma’alouf Catholic Al-Qarar al-Zahle 11,805 for other candidates on Skaff’s list or the two other Assad Joseph al-Barak Catholic Al-Qarar al-Zahle 11,662 competing tickets because the number of ballots reached Youssef Chafiq al-Skaff Catholic Al-Qarar al-Zahle 11,617 26,170 and the number of votes the three lists received Elise George Astafan Tamer Catholic Al-Qarar al-Zahle 11,594 (6,682) means the voters did not choose one candidate Aziz Youssef Abou Zaid Catholic Al-Qarar al-Zahle 11,509 Greek Youssef Michel Qara’aouni Orthodox Al-Qarar al-Zahle 11,480 A The victory realized by Skaff shows that there was a sort of tie in the size of forces between Skaff and his Greek Habib George Qortass Orthodox Al-Qarar al-Zahle 11,466 opponents especially the LF and its allies Greek Sami Wadee’ al-Teeni Orthodox Al-Qarar al-Zahle 11,425 Nadeem Fawzi Bou Deeb Maronite Al-Qarar al-Zahle 11,351 Municipal council structure Syriac As previously shown, the Municipal council is formed of Samir Chamoun Melou Orthodox Al-Qarar al-Zahle 11,262 19 members of Skaff’s supporters and two of his opponents. Elias Saleem Macha’alani Catholic Al-Qarar al-Zahle 11,238 On the confessional level, the council does not have any Michel Najeeb Balish Catholic Al-Qarar al-Zahle 11,167 Sunni member due to the defeat of the Sunni candidate on Edward Ibrahim Hatem Maronite Al-Qarar al-Zahle 11,136 Skaff’s list, Tareq Ali Hawwa (he won 9,118 votes) and the Imad Fayez al-Motran Catholic Al-Qarar al-Zahle 11,094 defeat of the Sunni candidate on the competing list, Tawﬁq Pierre Chafiq Rouhana Maronite Al-Qarar al-Zahle 11,089 Rasheed al-Hindi (he won 9,991 votes) thus paving the Moussa way for an increase in the number of Catholic members in Elias Hanna Chamoun Maronite Al-Qarar al-Zahle 10,974 the council. The two winners on the Zogheib ticket were George Elias Abou Eid Catholic Al-Qarar al-Zahle 10,893 Catholic at the expense of each of the Sunni candidate and Ali Ameen al-Khatib Shia’a Al-Qarar al-Zahle 10,649 one of the Maronite contenders. As a result, the council George Elias Hraoui Maronite Al-Qarar al-Zahle 10,632 now includes 11 Catholics, ﬁve Maronites, three Greek Assad Youssef Zogheib Catholic Zahle Roa’ya wa 10,165 Orthodox, one Shia’a and one Syriac Orthodox. ‘Inma’ Zahle Roa’ya wa Maha Anis Ma’alouf Catholic ‘Inma’ 10,071 issue 96 - published by Information International s.a.l. Municipal and Ikhtiariah Elections 2010 Leader | 11

Jezzine Spring INMA-SRI

The city of Jezzine he city of Jezzine witnessed a fierce electoral battle in the municipal and ikhtiariah elections, as it did during the TJune 2009 parliamentary elections. The current elections were seen as extension to the first electoral battle, with the main difference being that the previous polls took place at the level of the qada’a of Jezzine, with the influence that the confessional structure of the voters, notably the Shia’a, had on the outcome. In comparison, the current elections took place within the city (Jezzine and A’ain Majdleen) in the absence of any rural influences. Number of voters and ballots The number of registered voters (Jezzine and A’ain margin was caused votes from the supporters of former Majdleen) reached 8,630, of whom 5,350 cast their ballots minister Edmond Rizq and the FPM list. or 62%. At the confessional level, Maronites constitute 85% of voters, and Catholics 10%. The winners The winners belong to the Maronite confession. The Outcome of elections following table 1 lists their names and the votes they won: The main competition during the parliamentary elections was between the Free Patriotic Movement list (which The winners in the municipal elections in Jezzine Table 1 won three parliamentary seats) and the Jezzine MPs list, Name Number of votes especially MP Samir Azar, who was supported by Amal. Youssef Boutros Rahhal 2,652 For its part, Hezbollah distributed its votes equally between Jaleel Jean Harfouch 2,621 the two tickets and the supporters of the Lebanese Forces Walid Tanios el-Helou 2,581 and the Phalange likely did the same. The same political Joseph Gergie Karam 2,575 alignments returned in the present polls with the difference Jean Haleem Raheem 2,550 that the LF, Phalange and Fawzi al-Asmar (one of the Maroun Hanna Habeeb 2,545 city’s leading figures) declared an alliance with the list of Michel Bchara el-Helou (A’ain Majdleen) 2,542 incumbent municipal president and candidate Saeed Abu Antoine Maroun Mansour 2,532 Akl who is supported by Azar. The ticket support by the Elias Habeeb Youssef (A’ain Majdleen) 2,514 FPM and the family of former MP Farid Serhal won the Michel Youssef Khaled 2,514 city’s 18 seats (16 for Jezzine and two for A’ain Majdleen) Eddie Antoine Rizq 2,513 by a close margin. Ziad Samir Aoun 2,510 The winning list won an average of 2,526 votes compared Alice Tanios Karam 2,507 to 2,258 for the competing list, with a difference of only 268 Maroun Youssef el-Helou 2,491 votes reflecting the sharp division in the city. The difference Marwan Boulos Raheem 2,480 between the first three candidates on the defeated list and Andre Michel Wazir 2,472 the last three candidates on the winning list was of only 131 Kamal Tanios Charfan 2,439 votes. The defeated candidates considered that the close Antoinette Hanna Youssef 2,433

issue 96 - July 2010 12 | Leader Municipal and Ikhtiariah Elections 2010 The city of Jbeil he municipal elections’ battle took place in the city of Jbeil between two complete lists (each including 18 Tmembers, which is the number of seats allocated to the city) one presided by former Minister Jean-Louis Qordahi, and backed by the Free Patriotic Movement, and the other presided by Ziad Al-Hawwat and backed by March 14 Forces, rumored to be supported by the President of the Republic, who denied any favoritism (due to the fact that Al-Hawwat is the brother of the President’s son-in-law). The list supporting Al-Hawwat won.

The number of electors The number of electors in the city of Jbeil was estimated at assumption would not have been possible anyways, and 8,749 electors; 4,730 of them did actually vote at a rate of therefore Qordahi’s loss cannot be attributed to the way the 54%. Shia’a voted. The big question; however, is why did the Shia’a voters vote against their ally Free Patriotic Movement Elections’ Results choice, was it because family considerations were given In these elections, political and family considerations priority over political considerations? Do Hezbollah and intertwined, which changed a lot in the outcome the Free Amal have little or no inﬂuence on the Shia’a of Jbeil? Patriotic Movement obtained in the parliamentary elections Or did both prominently Shia’a parties chose to support a in the city of Jbeil (the list of FPM got 2,730 votes; 55% of candidate who was said to be powered by the President of voters but in the current elections it got 44% of the voters). the Republic? A group of FPM supporters and members did not vote in favor for the list of Jean-Louis Qordahi, backed by the FPM, The winners but chose instead to support the list of Ziad Al-Hawwat. The municipal council includes 18 members, 16 of whom Part of the Al-Hawwat family members supported the Free are Maronite, one member Shia’a and another who is Sunni, Patriotic Movement in the parliamentary elections and did as shown in Table No. 1: not support the FPM in this election giving the priority to family considerations and not political considerations. The The winners in the municipal elections in the Table 1 average number of votes obtained by the winning list is city of Jbeil 2,571 votes, while the list running against it reaped 2,080 Name Number of votes votes summing up a 491 vote differential. The difference Ziad Halim Al-Hawwat 2,801 between the person who got the least number of votes (Jean- Louis Qordahi) and the person who got the most number of Wadih Antoine Abi Shebel 2,700 votes (Mohammad Mahmoud Al Mawla) was 190 votes. Najwa Victor Bassil 2,678 Juliane Badro Zgheib 2,652 Election of the Shia’a Wissam Fares Zaarour 2,643 The issue of the election of the Shia’a was raised in the Bshara Milad Mounis 2,617 election results in city of Jbeil because even though it was estimated that the majority of them will be supporting the Ayoub Aziz Barek 2,604 list of Jean-Louis Qordahi, the result was the total opposite. Imad Halim Saad 2,572 The majority of them voted for the list competing with Antoine Boutros Al-Khoury 2,556 Qordahi’s, the one presided by Ziad Al-Hawwat. The Shia’a Walid Jean Bilan 2,547 voters were distributed in two polling stations; one for male Shia’a voters in polling station No. 7 and another one for Edgard Tanios Al-Hajj 2,540 female Shia’a voters in polling station No. 16. Ralph Wadih Saliba 2,536 The number of registered Shia’a voters was estimated at Joseph Rashid Nasir 2,520 536 voters; 390 of them voted and according to estimates Tannous Zakhia Sfeir 2,513 only 125 of them voted for the list of Qordahi, whereas 225 Michel Kizhaya AL-Kowaik 2,490 voted for the list Al-Hawwat. This was what contributed to the change in the results and to getting all the seats. Had Khaled Bahij Al-Lakkis(Sunni) 2,480 the votes been reversed, the Qordahi’s list would have had Sami Edward Aghnatios 2,456 the chance to win only one seat. Qordahi was supposed to Mohammad Mahmoud Al-Mawla(Shia’a) 2,384 receive all the Shia’a votes (390 electors) to be able to win 10 seats in counter to 8 for the list of Al-Hawwat, but this

issue 96 - published by Information International s.a.l. Municipal and Ikhtiariah Elections 2010 Leader | 13 The city of Zghorta – Ehden The city of Batroun 4,177 difference in votes between the winners and losers P Michel Aoun considered in one of his statements It is well known that the municipalities of Zghorta and Ehden Mthat the Batroun municipal elections is “mother make up one municipality that consists of 21 members. Prior of all battles” due to the competition between list to the recent municipal elections, several meetings were supported by Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) presided held between MP Suleiman Franjieh and Michel Mouad to by Mayor Marcilino Harak and the other list presided agree on a uniform municipal council that consists of and by former MP Sayed Akl and supported by the families represents the different political groups and the different of Batroun especially Daou family and March 14 forces families in the municipality, in an attempt to avoid a fierce led by the Lebanese Forces. battle. However, the agreement was later broken, and each of the two opponents led the election with a complete list of The result of the election was unexpected as the list supported president and members. MP Suleiman Franjieh’s list won the by the FPM won all 15 seats by a huge difference. Harak elections by a huge difference with an average of 6,504 votes got 2,113 votes compared to 966 for his opponent Sayed compared to 2,327 votes for the loosing list (difference of Akl who came 5th in his list. The average number of votes 4,177 votes). The difference in votes between the President attained by Harak’s list was 1,984 compared to 955 for the of the winning team (Toufic Mouad) and the president of the competing list (a difference of 1,029 votes). loosing team (Naamatallah Mkari) was 4,193 votes, and the The following table 1 lists the names and votes of the difference between the last winner and the first loser was winners: 3,806 votes. Table 1 shows the winners at the Zghorta-Ehden municipal The winners at the municipal election of Table 1 and ikhtiariah elections 2010 and their votes. Batroun and their number of votes Name Number of votes Marcilino Harak 2,113 Bahjat Salhab 2,027 The winners in the municipal elections in Table 1 Zghorta-Ehden Jihad Deeb 2,027 Name Number of votes Samir Moubarak 2,023 Toufic Mouad 6,666 Fares Jammal 2,023 Pierro Georges Zakhya Doueihy 6,577 Philippe Diab 2,016 Joseph Mershaq 1,999 Antonio Yammine 6,569 Martin Khabbaz 1,981 Antoine Venianos 6,566 Nicolas El-Ghilbouni 1,980 Damia Yammine 6,546 Michel Francis 1,979 Edmond Dahdah 6,537 Sayed Fayyad 1,978 Asaad Mkari 6,534 Joseph Ajaltouni 1,968 Bassam Saroufim 6,517 Georges Hawwat 1,959 Paul Mkari 6,515 Georges Abdel Rahim 1,897 Joseph Karam 1,793 Sayed Antoune 6,514 Rita Ghostine 6,511 Jreij Franjieh 6,509 Sayed Al-Shab 6,500 Joseph Karam 6,496 Mrad Naemeh 6,491 Shahwan Mouad 6,462 Iskandar Mouad 6,460 Khalil Doueihy 6,452 Tony Mkari 6,448 Rabieh Mkari 6,442 Toni Markas Doueihy 6,279

Municipality Palace- Tannourine, Batroun INMA-SRI

issue 96 - July 2010 14 | Public Sector A search for the missing $11 Billion A SEARCH FOR THE MISSING $11 BILLION, OR A PLOT AGAINST SINIORA, OR THE ABSENCE OF A STATE?

e want an explanation for the USD11 billion that were spent outside the framework of the provisional twelfth”. With this statement, Speaker Nabih Berri, following his weekly meeting on June 2 with President Michel “W Suleiman, paved the way for an endless tirade of responses and reactions, despite the fact that such remarks were not new. Minister of Telecommunications Charbel Nahhas and General Michel Aoun have previously raised similar question marks. The “loss” of these funds was one of the obstacles that appear to be impeding the ratification of the 2010 budget before the spare accounts, also known as “Qate’e Hisab” of the 2004-2008 budgets. Berri’s statement was met with a reply from former Minister of Finance Jihad Azour who wondered “where did he come up with the number USD11 billion?” insisting there had been no breach of the public accountability law “in the management process of the budget”. He said that USD3 billion - 4 billion were spent from funds retained in the previous budgets to which essential matters were added such

as servicing the debt and electricity expenditures at USD4 positions that aim to rectify the flaw in the public finance billion. “This means that the difference and the additional and contain public debt? What are the constitutional and expenditure are around USD3 billion and not USD11 legal texts that cover the budget issue? billion.” Berri’s office responded to “[former Prime Minister The budget in the Constitution Fouad] Siniora through his Azour”, challenging Article 83 of the Constitution stipulates: “Each year at the expenditure with numbers which in turn provoked a beginning of the October session, the Government has reply from the office of Siniora “refusing to be driven to submit to the Chamber of Deputies the general budget into debates across media outlets” considering that estimates of state expenditures and revenues for the following the “appropriate place for discussing such subjects is year. The budget is voted upon article by article.” in Parliament”. It added that all the data, numbers and Article 32 of the Constitution stipulates: “…The second funds and the manner by which they were spent “were session begins on the first Tuesday following 15 Oct; published on the Ministry of Finance’s website”. its meetings is reserved for the discussion of and voting on the budget before any other work. This session lasts More than ten days after the start of the debate the until the end of the year.” Ministry of Finance, which is mainly concerned with this issue, responded on Sunday June 13 in a statement Article 86 of the Constitution stipulates: “If the Chamber explaining the details of public spending through of Deputies has not given a final decision on the budget numbers. The statement said that the USD11 billion estimates before the expiration of the session devoted which had been spent “were included in the laws and to the examination of the budget, the President of the were targeted toward [helping] the state run its affairs”. It Republic, in coordination with the Prime Minister, said that “the spending was made in conformity with the immediately convenes the Chamber for an extraordinary laws and financial norms which took into consideration session which lasts until the end of January in order to due process, including the public accounting law and continue the discussion of the budget; if, at the end private laws that authorized the spending” while taking of this extraordinary session, the budget estimates into consideration the difficult times Lebanon went have not been finally settled, the Council of Ministers through in 2006-2009. may take a decision on the basis of which a decree is issued by the President giving effect to the above Away from the political positions and interests that use estimates in the form in which they were submitted to the issue of the 2010 public budget and spare accounts the Chamber. However, the Council of Ministers may and budgets of the previous years, is the story here about not exercise this right unless the budget estimates were targeting Siniora and the past or is it about declaring submitted to the Chamber at least fifteen days before the commencement of its session. Nevertheless, during

issue 96 - published by Information International s.a.l. A search for the missing $11 Billion Public Sector | 15 the said extraordinary session, taxes, charges, duties, into account, and why did the successive governments imposts, and other kinds of revenues continue to be not implement or activate Article 86. collected as before. The budget of the previous year is adopted as a basis. To this must be added the permanent The reality in numbers credits which have been dropped, and the Government Based on the 2005 public budget, expenditures fixes the expenditures for the month of January on the were estimated at LBP10,000 billion whereas actual basis of the ‘provisional twelfth.’” expenditures (without the issuing of the law of spare accounts and are thus not final) reached LBP The facts 10,203,275,000,000. Therefore, the sum of spending on On January 30, 2006 Parliament ratified the budget for the basis of the provisional twelfth in 2006, 2007, 2008 2003 (Law 716 to that effect was issued on February and 2009 should be LBP 40, 813 billion, adding to it 3 2006) after that, and in the same session, it ratifies the value of expenditures that were ratified by laws and the 2005 budget law (Law 715 to that effect was issued which are estimated at around LBP 1000 billion bringing on February 3, 2006). The 2005 budget was the last the total sum to LBP 41,813 billion while the funds that to be legally passed because since then spending and were spent during the four years reached LBP 56,590 collecting have been carried out based on the basis of billion (distributed by year as shown in Table 1 compared the provisional twelfth due to the political situation to estimated expenditures in the ungratified draft budget and failure to hold a Parliament session. Law 717 was laws). The difference then is LBP 14,777 billion, or issued on February 3, 2006 authorizing the collection of around USD9.8 billion and not USD11 billion. revenues as in the past and disbursements as of February 1, 2006 until the issuing of the 2006 budget law on the Estimated expenditures and actual expenditures Table 1 basis of the provisional twelfth. in 2006-2009 (in millions LBP) Difference Year Estimated Actual Difference compared to The problem began here because reliance on spending expenses expenses 2005 expenses or collection based on the provisional twelfth is limited 2006 11,195,000 11,879,475 684,475 1,676,200 to a few months until the budget is ratified and should 2007 11,840,000 12,587,131 747,131 2,383,856 not last for years, as the case is now. Therefore, in 2008 11,475,000 14,956,796 3,481,796 4,753,521 light of security and military developments, notably 2009 16,304,000 17,167,260 863,260 6,963,985 the July 2006 war, it is not possible for spending in 15,777,562 the years 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 to be similar to (Around LBP that of 2005 because it would certainly have inflated, 1,000 billion is especially since Parliament failed to convene to pass deducted from Total 50,814,000 56,590,662 5,776,662 this number as additional credit laws leading to the vast difference in extra expenses expenditures. Furthermore, it should have been based on approved by laws with the the provisional twelfth on the basis of the 2005 budget difference is LBP and what was actually spent illegally. The government 14,777 billion) also did not settle any of the 2006, 2007, 2008 and Source: Compiled by Information International from the Ministry of Finance’s 2009 budgets 15 days before the October session and official website therefore it cannot issue a draft budget law by decree as authorized by Article 86 of the Constitution. What explains the difference: Servicing the A The 2006 draft budget law was referred to public debt and electricity Parliament by Decree #40, a provision in force, on The difference between the expenditures that should February 22, 2007. have been made in 2006-2009, based on the provisional A The 2007 draft budget law was referred to twelfth, the 2005 expenditures and what was actually Parliament by Decree # 403, a provision in force, spent after adding that expenses that took place by on June 13, 2008. laws (especially the increase in salaries and wages and A The 2008 draft budget law was referred to retroactive payments) reached LBP 14,777 billion. The Parliament by Decree 977, a provision in force, on reason for the increase in spending which violates the November 24, 2007. provisional twelfth is an increase in spending in several A The 2009 draft budget law was referred to Parliament areas, significantly servicing public debt, electricity and by Decree 2364 on June 20, 2009. the Higher Relief Commission. This raises the question of why were the constitutional limits of referring the budgets to the Parliament not taken

issue 96 - July 2010 16 | Public Sector A search for the missing $11 Billion The expenditures on servicing the public debt in 2005 Ministry of Finance figures show that spending on the reached LBP 3,534 billion, while those spent in 2006- Higher Relief Commission reached LBP 700 billion, on 2009 reached LBP 20,888 billion, whereas the amount municipalities reached around LBP 1,700 billion, on the should have been LBP 14,137 billion, or with a LBP Central Fund for the Displaced reached LBP 180 billion 6,751 billion increase, which represents 45.7% of the and on the Council for South Lebanon reached LBP increase in spending. Table 2 shows the increase in 90 billion and supporting owed interests reached LBP spending on servicing the public debt compared to that 352 billion, tax incomes on the Value Added Tax and in 2005 other taxes reached LBP 1,158 billion or a total of LBP 4,200 billion. However, the ministry did not show the Increase in spending on servicing the public debt in Table 2 size of the increase in these expenses compared to 2005 2006-2009 compared to sending in 2005 (in million LBP) in order to be able to calculate the actual increase. As Increase in Year Actual spending spending for 2005 such the search must now be on how was a fund, with a 2006 4,556,808 1,022,509 minimum of LBP 1000 billion and a maximum of LBP 2007 4,940,151 1,405,848 5000 billion, spent? 2008 5,304,430 1,770,127 2009 6,086,807 2,552,504 It is hard to disagree with the fact that the additional Total 20,888,196 6,750,988 spending during Siniora’s two governments which took Source: Compiled by Information International from the Ministry of Finance’s place outside the framework of the provisional twelfth official website is illegal and violates the principles of legal financial management. However, it must be agreed and admitted The other area that went through an increase in spending that failure to ratify the public budget in Parliament for a was the cost of electricity. In 2005, the amount that was period of four years is also a violation of the concept of spent on electricity reached LBP 1,150 billion which is the very existence of the state before being a violation of supposed to reach LBP 4,600 billion during 2006-2009 the law and the Constitution. Even during the Lebanese but the amount spent during this period was LBP 7,538 war, the budget was ratified in 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989 billion (as shown in Table 3) with a LBP 2,938 billion on the basis of the provisional twelfth. increase, or a 20% from 2005.

Increase in spending to fund electricity during 2006- Budgets since the Independence Table 4 Table 3 Date of Minister of 2009 compared to spending in 2005 (In millions LBP) Year President Prime Minister Issuance Finance Year Actual spending Increase in spending for 2005 1943 23/2/1943 Alfred Nakkash Sami Solh Sami Solh 2006 1,370,593 220,593 1944 7/6/1944 Beshara Khoury Riad Solh Riad Solh 2007 1,478,805 328,805 Abdel-Hamid Abdel-Hamid 1945 5/6/1945 Beshara Khoury 2008 2,430,079 1,280,079 Karami Karami 2009 2,258,533 1,108,533 1946 4/2/1946 Beshara Khoury Sami Solh Emile Lahoud Total 7,538,010 2,938,010 Sabri 1947 19/3/1947 Beshara Khoury Abdullah Al Yafi Source: Compiled by Information International from the Ministry of Finance’s Hamadeh official website Mohamad 1948 5/4/1948 Beshara Khoury Riad Solh Abboud Hussein Al Note: Based on the Ministry of Finance, no electricity 1949 28/3/1949 Beshara Khoury Riad Solh funds were noticed in 2005 on the basis they are paid Oueini Hussein Al 1950 28/3/1950 Beshara Khoury Jubran Nahhas when due by a loan from the treasury and are registered Oueini as debt on the establishment. However, the money paid Hussein Al Hussein Al 1951 20/3/1951 Beshara Khoury in 2005 was LBP 1,150 billion and this is what should Oueini Oueini Abdullah Al be relied on to compare between expenditures in 2006- 1952 5/2/1952 Beshara Khoury Philippe Takla 009 and 2005. Yafi Camille Abdullah Al 1953 4/11/1953 Pierre Edde This means that the increase in electricity spending and Chamoun Yafi servicing the public debt reached LBP 9,689 billion Camille Abdullah Al 1954 7/5/1954 Abdullah Al Yafi with the difference being LBP 5,088 billion which Chamoun Yafi Camille Muhieddine is the amount that should be under investigation and 1955 26/2/1955 Sami Solh scrutiny. Was it spent during the July war for relief and Chamoun Nsouli Camille 1956 10/3/1956 Rashid Karami Jamil Makkawi compensation purposes, to fund inflation in security Chamoun forces or to fund other projects? Camille 1957 5/2/1957 Sami Solh Nasri Maalouf Chamoun issue 96 - published by Information International s.a.l. A search for the missing $11 Billion Public Sector | 17 Budgets since the Independence Table 4 The provisional twelfth and delay in budget Date of Minister of Year President Prime Minister ratification Issuance Finance Camille 1958 4/2/1958 Sami Solh Jamil Makawi Chamoun The provisional twelfth is a temporary budget which 1959 12/12/1959 Fouad Shehab Rashid Karami Rashid Karami authorizes the government to spend and collect for a 1960 8/2/1960 Fouad Shehab Rashid Karami Rashid Karami period of one month, i.e. it is meant for a part of 12 1961 24/2/1961 Fouad Shehab Saeb Salam Pierre Gemayel months. It covers: 1962 7/2/1962 Fouad Shehab Rashid Karami Rashid Karami 1963 30/1/1963 Fouad Shehab Philippe Boulos Philippe Takla The opening of total allocated funds for one month 1964 February 1964 Fouad Shehab Rashid Karami Rashid Karami for all public administrations. They are distributed 1965 17/2/1965 Charles Helou Nasim Majdalani Othman Dana on the budget’s sections, provisions and articles by 1966 2/2/1966 Charles Helou Rashid Karami Rashid Karami decrees. These credits are considered part of the 1967 6/2/1967 Charles Helou Rashid Karami Rashid Karami credits that will later be ratified by the budget law. 1968 7/21968 Charles Helou Rashid Karami Rashid Karami 1969 26/2/1969 Charles Helou Rashid Karami Rashid Karami To determine the previous year’s budget based on 1970 25/2/1970 Charles Helou Rashid Karami Rashid Karami dividing it by 12 parts (12 months). Suleiman 1971 5/5/1971 Saeb Salam Elias Saba Franjieh - Authorizing the collection of taxes for the mentioned Suleiman 1972 1/2/1972 Saeb Salam Elias Saba month. Franjieh Suleiman 1973 2/3/1973 Saeb Salam Saeb Salam Franjieh - To forbid ministries from taking measures that Suleiman 1974 9/5/1974 Takieddine Solh Takieddine Solh could increase the public burden in relation to the Franjieh Suleiman previous budget. The provisional twelfth ensures that 1975 28/8/1975 Rashid Karami Rashid Karami Franjieh the state’s administrative and financial work is not Suleiman 1976 2/2/1976 Rashid Karami Rashid Karami Franjieh disturbed. It also limits expenditures and therefore 1977 26/5/1977 Elias Sarkis Salim Hoss Farid Roufayel the deficit. 1978 2/5/1978 Elias Sarkis Salim Hoss Farid Roufayel 1979 22/3/1979 Elias Sarkis Salim Hoss Farid Roufayel After revising the dates when the budgets were ratified since the independence to date, it becomes clear 1980 7/4/1980 Elias Sarkis Salim Hoss Ali Khalil Shafik Al that the current delay is nothing new, which rarely 1981 15/7/1981 Elias Sarkis Ali Khalil Wazzan happens. However the delay in budget ratification Shafik Al 1982 18/3/1982 Elias Sarkis Ali Khalil for four consecutive years never occurred even when Wazzan Shafik Al the country was going through one the hardest times 1983 22/3/1983 Amine Gemayel Adel Hamieh Wazzan during the civil war. Camille 1984 13/6/1984 Amine Gemayel Rashid Karami Chamoun Camille Table 4 shows the dates when the budgets were 1985 10/8/1985 Amine Gemayel Rashid Karami Chamoun passed over 62 years since the independence until 1990 20/8/1990 Elias Hrawi Salim Hoss Ali Khalil 2005 when the last budget was ratified (1943-2005). 1991 7/9/1991 Elias Hrawi Omar Karami Ali Khalil 1992 2/12/1992 Elias Hrawi Rafik Hariri Rafik Hariri 1993 5/12/1993 Elias Hrawi Rafik Hariri Rafik Hariri 1994 12/2/1994 Elias Hrawi Rafik Hariri Rafik Hariri 1995 7/2/1995 Elias Hrawi Rafik Hariri Rafik Hariri Table 4 shows that a public budget law was not passed 1996 15/2/1996 Elias Hrawi Rafik Hariri Rafik Hariri in 1986-1987-1988-1989 when the provisional twelfth 1997 7/3/1997 Elias Hrawi Rafik Hariri Rafik Hariri was used for spending and tax collection. It is apparent 1998 5/2/1998 Elias Hrawi Rafik Hariri Rafik Hariri that the delay in budget ratification took place in some 1999 30/7/1999 Emile Lahoud Salim Hoss Georges Corm of the previous years: During the first years after the 2000 16/2/2000 Emile Lahoud Salim Hoss Georges Corm independence 1945-1966, in 1953 when Camille 2001 30/6/2001 Emile Lahoud Rafik Hariri Fouad Siniora Chamoun became president, in the years following the war, in 1986-1989, in 1992 and 1993 when Rafik Hariri 2002 13/2/2002 Emile Lahoud Rafik Hariri Fouad Siniora became prime minister and again in 1999 when Salim 2003 31/1/2003 Emile Lahoud Rafik Hariri Fouad Siniora Hoss became premier. 2004 24/4/2004 Emile Lahoud Rafik Hariri Fouad Siniora 2005 3/2/2006 Emile Lahoud Fouad Siniora Jihad Azour

issue 96 - July 2010 18 | Public Sector Ministry of Interior and Municipalities MINISTRY OF INTERIOR AND MUNICIPALITIES A budget of LBP 832 billion ($554 million) and 40,000 employees

he Ministry of Interior and Municipalities is a high profile ministry to the point that it could be considered a state on its own due to its many and diverse tasks and the size of its personnel. The ministry is in charge of Tsecurity, administrative and social-developmental affairs via its numerous establishments.

Establishment Ministry personnel The Ministry of Interior was established in 1943 in the The ministry is composed of the following directorates: government that was formed on September 25, 1943 A Directorate General of Personal Status prior to the independence. The law which created this A Directorate General of Political Affairs and ministry was amended several times, most significantly Refugees by Law 197 on February 18, 1993 which stipulated the A Directorate General of Administrative and Local establishment of the Ministry of Municipal and Village Councils Affairs. Under the law, the municipal and village affairs A Joint Administrative Directorate authority was separated from the Ministry of Foreign A Muhafaza of Beirut city Affairs and added to the newly-formed ministry. A Muhafaza of Mount Lebanon A Muhafaza of North Lebanon The second important amendment took place under A Muhafaza of South Lebanon Law 247 on August 7, 2000 by which the Ministry of A Muhafaza of the Beqa’a Municipal and Village Affairs was abolished and added A Muhafaza of Nabatiyeh to the Ministry of Interior, changing its name into the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities. (Two new muhafazat were established by Law 522 on July 16, 2003: A’akkar and Baalbeck-Hermel) Tasks Decree #4082 issued on October 14, 2000 specified A Directorate General of Internal Security Forces the ministry’s tasks and its constitution. The ministry A Directorate General of General Security is in charge of Lebanon’s internal policy including A Central Security Council preparation, coordination and implementation. A Inspectorate General of the Internal Security Forces A Airport Security Service It takes care of maintaining security and overlooks the A The Central Drug Combating Directorate affairs of muhafazat, qada’s, municipalities, municipal A Traffic, Trucks and Vehicles Management Authority unions, the Independent Municipal Fund, the makhatir, and the ikhtiariah councils in addition to other elected 1. Directorate General of Personal Status or appointed local councils. It also overlooks the affairs The directorate is in charge of registry, nationality of villages, gathering places, parties, and associations in and census affairs. It is formed of a single directorate addition to the management of personal status and the general, a single authority and seven departments. It affairs of immigrants, civil defense, vehicles and traffic. includes 703 positions distributed on these authorities The ministry also carries out all the laws and systems and departments according to degrees as shown by referred to it. Table 1.

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The directorate, authority and departments of the Directorate General of Personal Status in addition to the number of positions according to degree Table 1 Directorate General of Personal Status First degree Second degree Third degree Fourth degree Fifth degree Total Directorate General of Personal Status 1 - - 9 3 13 Registry - 1 - 9 2 12 Department of Coordination and Observation - - 8 11 3 22 Registry Departments and Stations - - 6 437 98 541 Department of Nationality Affairs and Cases - - 2 7 1 10 Department of Expatriates - - 1 12 1 14 Census Department - - 1 12 1 14 Department of Foreigners’ Coordinates --2619 Department of IDs and Electoral Cards - - 7 58 3 68 Total 1 1 27 561 113 703 Souce: Ministry of Interior and Municipalilties decree number 4082 2. Directorate General of Political Affairs and Refugees The directorate manages political affairs and the affairs 2- The Directorate of Refugees Affairs, which is of refugees in addition to the electoral process’s various divided into two departments: phases. It is also in charge of preparing the elements of A The registry department internal politics and associations in addition to managing A The department of delegates and security monitors the affairs of refugees. It includes: which supervises the work of delegates in the 1-The Authority of Political and Electoral Affairs, muhafazat and the work of observers stationed in which is itself divided into two departments: the camps and monitors the movements of political A The electoral affairs department which handles all asylum seekers. cases related to the parliamentary, municipal and ikhtiariah elections during all stages of the processes. The Directorate General of Political Affairs and A The department of political affairs, parties, and Refugees includes 107 positions distributed according associations which gives its opinion on requests for to degrees as shown in Table 2. meetings and demonstrations.

Directorates and departments of the Directorate General of Political and Refugees Affairs and the number of positions according to degree Table 2 Directorate General of Political Affairs and Refugees First degree Second degree Third degree Fourth degree Fifth degree Total Directorate General 1 - - 9 3 13 Political and Electoral Affairs Authority-1-629 Department of Electoral Affairs - - 1 8 1 10 Department of Political Affairs, Parties and Associations --310215 Directorate of Refugees Affairs-1-9212 Department of Coordinates Registration - - 1 15 1 17 Department of Delegates and Security Monitors - - 1 30 - 31 Total 1268711107 Souce: Ministry of Interior and Municipalilties decree number 4082

3. The Directorate General of Administrations and Local Councils The directorate is in charge of following up on issues related to the performance of municipal councils, municipal unions and the makhatir. It consists of: 1 - The Muhafazat and Local Councils Affairs Authority includes four departments: A The department of regional units affairs A The department of municipalities and municipal unions A The department of makhatir and councils A The department of orientation and inspection

issue 96 - July 2010 20 | Public Sector Ministry of Interior and Municipalities 2 - The Authority of Technical Affairs, which includes four departments: 3-The Independent Municipal Fund authority: It A The department of lessons supervises the implementation of provisions to the law A The executive department of municipalities and the regulatory decrees related to the A The department of gunpowder and explosives. outlining of the principles and rules of the distribution of It is in charge of ensuring the implementation of the fund’s money. It consists of two departments: the provisions of the arms and ammunitions law A Department of accounts and distribution within the specialty of the Ministry of Interior and A Department of joint projects Municipalities. It is also in charge of proposing The directorate includes 302 positions distributed as licenses for the use of explosive material shown in Table 3. A The department of quarries which monitors the implementation of texts related to the issuing of licenses and administrative deadlines for the establishment and investment of quarries Directorate general, authorities, departments and personnel by degree Table 3 The Directorate General of Administrations and Local Councils First degree Second degree Third degree Fourth degree Fifth degree Total Directorate general 1 - - 11 4 16 The muhafazat and local councils affairs authority -23114451 The department of regional units affairs - - 4 13 2 19 The department of municipalities and municipal unions --413421 The department of makhatir and councils - - 2 9 2 13 The department of orientation and inspection - - 31 7 6 44 The Authority of Technical Affairs-1-8312 Department of lessons - - 7 22 3 32 Executive department - - 11 34 3 48 The department of gunpowder and explosives --2316 The department of quarries - - 3 6 1 10 The Independent Municipal Fund authority - 1 - 3 1 5 Department of accounts and distribution - - 1 9 2 12 Department of joint projects - - 2 10 1 13 Total 1 4 98 162 37 302 Souce: Ministry of Interior and Municipalilties decree number 4082

4. The Directorate General of Civil Defense The directorate handles all tasks and powers referred to 5- Civil defense units distributed across the Lebanese civil defense which are speciﬁed by rules related to it, territories. Their locations are speciﬁed by a decision especially under legislative decree #50 issued on August by the minister of interior and municipalities based on 5, 1967 and its amendments (constitution and regulation suggestions by the civil defense director general. of the civil defense). The directorate includes 1,806 positions distributed The Central Adminitration consists of: according to degrees as shown by Table 4. 1- Administrative unit 2- Technical unit 3- Mechanical unit 4- Transportation and works unit

Civil Defense units and their personnel according to degree Table 4 Directorate General of Civil Defense First degree Second degree Third degree Fourth degree Fifth degree Total Directorate General 1 - - 7 4 12 Administrative unit - - 3 14 4 21 Technical unit - - 5 17 4 26 Mechanical unit - - 1 10 4 15 Transportation and works unit - - 3 22 7 32 Civil defense stations (100 stations) - - 100 1,400 200 1,700 Total 1 - 112 1,470 223 1,806 Souce: Ministry of Interior and Municipalilties decree number 4082 issue 96 - published by Information International s.a.l. Ministry of Interior and Municipalities Public Sector | 21

5. Trafﬁc, Trucks and Vehicles Management Authority

The authority was formed by Decree #4082/2000 issued A The market department and it includes two sections by the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities. It is a A The regional units, which include five sections public agency which enjoys financial and administrative (Dekweneh-Saida-Trablous-Zahle-Nabatiyeh) in independence. It is in charge of the following tasks: addition to three branches (Ouza’i-A’aley-Jounieh) A Supervising the implementation of laws and regulations related to traffic and the registry of 2- Traffic engineering authority: it includes: trucks, cars and vehicles. A Operating and maintenance department. It includes A Managing and monitoring of traffic signals. two sections A Studying of traffic engineering A Department of studies and designs and it includes A Planning of operational traffic two sections A Roadside presence A Media, orientation and training 3-The authority of regulating parking lots: it A External services (sale of statistics and data) includes: A Helping regulate traffic and impose the law A Department of regulating parking lots. It has three sections The authority consists of an executive service headed A The department of counters. It has two sections by its director general. The service directly oversees the following units: 4 -Bureau authority: it includes: A Department of administrative affairs. It has three 1- The authority of car and vehicles registration: it sections includes: A Department of financial and requirements affairs A The department of registration. It includes four sections 5- IT department A The mechanics department and it includes two The authority includes 372 positions distributed sections according to degrees as shown in Table 5.

The directorate and authorities of the authority in addition to their departments and occupations according to degree Table 5 Traffic, Trucks and Vehicles Management Authority First degree Second degree Third degree Fourth degree Fifth degree Total Directorate General 1 - 2 3 2 8 Authority of car and vehicles registration - 1 6 2 9 Department of registration and its sections - - 5 52 13 70 Mechanics department and its sections - - 4 44 - 48 Market department and its sections - - 3 12 5 20 Regional units and its departments and branches --79321121 Traffic engineering authority - 1 9 10 - 20 Department of regulating parking lots - 1 15 30 - 46 Bureau authority - 1 9 7 6 23 IT department - - 4 3 - 7 Total 1 4 58 260 49 372 Souce: Ministry of Interior and Municipalilties decree number 4082

6. Joint Administrative Department The department carries out the missions and powers referred to it by laws and regulations, with the exception of services and administrations that follow their own rules. It consists of one directorate, three authorities, and 11 departments, and includes 321 occupations as shown by Table 6.

issue 96 - July 2010 22 | Public Sector Ministry of Interior and Municipalities

The authorities, departments and occupations of each according to degree Table 6 The Joint Administrative Authority First degree Second degree Third degree Fourth degree Fifth degree Total The Directorate General - 1 - 8 2 11 The administrative affairs authority - 1 - 8 1 10 Registry and registration department - - 3 18 6 27 Archives department - - 4 14 4 22 Human resources department - - 1 11 2 14 Financial and legal affairs authority - 1 5 14 3 23 Financial affairs and accounting department - - 4 18 3 25 Requirements department - - 1 10 2 13 Legal affairs department - - 5 7 2 14 Secretariat and minister’s post authority - 156618 Minister’s post department - - 5 14 4 23 Security post department 1 6 3 10 Civil post department - - 1 6 3 10 Public relations department - - 5 14 10 29 Media department - - 8 14 7 29 Department of revisions and complaints - - 3 14 5 22 Department of foreign companies control - - 3 14 4 21 Total - 4 54 196 67 321 Souce: Ministry of Interior and Municipalilties decree number 4082

7. The Directorate General of Internal Security Forces A Beirut police Tasks: Article 1 of legislative Decree #138 issued on A Judicial police June 12, 1959 defined the Internal Security Forces (ISF) A The ISF Academy as an armed public force charged with watching over A Embassies and Public Administrations and public safety and protecting the rule of law and the Establishments Security Service implementation of laws. The ISF’s constitution was amended several times, most significantly by Law 17 ISF personnel : The ISF has personnel of 30,196 officers issued on September 6, 1990. The law defined the ISF as and agents. an armed public force whose powers cover all Lebanese territories and its regional waters and space. It reports to The Directorate General of General Security the minister of interior. Forces Legislative Decree #139 was issued on June 12, 1959 The law specified the ISF’s tasks as follows: regulating the Directorate general of General Security A To preserve peace and consolidate security Forces. It specified its tasks as data gathering for the A To secure public calm government, and especially political, economic and A To protect people and property social data. The directorate reports to the minister of A To watch over the implementation of sentences and interior and is directly linked to him. judicial warrants A To guard as decided by the authorities of Personnel administrations and public administrations The General Security Forces has personnel of 5,886 A To guard diplomatic missions officers and agents. A To support public authorities in performing their job A To guard and manage prisons 8. Ministry of Interior and Municipalities budget The budget of the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities Structure:The ISF include the following forces: in the 2009 draft public budget reached LBP 832 billion, A Regional gendarmerie forming 5.1% of the public budget’s expenditure. The A Mobile forces expenditures are distributed on the following sections with 90% of expenses allocated to its security services.

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1- LBP 599.2 billion for ISF and prisons, spent mainly The presidency of Bechara Khouri: on the following: Camille Chamoun (twice), Riad Solh (four times), A Salaries and wages: LBP 398 billion Wadi’ Ne’meh, Youssef Salem, Emile Lahoud, Sa’ada A Social grants (illness, motherhood, schooling and Manla, Saeb Salam (twice), Sabri Hamadeh, Gabriel healthcare): LBP 100.9 billion Murr, Elias Khouri, Hussein Oueini, Abdullah Yafi, A Family and transportation compensation funds: LBP Sami Solh and Nazem A’akari (twice). 18.8 billion A Consumer products: LBP 68.4 billion Presidency of Camille Chamoun: General Security: LBP 109.5 billion, mainly spent on: Khaled Chehab, Saeb Salam, Abdullah Yafi, George A Salaries and wages: LBP 67.5 billion Hraoui, Gabriel Murr, Mohieddine Nsouli, Rachid A Social grants: LBP 19.7 billion Karami and Sami Solh (three times). A Family and transportation compensation fees: LBP 3.3 billion Presidency of Fouad Chehab: A Consumer products: LBP 12.5 billion Rachid Karami, Raymond Eddeh, Ali Bazzi, Edmond Gaspar, Saeb Salam, Abdullah Mashnouq 2- Directorate General of Political Affairs and and Hussein Oueini. Refugees: LBP 24.5 billion 3- Joint Administrative Directorate: LBP 23.6 billion Presidency of Charles Helou 4- Directorate General of Personal Status: LBP 6.4 Hussein Oueini, Taqieddine Solh, Mohammad Kneio, billion Pierre Gemayel (twice), Badri M’ouchi, Suleiman 5- Directorate General of Administrations and Local Franjieh, Abdullah Yafi (twice), Adel Osseiran and Councils: LBP 1.05 billion Kamal Jumblat. 6- Beirut muhafaza: LBP 181.5 million 7- Mount Lebanon muhafaza: LBP 925.6 million Presidency of Suleiman Franjieh 8- North muhafaza: LBP 1.1 billion Saeb Salam (twice), Bachir al-A’aouar, Bahij 9- Beqa’a muhafaza: LBP 1.01 billion Taqieddine, Rachid Solh, Saeed Nasrallah and 10- South muhafaza: LBP 916 million Camille Chamoun. 11- Nabatiyeh muhafaza: LBP 677 million Presidency of Elias Sarkiss Salah Salman, Bahij Taqieddine, Nazem Qadri and Conclusion Chafiq Wazzan. The ministry has an annual expenditure of LBP 832 billion, eight general directorates, 14 authorities, 46 Presidency of Amine Gemayel departments and an army of civilian and military Chafiq Wazzan, Abdullah Rassi, Michel Aoun and employees exceeding 40,000 in addition to wide, diverse Mohammad Nabil Qoreitem. and significant tasks. The Ministry of Interior (and Municipalities): 76 Presidency of Elias Hraoui ministers with Michel Murr as longest serving minister Elias Khazen, Sami Khatib (twice), Bechara Merhej Since 1943 to date, the Ministry of Interior (which and Michel Murr (three times). in 2000 became named the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities) saw the succession of 76 ministers. Some Presidency of Emile Lahoud became ministers of interior more than once: Saeb Salam Michel Murr, Elias Murr (twice), Suleiman Franjieh (six times), Abdullah al-Yafi (six times), Riad el-Solh and Hassan Saba’a (twice). (four times), Sami el-Solh (four times), Michel Murr (four times). However the longest uninterrupted term in Presidency of Michel Suleiman the ministry lasted for more than six years (Michel Murr) Ziad Baroud (twice). from September 2, 1994 until October 26, 2000. By confession, more than half of the ministers were Note: The number between brackets represents the number of times a Sunni (40 ministers) compared to only three Shia’a. minister served in the ministry during the presidential term. They are distributed by confession as follows: Sunni: 40, Maronite: 17, Greek Orthodox: 9, Shia’a: 3, Druze: 6, Catholic: 1

issue 96 - July 2010 24 | Public Sector Cost of renting airplanes for the presidency LBP 4.2 BILLION is the cost of renting airplanes for the presidency

rom 2005 to 2007, the role and status of then President Emile Lahoud was marginalized and absent. The situation was aggravated with the presidential vacuum after the expiration of Lahoud’s mandate on November 24, 2007 without Fthe election of a new president. The vacuum was unprecedented in the history in Lebanon even in the country’s most challenging political and military circumstances, expect when the mandate of former President Amine Gemayel expired in September, 1988 and when he appointed a military transitional government headed by General Michel Aoun without the election of a successor.

Financial cost The presidential vacuum extended until May 25, 2008, when These travels were fruitful at the political and economic army Commander General Michel Suleiman was elected levels but in return, the side that is often overlooked is cost of new president. these international trips on the state treasury which is already Suleiman made several travels “to revive Lebanon’s suffering a substantial deﬁcit and growing public debt. international role and to boost relations with active states that Since we do not have access to the detailed costs these inﬂuence international decisions by visiting many countries foreign trips (travel-payment for military and civilian and meeting with Lebanese expatriate communities to urge escorts, accommodation, cars rent and cost of restaurants) them to support their homeland.” we will merely review the information we have on the cost of renting MEA planes used in some of the president’s foreign trips and the cost of which reached LBP 4.2 billion as shown in Table 1. The cost indicates the huge sums of money spent on these visits.

The cost of MEA planes rented by the presidency for some foreign trips Table 1 Visit Date Amount LBP Amount USD New York and Washington From 21-9-2008 to 27-9-2008 1,400 million 933,000 Quebec and Montreal From 8-10-2008 to 20-10-2008 1,100 million 733,000 New York From 11-11-2008 to 13-11-2008 800 million 533,000 Amman From 14-12-2008 to 15-12-2008 60 million 40,000 Doha From 15-1-2009 to 16-1-2009 120 million 80,000 Kuwait From 18-1-2009 to 21-1-2009 100 million 66,600 Bahrain and Abu Dhabi From 9-2-2009 to 11-2-2009 225 million 150,000 Muscat From 28-2-2009 to 1-3-2009 140 million 93,000 Paris From 16-3-2009 to 18-3-2009 250 million 166,600 Total 4,195 million 2,796,000 Source: Minutes of Council of Ministers session on April, 30 2009 during which ministers discussed a draft decree to transfer LBP 2 billion of the budget’s reserve to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants on the basis of the provisional twelfth (delegations and conferences) to cover part of the cost of renting MEA places in presidential trips abroad.

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President’s travels Since his election on May 25, 2008 until June 15, 2010, President Suleiman made 31 trips abroad (an average of 12 trips in 2008 since his election in May, 12 trips in 2009 and 7 trips until June 2010). Countries he visited are as follows in Table 2.

President Michel Suleiman’s travels since his election until June 2010 Table 2 Country Start of the visit End of the visit Syria 15 June 2010 15 June 2010 Brazil 21 April 2010 27 April 2010 Qatar 6 April 2010 7 April 2010 Saudi Arabia 6 March 2010 7 March 2010 Russia 24 February 2010 26 February 2010 Cyprus 12 February 2010 13 February 2010 France (private holiday) 30 December 2009 3 January 2010 United States 13 December 2009 16 December 2009 Spain 18 October 2009 21 October 2009 New York (UN) 22 September 2009 26 September 2009 Sharm El-Sheikh (Summit for non-aligned countries) 14 July 2009 15 July 2009 Britain 28 April 2009 1 May 2009 Turkey 21 April 2009 22 April 2009 Qatar (Arab Summit) 29 March 2009 31 March 2009 France 16 March 2009 18 March 2009 Oman 28 February 2009 1 March 2009 Bahrain and UAE 9 February 2009 11 February 2009 Kuwait (Arab Economic and Social Development Summit) 18 January 2009 21 January 2009 Qatar (Ghaza solidarity meeting) 16 January 2009 16 January 2009 Jordan 14 December 2008 15 December 2008 Germany 2 December 2008 4 December 2008 Iran 24 November 2008 25 November 2008 New York (UN) 11 November 2008 14 November 2008 Egypt 8 November 2008 9 November 2008 Italy and Vatican 29 October 2008 31 October 2008 Canada (Francophone) 16 October 2008 21 October 2008 Saudi Arabia 12 October 2008 13 October 2008 United States (Washington and New York) 21 September 2008 27 September 2008 Qatar 1 September 2008 2 September 2008 Syria 13 August 2008 14 August 2008 France (Summit of the Union for the Mediterranean) 12 July 2008 15 July 2008 Source: Lebanese presidency website

issue 96 - July 2010 26 | Public Sector Divorce DIVORCE The hated halal, or the impossible and the probable

or Muslims, divorce is the hated halal (a lawful thing) and for Christians, especially Catholics, it is impossible. Just as marriage is the result of spiritual, psychological and financial factors, divorce is the expression of the absence of Fcommon grounds that laid the foundation for a united life and it is permissible under Islam. For Christians, however, it is not permissible and is allowed only within very restricted conditions. But both Christians and Muslims agree that death is a cause for the dissolution of marriage.

Deserting and divorce for Catholic confessions First case: The pope can break off a decided and incomplete A principle for all Catholic confessions (Maronites are marriage based on a just cause upon the request of the couple a Catholic confession) is that it is impossible the bond of or one of the parties. matrimony because no human can part what God has joined together. Marriage is permanent and eternal and can only Second case: A marriage can be dissolved based on the be broken with the death of a spouse. However, in the case principle of Paul the Apostle in case one of the (pagan) where the continuation in a marriage is no longer possible, spouses converted to Christianity. In order to preserve his/ the Church relies on abandonment and separation of the her faith, he/she can request the dissolution of the previous couple and in very limited cases allows a divorce. marriage.

Separation or abandonment Third case: A marriage can be dissolved based on the The principle of abandonment is based on a couple living, principle of Saint Peter the Apostle if it had joined a eating and sleeping separately either for a certain amount Catholic and a non-Christian, who at the beginning showed of time or permanently. Abandonment takes place for the a commitment to the Christian faith but later reneged on following reasons: that commitment. In that case, the pope can issue a ruling A Adultery: When a spouse commits adultery, the other to dissolve the marriage in order to preserve the faith of the partner has the right to abandon their shared life, Christian spouse. permanently, while maintaining the state of marriage. In the case of adultery, the spouse can either leave the marital home or expel the adulterous spouse, either Divorce for Orthodox confessions by Church order or unilaterally without going back to The main principle, the same as that of the Catholic court. The state of abandonment is terminated in case confessions, is to consider holy matrimony as unbreakable. the couple mutually agrees to live together again. However, unlike the case for Catholics, divorce is allowed A If one of the spouses made married life dangerous or too in specific cases for the Orthodox marriages, most hard for the other spouse or for the children. significantly: A If one of the spouses is a non-Catholic. A The non-Catholic upbringing of the children. Adultery A If one of the spouses is committing a crime or a shameful A If on the day of marriage, the husband discovers that his act (battering, cruelty, refusing to spend money, constant wife is not a virgin without having been informed by her fighting, immoral behavior and insults). before. A If a husband forbids his wife from visiting a certain In the last four cases, abandonment can take place without home and befriending people with a bad reputation but resorting to a court order but a court’s advice can also be she did not obey sought. A If a wife sleeps outside the marital home behind her husband’s back and without his permission Dissolution of marriage, “divorce” A If she refuses to follow her husband to his place of While a Catholic marriage is considered eternal, it can be residence dissolved in three cases:

issue 96 - published by Information International s.a.l. Divorce Public Sector | 27 A wife can ﬁle for divorce in the following conditions:

A If the husband abuses her and forces her into adultery A If her husband accuses her of adultery without providing evidence

Other conditions for divorce include: A The converting of one of the spouses to another religion A Attempted murder by one of the spouses A Insanity of one of the spouses A A court ruling against one of the spouses over a crime sentencing him/her to a minimum of three years in prison A If one of the spouses neglects his/her partner for three consecutive years A If one of the spouses chooses to live in a monastery contract and new mahr (dowry). The second type is when A Proven husband’s impotency for three consecutive year a man divorces his wife three times. In this case he cannot as of the date of marriage take her back unless she marries and has sexual intercourse with another man. Divorce for Muslim confessions For Muslims, a marriage can be dissolved in several Revocable divorce: In this case, the marriage remains manners since marriage is not eternal. Even though divorce in effect as long as the divorcee is in the waiting period is permissible, is it not desirable based on a hadith by (‘iddah). During the waiting period, a man can take her back Prophet Mohammad (PBUH): “The lawful thing that Allah as his wife even without her consent and without the need hates most is divorce.” If married life becomes a source of for a new marriage to a different man. However, once the constant hardship and ﬁghting while God had meant for it to waiting period has ended the revocable divorce becomes be a source of tranquility and stability then divorce becomes irrevocable. a desired solution. Number of divorce cases in Lebanon The main element in Muslim marriage contracts is that the Over the past years, the number of divorce cases increased. man has the power of divorce but a woman can ask for and Registered divorces in 2009 reached 5,957 compared obtain that right in the contracts with the husband’s approval. to 4,328, registering a 37.6% increase (2003-2009). In In case the right to divorce is in the man’s power, the wife comparison, the number of marriages also increased by can ﬁle for divorce at a court, providing valid reasons, but 32.4% with 30,636 cases in 2003 and reached 40,565 in the process to persuade him to divorce her can be lengthy. 2009. The increase in the percentage of divorces, exceeding In the matter of divorce there is an essential and important that of marriages, indicates a problem in this area and is difference between the Sunni and the Shia’a confessions. primarily focused in Muslim confessions which permit For the Sunni confession, a divorce goes into effect as soon divorce. as the husband repeats the words “I divorce you” to his wife three times whereas for the Shia’a a divorce is not valid Table 1 shows the number of divorce cases from 2003- unless it is documented by a court. 2009.

Types of Muslim divorce Divorce cases from 2003-2009 Table 1 Divorce for Muslims is divided into two kinds: Irrevocable Year Number of divorce cases and revocable. 2009 5,957 2008 5,389 Irrevocable divorce: Under this type of divorce, the condition of marriage is lifted and the husband is not longer 2007 4,790 entitled to be with his divorcee or to take her back as his 2006 4,388 wife. Irrevocable divorce is in itself divided into two types: 2005 4,746 First, when a a woman is divorced less than three times, her 2004 4,372 husband is entitled to take her back as his wife under a new 2003 4,328

issue 96 - July 2010 28 | Legislation Blasphemy, apostasy and disdain of religions BLASPHEMY, APOSTASY AND DISDAIN OF RELIGIONS

lasphemy is defined as irreverential talk about religious beliefs, and apostasy (al-ridah) is the total renouncement of a believer from his faith towards another. The Monthly examines how different Blegislations consider these actions. Lebanon Art. 473 of the Penal Code states that “anyone who religion by any mean for the sake of extremist ideas in blasphemes against God shall be sentenced to prison order to disdain one of the Celeste religions or confessions from six months to one year”. or to harm the national unity and the social peace”. Art. 474 stipulates that “anyone who disdains religious practices or encourages others to do so by any of the Emirates means mentioned in art 209 shall be sentenced to prison Art. 312 of the Penal Code states that “shall be sentenced for six months to three years”. to prison for not less than a year and/or to pay a fine According to art. 475 “shall be sentenced to prison for anyone who commits one of the following crimes: six months to three years”: A Harm a Muslim sacrosanct or rite. A Anyone who hampers with violence and threats any A Insult one of the Celeste religions. religious practice or celebration or rite. A Encourage to sin or use anything that may be tempting A Anyone who destroys or damages or harms buildings to sin. consecrated for prayers or any sign honored by a A A Muslim who consciously eats pork.” religion or a category of people.” According to Art 313, anyone who expressly eats and drinks in a public place during the Ramadan while the Jordan others are fasting shall be sentenced to prison for not Art 273. of the Penal Code states that “anyone who dares more than a month or to pay a fine of 2,000 pounds at to insult the prophets, lords of the legislations, shall be most. (but this particular law is often violated). sentenced to prison form one to three years”. Art. 274 stipulates that “anyone who doesn’t fast during Saudi Arabia Ramadan shall be sentenced to prison up to one month or The Islamic Sharia considers the adoption by a Muslim shall pay a 15 Dinars fine.” (This article is often violated). of another religion as apostasy. According to the government’s explanation of the Sharia provisions, Egypt Islamic apostasy is a crime sentenced by death. Art. 98 of the Penal Code states that “shall be sentenced Blasphemers are sentenced to the same penalty. to prison for not less than six months and not more than five years, or shall pay a fine of not less than 500 pounds Apostasy is sentenced only in Saudi Arabia, while and not more than 1000 pounds anyone who exploits the blasphemy is illegal in all countries except France.

Virgin Mary Curch Dousa and baghdadi Mosque INMA - SRI INMA-SRI

issue 96 - published by Information International s.a.l. Lycée des Arts Private Sector | 29 Schools in Lebanon LYCÉE DES ARTS AN EFFORT TO RAISE AN EDUCATED, LEADING GENERATION

Mission statement The school seeks to reinforce and strengthen “moral, A Patriotism and developing the concept of a mature religious and patriotic values” in its students. and educated Arab leadership Establishment A Respect of human rights, laws and regulations Lycée des Arts was established on March 4, 1993 by A Preservation of national heritage and openness to Decree #293 by Youssef A’atoui. It originally started modern changes by awarding special focus to the Arabic language and A Rejection of racial, sectarian, confessional and tribal later started giving private classes to foreign students to discrimination and all forms of violence help them reach the level of their Lebanese peers. “The school also worked hard to provide special learning General features for students with special needs by preparing programs A Stadiums, a theater, halls for conferences and designed to meet the needs of each student.” exhibitions and computer and science labs. It is located in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Al-Jamous A Cultural, arts and sports activities in addition to street by the Mount Lebanon Medical Center. modern curricula. A Transportation to regions across Lebanon. Curriculum A Registration in kindergarten for students between The school follows the official Lebanese curricula. It three years to five years old in addition to teaches English or French as a main language in addition preschoolers. to Arabic. A Scholarships for outstanding students. The Lycée des Arts tries to “install the values of culture, A For a family of five children, the school offers a 5% faith, freedom of religion and thought in its students and financial aid for the second child; 10% for the third; tries to maintain a close relationship with them”. The 15% for the fourth and 100% for the fifth child. most important values are:

Lycee des Arts

issue 96 - July 2010 30 | Private Sector Lycée des Arts

Regulations The Lycée des Arts has adopted a series of measures and regulations to improve its work: A “Respect for the faculty and abide by its instructions A A strict non-smoking policy; students are not permitted to bring weapons into campus or to be openly affiliated with political or religious parties A Students are not permitted to incite sectarian tension A Students are not allowed to use cellular phone or electronic gadgets on campus A Students are to abide by the school hours A Any absence should be justified either by a doctor’s note or by a parent School’s Principal Youssef A’atoui A School uniform” Tuition The following table 1 lists the tuition fees. Transportation Students is guaranteed from and to all Lebanese regions. The school accommodates 2,000 students across all grades. Each classroom has a maximum of 20 students. Lycée Des Arts tuition fees per grade level Table 1 “The administration awards special attention to Level Tuition kindergarten in terms of equipment, educational toys LBP 250,000 per and healthy meals.” month (Medical care, Preschool insurance, stationary Educational equipment and activities: LBP According to the school’s administrator,“The school set 100,000) up a department dedicated to computer learning in two Kindergarten LBP 2,200,000 a year (KG 1 and KG 2) halls equipped with the newest technology. Students Elementary from the Lycée des Arts have scored the highest marks in First, second, third, fourth and fifth grades LBP 2,400,000 a year official exams and won awards in competitions outside Intermediate the school according to the school management. The Sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth grades LBP 2,600,000 a year school is also equipped with the newest technologies for Secondary research and scientific experiments.” Tenth and eleventh grades (Baccalaureate I) LBP 3,500,000 a year Secondary 12th grade (Baccalaureate II) LBP 400,000 a year Health insurance The school has a private clinic for the students and faculty. It also provides the students and teachers with Note health insurance. LBP 250,000 for medical care, insurance, stationary, activities and computer Activities LBP 1,000,000 a year for private Arabic lessons for According to the school’s administration, the school’s foreign students theater is equipped with “the newest audiovisual For siblings: the first child pays the full tuition; second technologies to host celebrations and seminars. There child receives a LBP 100,000 deduction; the third are also two halls for drawing (ateliers) and music receives a LBP 200,000 deduction; the fourth receives supervised by specialized teachers. a LBP 300,000 deduction, the fifth receives a 100% The school created clubs for karate, football and deduction while the sixth pays 50% of the tuition. basketball and has won many competitions with other schools. It also organizes trips across Lebanon for secondary level students.”

issue 96 - published by Information International s.a.l. 1 Health | 31 THE INNATE HUMAN RESISTANCE TO EVIDENCE Dr. Hanna Saadah

iven the intuitive readiness of human nature to believe in gut feelings, handed down beliefs, popular and fashionable ideas, rumors, and hear say, it’s most natural for us to reject scientific evidence when we perceive Git as counterintuitive or against our belief systems. This conflict between ‘myth’ and ‘intellect’ is as old as humanity and goes on today as much as it did in ancient times. But instead of gods, we now believe in vitamins, herbs, supplements, and natural remedies. Indeed, we only have changed the objects of our beliefs but have neither learned to question nor to examine them critically. Skepticism and evidence based scrutiny of cultural beliefs is not part of human nature; it cannot be naturally acquired but it may be cultivated and nurtured with time and maturity.

Ever since the days of the Stoics and Socrates, sages and Aristotelian view that the sun rotated around the earth. philosophers have ruthlessly lashed out against us, well In 1632, Pope Urban VIII referred Galileo’s case to the deserving Homo sapiens, with myriad sayings such as: Roman Inquisition, which forced Galileo to recant, banned his book, Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Systems, and placed him under house arrest until he died Socrates (469BC-399 BC) Plato’s Dialogues, Apology in 1641. This cruel ‘Christian’ verdict was not ratified “Common sense is not so common.” until 1822, one-hundred-and-eighty-one years after that Voltaire (1694-1778) in Dictionnaire Philoosophique. scientific truth was first promulgated. “Common sense is judgment without reflection, which is The battle between science and myth is the ever-present shared by an entire class, a people, a nation, or the whole battle between truth and tradition, whose battlefields human race.” continue to be the gullible minds of humanity. Such are Giovanni Battista Vico (1668-1744) the dictates of our natures and that’s how we have been “The only means of strengthening one’s intelligence is to wired and programmed; the only thing we have done over make up one’s mind about nothing—to let the mind be a time is traded our ancient myths for modern ones. thoroughfare for all thoughts.” But, living up to our species’ name, Homo sapiens or ‘wise John Keats (1795-1821) man’ is our solemn duty, for as Quintin Hogg (1854-1903) “All true knowledge contradicts common sense.” stated, “Whatever else may be shaken, there are some Mandell Creighton (1834-1901) facts established beyond warring; for virtue is better than “Knowledge shrinks as wisdom grows.” vice, truth is better than falsehood, kindness than brutality. Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947) These, like love, never fail.” It is only with this spirit in mind that I present some pertinent scientific truths about Currently, we are being cajoled, seduced, and assailed by the discipline of medicine of today. advertisements, the media, magazines, books, testimonials The medical professions, although held to higher from friends or strangers, the Internet, and expert advice standards, are not immune to corruption, nor are the from non-experts—all with the common aim of inducing purported, paramedical ‘healers’ that abound. Human us to ‘buy’ something that either runs contrary to scientific nature has always had a strong proclivity for shortcuts evidence or has no scientific evidence to back up its wild and it is this particular trait that nourishes the multiplying, and wonderful claims. Thomas Hobbs (1588-1679) was paramedical systems. The shorter the courses of study, the prescient when he said: “If I had read as much as other shallower their required levels of evidence, and the less men, I would know as little.” labor intensive they are, the more attractive they become Furthermore, if our beliefs are challenged by published to those who wish to circumvent the unforgiving hardships evidence, we tend to reject the evidence without diligent of scientific studies. consideration. History abounds with examples of our inability to yield to scientific truths. When Galileo The different levels of scientific medical evidence will proclaimed that Copernicus was correct in that earth follow in parts II&III and examples of Medical and rotated around the sun, his proclamation offended the Paramedical Abuses and Corruptions will follow in part Roman Catholic Church, which held to the geocentric, IV of this series.

www.hannasaadah.com - www.information-international.com - [email protected] issue 96 - July 2010 32 | Eyeing Horizons 2 IS INTELLIGENCE A SINGLE ENTITY INDEPENDENT FROM THE BRAIN? The charm of numbers and their meanings Antoine Boutros

ythagoras’ students continued his work after his death and found that the circle is the perfect two dimensional form and that the sphere was the perfect three dimensional form, considering that each half resembled the other Pand each point resembled the other. They went on in their observation and found that two right triangles can be joined to form an equilateral triangle, and that this triangle fits the measurements of the circle and the sphere on both the interior and exterior sides in a way they can contain the triangle within just as the triangle can contain them within touching in both cases the sides and curves. Then they merged Pythagoras’ theory with , their findings and concluded that different forms can merge to form triangular atoms that are the foundation of the universe, and that mathematics leads to the knowledge of perfect reality, which is the reality of the world of gods and that the earthly world is an incomplete reflection of that real world.

They found also that the nature of existence is dual: the Knowledge of some of the phenomena of numbers played a limited and the unlimited, the singular and the double, the significant role in the evolution of the science of astronomy solitude and the multitude, the vertical and the curved, the in the 18th and 19th centuries. The best example to that masculine and the feminine, the light and the dark, the good is what is known as the Titius-Bode Law, which was and the evil, the immobility and the mobility and the left discovered in 1766. The sequence of numbers of this law is and the right. Then they noticed that inner links between 0, 3, 6, 21, 42, 84, 69, 291 and 483 (the sequence consists the numbers control human beings, even gods and demons of the multiplication of each number by two after the first and they went on to give numbers architectural and moral two numbers). If we take any one of these numbers and traits. Number five is the concept of marriage because it is added four then divided the sum by 10 we notice that the the sum of the number that indicates the masculine with new sequence is applied on the average distances between the number that indicates the feminine while the number the sun and the planets. When this connection was learned ten is the sum of the first four number this is why it is an the planet Uranus had not yet been discovered. Based on excellent number. this given, Uranus was discovered in 1781 in the exact location specified by this sequence. However, they found that the number four carries a special charm. They observed a burning log which was destroyed by four elements: fire, smoke (air), water (dripping from As for his famous student Iamblichus, who lived in Sicily, underneath it) and lastly earth into which it turns. The worked in politics and took poetry and divination as a human being is formed of four mélanges linked to the four profession, believed that he was the god of reincarnation elements: sanguine, phlegm, the yellow bile and the black from a wild herb. In order to prove his divinity to his bile. These mixtures not only decide physical health but followers and visitors he jumped into the volcano of Mount also mood. Etna, and died leaving only his sandals behind

Scientists are still today taken with the wonders of numbers His other student, Cameon, was the first to dissect a human and what the connection they reveal with the phenomena body and to differentiate between the veins and the vessels, of nature. There are clear examples to that. The Fibonacci was the first to discover the optic nerve and was the first Sequence is considered one of the most exciting digital to consider that the center of thought is the brain. But as mysteries and it is linked to Leonardo of Pisa also known we shall see later Aristotle did not agree to that assumption as Fibonacci. He was one of the great mathematical minds and decreed that intelligence must be placed at the heart. of the 13th century, and was famous for being the first to introduce Arabic numbers to Europe.

issue 96 - published by Information International s.a.l. www.irthsumer.com - www.information-international.com - [email protected] The Amazing Brain | 33

YOUR FACIAL MUSCLES, YOUR EMOTIONS and the evolutionary glue that ties them together is stronger than Botox. Dr. Samar Zebian

t is fashionable, especially in the urban social sphere in Lebanon, to greet someone with exaggerated warmth and enthusiasm; kisses, lots of smiling, intonation and heightened facial and body expression are common. A good way Iturn people off is to offer an honest and undramatized greeting. These observations are from a person who finds these spontaneous theatrics laborious. I’ve long wondered, whether you could possibly feel better (even temporarily) or like someone more if you smile and greet them enthusiastically? The question could also be asked in a more Darwinian way, do uninhibited facial expressions intensify our emotions and do repressed expressions mask our emotions?

Let’s break down the issue into parts. Scientists LOVE to under an fMRI (brain imaging device). The brain scans break things down. Part 1: what happens to our brain when of Botox users showed significantly lower brain activity we observe another person smiling? Part 2 is the crux of in emotion related brain circuits, namely the amygdala, the issue and it has to do with the nature of the relationship hypothalamus and parts of the brain stem. Together these between one’s emotions and facial expressions, or more findings tell a coherent story. Botox users’ limited ability precisely the position of one’s facial muscles. If social to frown impaired their ability to comprehend written smiling is a healthy cultural ritual, regardless of whether it expressions of negative emotions and it depressed their is fake or not, than the muscular formation of a smile, in and mimicry ability which gets in the way of apprehending the of itself, should trigger newly formed positive emotions. negative emotions of others. Beginning with part 1 and after we recognize facial expressions, mimicry occurs and it involves the automatic Thus far the evidence suggests that we do not experience and subtle tendency to adopt the facial expressions of the and comprehend emotions fully unless we can express interlocutor. Mimicry can be invisible to the naked eye and them facially (setting aside the complex issue of non- therefore we observe mimicry using an Electromyography facial expressions of emotion). This might suggest that (EMG) which records electrical activity produced by facial expression is necessary and sufficient for emotional skeletal muscles in the face. This is how we observe covert processing. However this strong conclusion is problematic smiling. Significantly, mimicry helps us recognize others’ because individuals with congenital facial paralysis, those emotions by mirco-simulating their expressions and this in unable to convey facial expressions, retained the ability to turn facilitates greater understanding between interlocutors. detect, discriminate, and imagine emotions. As such facial feedback is only one means by which we comprehend and Moving on to the second part and the crux for understanding experience emotional expression. the degree to which facial expressions affect emotional Getting back to our contagious urban greeting rituals, it processing, researchers have taken advantage of a naturally would seem that smiling is good for you even if you are occurring experiment. Millions of men and women are not in the mood. It certainly facilitates communication. voluntarily opting for Botox-the mildly poisonous and Anyways, you can’t fully stop your brain from smiling back temporary fountain of youth. Botox is a chemical injection because of mimicry. However, there is at least one more which temporarily paralyzes the muscles that cause wrinkles complexity. Although faking a smile won’t hurt you, the and frown lines. Capitalizing on this natural experiment, habitual suppression of emotions is not healthy-especially researchers compared Botox users to a randomly selected negative emotions such as disgust and anger. So, if we group of non-Botox users. Both groups were asked to read want to put all the pieces back together again, the evidence and comprehend happy, sad, and angry sentences. The suggests that the next time you run into an acquaintance Botox group took longer to read and understand the sad you can go with a real or fake smile- UNLESS you are and angry sentences leaving the comprehension of happy angry or disgusted and in that case it might be better to emotions unaffected. Moreover and before treatment, the look away and fake a cell phone call. Now you know more Botox group did not take longer to comprehend a different about the tight connections between the facial muscular set of sad sentences. system and emotions and also why non-Botox users carry Adding to this emerging story, Botox users were asked to cell phones and also why Botox users smile even when it mimic angry faces while their brains were being scanned might not be appropriate.

[email protected] - www.information-international.com issue 96 - July 2010 34 |Interview

The Monthly interviews AMBASSADOR TOMASZ NIEGODZISZ

Relations between Lebanon and Poland date back to the thirteenth century during the stage of the pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Lebanon, in the last years of World War II (1943 - 1945), was a refuge for about 5,000 Polish, mostly women and children.

The raison d’existence of the current Polish ambassador to Lebanon, Tomasz Niegodzisz, is the continuation of diplomatic relations that began in 1933, before the independence of Lebanon, under the name of the Consular Agency of the Republic of Poland and was presided at that time by Kazimierz Korczynski. The Monthly met with His Excellency Mr. Tomasz Niegodzisz to discuss the Lebanese- Polish relationship and the development of these relations, particularly in the fields of culture and trade.

When did the Polish Embassy first open its doors in Lebanon? How many Polish and Lebanese staff members Ambassador Tomasz Niegodzisz do you have in the Embassy? The first “chargé d’affaires” Mr. Zygmunt Zawadowski arrived in the 1940’s to Lebanon and the Polish Embassy despite the presence of a new government in Poland in was established thereafter. There are 17 employees at 1945, Lebanon dealt with the Polish government in exile in the Embassy, 10 of whom are Polish and 7 of whom are London which had recognized its independence. Lebanese. There were economic relations too with Lebanon after the end of the Second World War, with commercial exchanges and When did the diplomatic relations between Lebanon then there were may Lebanese who went to Poland to continue and Poland start? What are the milestones that have their higher studies and got married to Polish people. enhanced its development? The diplomatic presence of Poland in Lebanon started with Are there any specific initiatives undertaken by the the first “Consular Agency” established in 1933. Then the Embassy to foster cooperation between Lebanon and consulate was established and it was linked to the Polish Poland? Consulate in Marseilles. After that, the first “chargé I apply what we call “Public Diplomacy”. I try to visit many d’affaires” Mr. Zygmunt Zawadowski arrived in the 1940’s regions. I meet different people and listen to their ideas for to Lebanon. co-operation. For example, now we have a Polish doctor In 1939, many Poles were deported by Soviet authorities who is giving lectures at the Notre Dame hospital in Byblos. to Siberia where they were condemned to forced labor. In We invite Polish specialists to Lebanon to participate in 1941, when Germany attacked Soviet Union, thousands conferences and workshops to help the Lebanese society of Poles were placed under the commandment of General and establish bilateral contacts that continue for a long Anders who was in exile in London. They left Russia, passed period thereafter. In 2008, we invited Lebanese scholars to Iran and Iraq and then together with 5,000 Polish civilians Poland for the conference about Christian-Muslim relations. arrived to Lebanon in 1943. The presence of Polish refugees This visit has lead to the establishment of the co-operation therefore dates back to that time. These refugees included between Tischner European University in Karkow and doctors, professors of Arts, students, etc. The first female Adyan Foundation in Lebanon. graduate students of ALBA were Polish, the first degree given at the American University of Beirut for a nurse was How do you evaluate the Polish forces’ participation in to a Polish lady. The Polish refugees were very touched by the UNIFIL in the South of Lebanon? the hospitality of the Lebanese and this is very clear in all the Poland decided to withdraw its contingent from UNIFIL in writings and memoires of the Polish refugees in Lebanon at 2009. This was done for purely economic reasons. There that time. In addition, Poland was among the first counties is no political motive behind this decision. Poland highly who recognized the independence of Lebanon. The “chargé praises its presence in Southern Lebanon. We are proud that d’affaires” Mr. Zygmunt Zawadowski had a decree from the our soldiers had possibility to assist local civilian population Polish government in exile in London that recognized the (e.g. providing support to the Orphanage in Tebnin). Despite independence of Lebanon. Because of this, up until 1956, taking our soldiers back home, we are committed to the

issue 96 - published by Information International s.a.l. Interview|35 Lebanese security and stability and UNIFIL mandate. Last year, Poland made a donation to the Lebanese Army of Polish history, geography and population around 40 million USD. The Republic of Poland is located in Eastern Europe and is bordered by Russia and Ukrain from the East, Germany What is the situation currently in Poland after the death from the West, Slovakia and Czech Republic from the of the president? South. It extends over 312,679km2 with a population of After the tragic death of the Polish president, things are 38 million (90% of whom are Catholics), and an estimated somehow stable because of the solid structure of the average annual per capita income of 18,500$. government. In two weeks the presidential elections will take place, and a new president will be elected. Two main Poland was always a victim of conflicts between Russia candidates are running for this position, one is Mr. Jaroslaw and Germany. After the victory of Russia in World War Kaczynski, the twin brother of the deceased president and II, the Republic of Poland adopted the communist system the second is Mr. Bronislaw Komorowski, the Speaker until 1990 when Lech Walesa was elected as the first of parliament who provisionally undertakes duties of non-communist president of Poland. The country then president. changed allegiances from the Warsaw Pact to NATO and European Union. How big is the Lebanese community in Poland? Around 400-500 Lebanese live in Poland, more males than females. These include some Lebanese who are assigned by their companies in other countries to work in Poland, e.g. worked at the Embassy all were Lebanese. When I came back some Lebanese who are sent by their companies in France to Poland in 2005, my colleagues asked me what I would to work in Poland for a certain time. like to do next and I spontaneously replied that I would like to go to Lebanon. Two years later, my government informed How big is the Polish community in Lebanon? me that I was assigned as the ambassador to Lebanon. Around 800 Polish people reside in Lebanon. Children of Before 2000, I was the director of the Polish Institute in mixed Polish-Lebanese marriages become Polish nationals Belarus , a kind of cultural center, for around 3 years. according to our law. Since 1993, I have worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs How do you view the future relationship of the two for 4 and a half years, and before the system change in Poland countries? How are you developing it? (before 1990), I was a teacher at the Catholic University at There are several similarities between Lebanon and Lublin. Poland that will facilitate our bilateral contacts and mutual understanding. What do you like most about Lebanon? Geographically speaking, the history of suffering of both I admire that the Lebanese are hard workers; they have countries is similar, with all the wars with neighbors that the courage, desire, determination and force to move on both countries had underwent. Poland for 123 years had despite the various wars and problems that devastated their disappeared from the map of Europe where it was divided country. among three main powers (Prussia, Austria and Russia). But despite this, we had great artists such as composer Frederic I also like the natural diversity of Lebanon, the beauty of the Chopin and poet Adam Mickiewicz, who contributed to the sea and the mountains. Every region has its own charm. survival of the Polish spirit and national culture. The values of both populations are similar, mainly the value What do you like least about Lebanon? of family and family relations. There is nothing I really dislike in Lebanon. I should admit Belief in the presence of God, where almost all Lebanese sometimes I am astonished by the lack of the discipline of and Poles are believers, and commitment to the history and the Lebanese drivers and shortages of the parking places in national traditions. the country. The framework of European Union Policy will also remain an important platform for our contacts and co-operation. How do you view the situation in Lebanon? Till now, I am optimistic and things are fine due to the When did you arrive to Lebanon? What positions did wisdom of the Lebanese President and the Prime Minister you occupy during your diplomatic career before coming and I hope that the reform projects will take place soon. to Lebanon? I arrived to Lebanon towards the end of November 2007. In How do you spend your time? October 2008, I presented my credentials to the Lebanese During my free time, I go to the gym or for a walk, I swim on President General Michel Suleiman. From 2000 to 2005, Saturdays. On Sundays, I hardly ever leave Beirut because I was the Polish ambassador in Senegal working hard to of the heavy traffic in the evening when many people are establish good relations between Africa and Poland. During coming back to Beirut. this period, I had several contacts with Lebanese living in I am very impressed by the Lebanese hospitality and Africa and we developed good relationships. My personal have pleasure in discovering specialties of the wonderful doctor, my ophthalmologist and the lawyer with whom we Lebanese cuisine.

issue 96 - July 2010 36 |Art & Culture Popular Culture POPULAR CULTURE

If the Bedouin visits you, change“ your home Your school is better! ... Once upon a time, a farmer was riding his mule with Listen Ridha! a sack of flour on his way” back from the mill. The mule slipped and fell. The farmer had to remove the sack and … You youngsters today like school. wait for someone to help him put it back on again. You’re fond of it. You like your teachers, you like your playground and your swimming pool and you like the A Bedouin passed by and helped the farmer, who thanked school’s concierge and the bus driver. You wake up in him for his generosity… the morning, get out of the warm bed and you wash your sleepy eyes with the lukewarm running water. The maid, … The Bedouin walked alongside the farmer and asked Shana’anina says: “Hurry up, hurry up kids! Breakfast is him about how he was doing and about his family. The ready: Fried eggs, oatmeal, milk, coffee, yogurt, cheese, Bedouin continued with the farmer until he reached his butter, jam, honey from Sannine, olives from Garifa, home and entered with him. He took a place in the heart of toast and fruits.” And how do you march to the dining the house… The Bedouin slept at the farmer’s home, had room? And how do you look at the food? With distaste! dinner and breakfast the next day. He bid him goodbye How do you swallow the food? With bitterness… after he was given a supply of figs and raisins. …As for us, we hated school. Nothing in the school was As he waved goodbye, he told the farmer: “By God, I am dear to our hearts and nothing at home made us want to your brother, and the betrayer will be betrayed by God!” go to school. School was something heavy and unlikable, Two weeks later, the Bedouin returned with his eldest a prison that restrained all imagination in children and a son “Hmeidan” … He also returned two weeks after that, shed that killed in children all sense of decorum… saying he could not stay away for so long because he missed his brother the farmer who had been hospitable to When my memory goes back to the village’s school I him and spent the night there. shuffle through the school’s images that are stuck in my mind: The prison, the shed, the pomegranate stick, the That night, there was a heavy rainfall and the water was dark and foggy room with a stench, I say, when those leaking through the ceiling. The farmer and his wife were images pass through my mind, I ask myself: How did we occupied placing pots and pans to prevent the water from study? How did we memorize? I do not know… damaging the house. … The funny and sad school memories that are stuck in In the morning, the farmer awoke his Bedouin brother the mind of your father are those of a cold winter and and told him: “Abu Hmeidan, you are my brother by stormy days … God, brothers are responsible for each other and a friend in need is a friend indeed… Come help me fix the roof … We go to the marqouq bread bakery … it could be dry before the next rainfall”. and crusty … and we ask our mother: What do we spread on it? Son, what is the matter? See what there is in the The Bedouin hurriedly walked to the door saying: “I am cage: Yogurt, cheese, molasses, tomato paste and cooked your brother by God … but God will help you fix the figs. Eat whatever there is and let me be… rooftop!” …No Ridha, your school is better! The village has many That is how the saying came to be. beautiful sides to it that are way better than the city, but this time, I have to hand it to you, the school in which you study, or the school in which Hoda and Mia study is better than your father’s school! Are you happy?... *Excerpts from Salvam al-Rassi – The Complete Collection – Dar Nawfal, Beirut.

Sources translated from: Anis Freiha, Isma’a ya Rida - First Edition 2006, Dar Nawfal, Beirut issue 96 - published by Information International s.a.l. Debunking Myths Art & Culture|37

Myth #35 ARGILEH: ‘SAFER’ THAN CIGARETTES?

The use of Argileh has recently gained much popularity not only in the Arab world, but at an international level. Although not too long ago the practice of smoking Argileh was usually limited to (and associated with) the elderly, it has spread in the last decade, among both genders and all age groups, most particularly among the youth. Myth: Argileh is a safer alternative to smoking cigarettes because the water in an Argileh ﬁlters the tar released out of Arguileh on Ain-el-Mreisseh the burning tobacco ash and reduces the Photography by Clara Ghandour harmful effects of some of the carcinogen (cancerous) substances.

There is a higher prevalence of smoking-related diseases among people Fact: who smoke Argileh than cigarettes. Cigarettes versus Argileh A single Argileh smoking session (60-80 minutes) is from pure tobacco leaves and is usually more expensive equivalent to smoking 100 cigarettes. More smoke is than maassal. Maassal however is not pure tobacco and is produced when smoking Argileh than cigarettes, which made of tobacco, honey, fruits (apple, strawberries, mint, increases the risk of secondhand exposure to smoking. mixed fruit, etc.) and molasses, which contain even more Gum disease and tooth loss is also more prevalent among chemicals harmful to the health. Argileh smokers. Finally, sharing the Argileh also adds to the risk of respiratory and airborne diseases. Its Origin & Appearance Regarding the harmful substances found in Argileh and Argileh originated in northern India (it was part of the cigarettes, Argileh contains the same toxic chemicals present Persian Empire at that time) about 500 years ago as a hookah in a cigarette (nicotine, tar and heavy metals); except that the and was made out of a coconut shell. The hookah made its nicotine is less filtered than in a cigarette. The composition way from the Persian Kingdom to other parts of the Persian of the produced tar in Argileh is likely to differ from that of Empire which included India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, much a cigarette because of the lower temperature at which the of Middle Asia, and Arab parts of Northern Africa. It was tobacco burns in the Argileh tip. However, tar in the Argileh imported to Turkey during the 17th century, where it seems is not soluble in water and hence becomes saturated in to have evolved its current day style as we find it today higher concentrations in the bloodstream leading to higher with only little modifications. The Argileh consists of 4 probability. Tar and nicotine are considered to be the primary pieces which are as follows: Agizlik (mouthpiece), Lüle causes of smoking-related diseases, which include cancer of (the top of the nargile), Marpuç (the tube) and the Gövde the respiratory track, bladder, and heart disease. (the body of the pipe which is filled with water). The charcoal used in Argileh generates higher levels of carbon monoxide than in cigarettes, which is an extremely Sources: toxic chemical that can lead to mental problems such as http://www.no-smoke.org/pdf/hookah _ factsheet.pdf psychosis. The tobacco used in Argileh generally has two http://www.shishapipe.net/history.htm classifications: maassal and tumbak (ajami). Ajami is made http://lebanese-identity.blogspot.com/2006/12/alarming-facts-of-smoking- in-lebanon.html

issue 96 - July 2010 38 |Art & Culture Must-Read Books ORIENTALISM

Thirty-two years after its first publication, Edward Said’s of Orientalism was Napoleon’s Orientalism (1978) remains an influential book expressing invasion of Egypt in 1798. The eternal thoughts. “The most powerful political voice”, as previous Orientalist expertise helped Robert Fisk described him, asserts that from ancient Greece Napoleon build an archive in the through the medieval era to the present, the work of historians, form of studies for his expedition. grammarians, linguists, and even epigraphists had been “a rationalization of colonial rule.” Edward Said, the Arab Palestinian in America whose death was an “incalculable Orientalism Structures loss” to Noam Chomsky, was dismayed by “the web of racism, and Restructures cultural stereotypes, political imperialism, and dehumanizing The structures of modern Orientalism are discussed in this ideology holding in the Arab or the Muslim” world! chapter. Through the medieval and Renaissance periods, Said calls into question the objectivity of the assumptions that Islam was mainly the Orient. During the eighteenth century, form the foundations of the Orientalist thinking. For Said, expanding European exploration brought the Orient into “the Orient was almost a European invention, and had been sharper focus which loosened the Biblical framework. Some since antiquity a place of romance, exotic beings, haunting detachment with the Orient’s peculiarities and some attempt at memories, and landscapes”. Said’s perception of Orientalism as a direct dealing with the Oriental source material were initiated “a mode of discourse with supporting institutions, vocabulary by historians in an attempt to understand Europe properly. scholarship, imagery, doctrines, even colonial bureaucracies Still, some thinkers dealt with the Orient with sympathetic and colonial style”, “a style of thought based upon ontological identification whereby an outsider could penetrate the solid and epistemological distinction made between the “the Orient” and bounded culture by an act of historical sympathy. The new and (most of the time) “the Occident””, and as “ the corporate “secularizing tendency” wasn’t able to obliterate paradigms institution for dealing with the Orient” by “making statements despite the new form of texts and structures in a sense that about it, authorizing views of it, describing it, teaching it, modern Orientalism remained an aspect of “imperialism and setting it, ruling over it” is what renders the relation between colonialism”. Focusing on the later 17th and 18th century, the Occident and the Orient one “of power, of domination, European historical figures such as Silvestre de Sacy, Ernest of varying degrees of a complex hegemony(…)” He claims Renan, and Edward William Lane provided a portrait of the that a tradition of false and romanticized images of Asia and Orient that Orientalists later safeguarded, and Orientalism the Middle East in Western culture had provided an inherent became a “regulated college of learning” and a “potential rationale for colonial and imperial ambitions. imperial sway”. The book is divided into three chapters: The Scope of Orientalism, Orientalist Structures and Restructures, and Orientalism Now Orientalism Now. Since the nineteenth-century, Orientalism has encountered a new logic of worldly mission serving formal colonialism. The Scope of Orientalism Said distinguishes between “latent Orientalism” which is In this chapter, Said elaborates further on his argument the unconscious and untouchable certainty about the Orient by drawing on written and spoken historical studies and displaying it as a separate, eccentric, feminine, conquerable, comments all portraying the Orient as the inferior Other. retarded , and passive entity and “manifest Orientalism” which Said explains “Orientals or Arabs are thereafter shown to be is what is spoken and acted upon from information and changes gullible, devoid of energy and initiative”, “intrigue, cunning”, in knowledge about the Orient as well policy decisions built “inveterate liars, (…), “lethargic and suspicious”. They are in the Orientalist thinking. The new Oriental image implied: the opposite of the noble, virtuous, and direct Anglo-Saxons. distant from the European progress, the Orient ought to be Balfour justifies the necessity of British occupation of Egypt annexed to advanced powers. This doctrinal manifestation of by the knowledge of Egypt. He takes for granted British such an Orient transmitted from one generation to another is superiority and Egyptian inferiority as the consequences of what Said calls ‘latent Orientalism’. Later, a convergence of knowledge. He further asserts “We are in Egypt not merely for the two types of Orientalism occurred when Orientalists began the sake of the Egyptians, though we are there for their sake; to motivate governments to take action. That’s how the Near we are there also for the sake of Europe at large”. The Arab, Orient was eventually sliced into spheres of influence and Islamic Orient was also approached by the West as a topic of then into mandated territories by the British and the French. learning for future dominance. The most vivid consequence

issue 96 - published by Information International s.a.l. Must-Read Children’s Books Art & Culture|39 “CATERPILLARS CAN’T FLY”*

“Caterpillars can’t ﬂy” tells the story of a lonely caterpillar that is made fun of by other insects because she can’t ﬂy. However, she knew better…

The book can be read with preschoolers children as the child follows by looking at the ill. It is also recommended for elementary students at early reading stages. The parent can read the left-side pages while the child reads the simpliﬁed version on the right side. Children can also enjoy reading the left side of the book at later stages when they can read full sentences.

For a more interactive approach, parents can show the children a picture and ask them what they think is happening or will happen next. After that, the text (on the left) corresponding to the picture is read to the children. Then the right text corresponding to the left one is read while pointing at the words. Finally, the story is read again with the children trying to read along.

*“Caterpillars can’t ﬂy” is part of the collection “a story to share” published by Ladybird. It was written by Judith Nicholls and illustrated by Cecilia Johansson.

issue 96 - July 2010 40 |Art & Culture Lebanon Families SABA FAMILIES Oldest family in Zahle, with an Orthodox majority

The origins of these families go back to the Shia’a village of Tebshar that is situated near Nabi Chit in Baalbeck, Trablous Zgharta Balamand Roads known today as Rmadah, which can be translated as ‘ashes’ A‘arjes Ehden Becharre The Cedars because it was burn down. It is said that “Saba’s” father Batroun Hadet Hasroun Ras Baalbeck Deir el Ahmar was killed in Tebshar, so his mother was forced to ﬂee to Maqne Qasr el-Banat

Hadath Amioun, Al-Koura where Saba was eventually born. When Jbail Iaat Baalbeck Saba grew up, he fell in love with a girl of the “mashayekh”, Jounieh Ghazir Niha translated as religious ﬁgures, from Bani Azar. The couple BEIRUT Zahle Baabda Shtaura Aley Dahr el-Baidar ﬂed to Baskinta and sought refuge at Prince Lamie’e at Bhamdoun Anjar that time. Saba and his 7 sons went to Zahle, which at that Deir el-Qamar Meshref Beiteddine Moukhtara time was inhabited by the Droubi family and some other Qaraoun Lake Yanta

Saida Jezzine Druze families. Saba’s sons lived in Haret Rasia in Zahle Libbaya Aiha and they established 7 shops. The 7 bothers eventually Hasbaya scattered when one of them was killed by someone from Nabatiye Marjayoun Beaufort Castle the area of Haret Rasia as a result of a dispute. Some went back to Baskinta, others to Beirut, Zaytounieh (Akkar), Al- Moualaka and others stayed in Zahle. The ones who were in Zahle eventually moved to Souk Al-Ghareb (Aley) and Orthodox: Rashaya. Al-Meedan Al-Gharbi – Zahle: 106, Al-Meedan Al- The number of Saba family members is around 4,730 Sharki – Zahle: 96, Mhaidthe – North Matn: 35, Msaitbeh distributed in the regions mentioned below and according – Beirut: 50, Souq Al-Ghareb – Aley: 85, Tahweetat Al- to the following sects: the overwhelming majority are Nahr – Baabda: 65, Deir Qoubel – Aley: 60, Kousba – Orthodox (2,850), Maronites (1,600), and minorities are Koura: 110, Achrafieh – Beirut: 215, Anfeh – Koura: 40, Catholics, Latin and Protestant. Kalhat – Koura: 56, Houch Al-Zaraena – Zahle: 60, Kfar Halda – Batroun: 75, West Talaabas – Akkar: 45, Minaa – Maronites: Tripoli: 60, Afsadeeq – Koura: 170, Kfar Hazeer – Koura: Beit Awkar – Zgharta: 34 members, Mreiji – Baabda: 40, 65, Rahbeh – Akkar: 220, Kfar Aaka – Koura: 30, Saifi – Kfar Sghab – Zghorta: 30, Chekka – Batroun: 67, Hay Beirut: 46, Kfour Al-Arabi – Batroun: 22, Rmeil – Beirut: El-Saydeh Al-Sharqi – Zghorta: 12, Mazraat Beit Saab – 53, Bechmezine – Koura: 22, Fee’ – Koura: 35, Bino – Bcharri: 18, Batroun: 60, Bkaakafra – Bcharri: 50 Akkar: 113, Menyara – Akkar: 118, Kfarhatta-Koura: 23. Blouza – Bcharri: 105, Ghosta – Keserouan: 65 Some members of the Orthodox Saba families are also Bakrazla – Akkar: 96, Bazoun- Bcharri: 111 located in other regions such as Qobeh – Tripoli, Al- Kour – Batroun: 62, Aanikdt – Akkar: 25 Moualaqa, Berbara and Karak in Zahle, Kfar Hata in Hadchit – Bcharri: 40, Deir Bala – Batroun: 86, Kahf Al- Koura, Majdelia and Hay Al-Saydeh Al-Gharbi in Zghorta, Mloul – Minnieh Dinnieh: 27, Mazraat Al-Nahr – Zghorta: Sin El-Fil, Mazraa, Damour, Jbeil and Baabda. 52, Achrafieh – Beirut: 15, Beit Mary – North Matn – 18 Catholics: Some members of the Maronite Saba families are also Al-Forzel Al-Tahta – Zahle: 82, Karak – Zahle: 63. located in in other regions, in small numbers, such as Some members of the Catholic Saba families are also Hazmieh, Tannourine Al-Fawqa, Aamaret Chalhoub, located in in some numbers in Beirut, Sour, Keserouan, Tahweetat Ghazir, Sad Al-Baouchrieh, Beit Mallat, Aakoura, Jezzine, Aley and Baabda. Kfariachit, Kahhaleh, Qoubba, Tourza, Broumana, Ajdeer, Zouk Mkayel, Ardah, Mazraat Yachou, Mezyara. Latin: Jdita – Zahle: 35

issue 96 - published by Information International s.a.l. Discover Lebanon Art & Culture|41 ZAN – QADA’ OF BATROUN

Etymology Economy Researchers believe there are three The town’s main source of income is possible origins for the name: agriculture, especially the cultivation Trablous The root word “zoun” meaning of olives. Zgharta A Balamand Roads A‘arjes Ehden feeding and arming, and from it Becharre The Cedars Batroun Hadet Hasroun derives the word “zayna” which Archeological sites Ras Baalbeck Zan Deir el Ahmar ¿GR Maqne means weapons. Some discovered sites include: Rock- Qasr el-Banat Hadath Jbail Iaat The second possible origin is a made sarcophagi, three of which Baalbeck A Jounieh Ghazir two-word Syriac term “bet zayna” were identiﬁed in addition to two Niha BEIRUT Zahle with “bet” referring to a house Phoenician temples. The Mar Sarkiss Baabda Shtaura Aley Dahr el-Baidar Bhamdoun or a shop while the second part, Church and the Sayyidat al Barbara Anjar Deir el-Qamar Meshref Beiteddine “zayna” means weapons thus the Church were built over the ruins of Moukhtara Qaraoun Lake Yanta term refers to a weapons shop. the two temples. Saida Jezzine Libbaya Aiha A “Zan” could refer to an herb of the

Hasbaya family of cereal, which normally Challenges Nabatiye Marjayoun grows among wheat. The town mainly suffers from drought Beaufort Castle in the summer season. Location The town of Zan is located in the qada’a of Batroun in the north at an Voters altitude of 580 meters above sea level. In 2000, the number of registered It falls 64 kilometers away from Beirut voters was 657, of whom 357 cast and 45 kilometers from Tripoli and their ballots. In 2005, the number of occupies an area of 264 hectares. It registered voters increased to 700, of can be reached via Batroun-Bajdirﬁl- whom 407 voted. In 2009, the number Kour-Kfar Hitna. reached 744, of whom 444 voters cast their ballots. They belong to the Population following families: There are around 1,025 registered residents, mainly Maronites living Maronites in 160 houses. There are also three A Joan (the largest family): 40 voters A Nader: 10 voters commercial establishments. A Wehbeh: 38 voters A Khouri: 7 voters A Youssef: 32 voters A Morqoss: 7 voters Local authorities A Rashwan: 3 voters A Aoun: 20 voters The town has a nine-member municipal A Hanna: 29 voters A Dawoud: 7 voters council in addition to a mukhtar, and a A Sama’an: 27 voters A Matta: 12 voters three-member ikhtiyariah body. A Hbeich: 20 voters A A’atiyeh: 6 voters A Fares: 23 voters A Laoun: 7 voters Education A Za’aiter: 16 voters A Abi A’aql: 6 voters The town does not have a school and A Sadiq: 18 voters A Boutros: 12 voters students are enrolled in schools in A Abboud: 19 voters A Lanoun: 3 voters neighboring towns. A Gergess: 14 voters A Haidar: 6 voters A Abdallah: 20 voters A Issa: 12 voters A Sa’adeh: 10 voters A Sarkiss: 10 voters A Mekhail: 16 voters A Laoundoss: 4 voters A Abdul Nour: 18 voters A Nassif: 12 voters

issue 96 - July 2010 42 |Media When Politicians talk AOUN-GEAGEA (2/2): “THE NEVER-ENDING CONFLICT

Aoun: Geagea is the executioner who managed to gather all his victims in a single electoral list

Aoun

- “The Lebanese Forces are stabbing the army in the back.” - “… As for the Lebanese Forces, it [reconciliation] is (An Nahar February 14, 1990) something difficult. A part of the LF supporters wish to divide Lebanon, while we in the Free Patriotic Movement - “Geagea rebelled against General Aoun because he received want to work for its unity and we want to live side by side, promises … Unfortunately what Geagea does not understand Christians and Muslims, in one Lebanon.” (As-Safir on is that if he wins over me he will be destroyed as well.” (An October 17, 2009) Nahar on February 15, 1990) - “We hear people [the Lebanese Forces] shout and scream, - “We are looking for a solution that resolves confrontation and these are all exaggerations that have nothing to do with while he is looking for a confrontational solution after he reality.” (Al-Akhbar on October10, 2009) takes a breathe… Dr. Geagea declares one thing and does another.” (February 23, 1990)

- “Samir Geagea resembles “Rajeh” in the play “Bayya’a el-Khawatem”. One minute he is talking about welayat al- faqih another about Hezbollah’s weapons. What will he tell the people if he changes those two topics?” (Al-Akhbar on August 5, 2008)

- “There are many people who can only live in an atmosphere of rioting, do we kill them? Never. Let them remain alive and struggle. Each time we solve a problem for them they create other problems for us.” (Al-Akhbar on July 8, 2008)

- “The most difficult phase that the Free Patriotic Movement went through was when Geagea took part in governance during the shelling of the presidential palace in the 1990’s.” (Voice of Lebanon on December 1, 2008)

- “Geagea is the executioner who managed to gather all of his victims in a single electoral list.” (An Nahar on May 31, 2009)

- “I fear the LF might become a case that resembles that of Jehha “when they told him: ask for what you want and we will give your neighbor its double. So he replied I do not want anything so that my neighbor does not get anything’”. I do not want ‘anything from the LF and I do not attack them. Samir Geagea has no right to talk about our house or I will say that there is in the LF those who are more qualified than to him to be head of the executive body.” (As-Safir on October 1, 2009)

issue 95 - published by Information International s.a.l. May 2010 Timeline Media|43

May 2010 Timeline in Lebanon THE MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS SHUFFLE THE EXISTING ALLIANCES AND PAVE THE WAY FOR SURPRISING RESULTS IN SOME REGIONS

rime Minister Saad Hariri visit May 7: Hariri visits former PM Omar May 12: Speaker Nabih Berri Damascus twice and travels Karami in his Beirut residence and spearheads efforts for consensus in Pto Washington ,Tourist influx in reaffirms there is no disagreement. the Saida municipal elections; Failure Beirut, Miss USA hails from southern First military examining to reach a consensus in the Zgharta Lebanon, Hezbollah secretary general May 8: Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah: Blockade magistrate, Riad Abou Ghaida, calls elections between Suleiman Franjieh of Palestine’s ports in return for the against the death sentence for Lebanese and Michel Mouawad is announced; blockade of Lebanon’s ports. Lieutenant Gazwan Chahine on charges Aoun says he is content with the May was the month of municipal and of collaborating with the Israeli army; elections and states: “We took the ikhtiariah elections with the results For the first time since its establishment, majority in the Christian community in being the main event. But the month of the Lebanese University awards six Beirut.”; Samir Geagea considers the May also saw some events and accidents Lebanese personalities honorary Christian majority to be with March 14 that can be classified as ‘significant’: PhDs. They are: Ghassan Tueini, Talal and that Skaff won in Zahle thanks to May 3: The Free Patriotic Movement Salman, Mohammad Ba’albaki, Riad the votes of the Shia’a electors. and its ally, former minister Jean Louis Salameh, Fouad Boutros and Leila al- March 13: The Council of Ministers Qordahi, are defeated in the municipal Solh Hamadeh. decides to revive the Economic and elections in the city of Jbeil by Ziad May 10: Minister of Interior Ziad Social Council by asking representative Hawwat who is supported by some Baroud states that the low percentage of bodies in the council to nominate members of March 14; Qatari Prime voting in Beirut (21%) is the result of candidates for membership. Minister Sheikh Hamad ben Jassem Al failure to adopt proportional representation March 14: The Council of Ministers Thani meets Nasrallah during his visit in the elections. MP Ammar Houri in meets at the presidential palace and to Beirut. Qoreitem responds by saying that the begins deliberations on the 2010 draft May 4: Walid Jumblat meets Saudi minister exceeded his limits of his powers budget, the appointment of General King Abdullah during a visit to Saudi and his role to which Baroud reacts that George Qora’a as director general for Arabia accompanied by his son Taymour he is “a minister and not a director general state security after it abolished a decree and Minister Ghazi Aridi;The alliance and that he had the right to say what he that had eliminated this service and the to monitor the elections announces it said”; The ticket supported by Elie Skaff appointment of General Abdul Rahman has intercepted 119 violations in the in Zahle wins the elections and was Chehaitli as director general in the polls in Mount Lebanon. infiltrated by two members of the ticket Lebanese army’s administration; Spanish May 5: Hariri announces the Beirut backed by March 14 forces. Minister of Foreign Affairs Miguel Angel ticket for the municipal elections. It May 11: As Safir newspaper reports Moratinos arrives in Lebanon to convey includes two candidates from the Tashnak Hariri as saying, according to his an Israeli message that the [Israeli side] Party with the absence of representation visitors, that he supports the resistance in does not wish to escalate and is prepared from the FPM and Hezbollah; General Lebanon acquiring everything it can to to revolve the Ghajar town matter; Michel Aoun announces he is defend Lebanon’s border and sovereignty Official announcement of Hariri’s visit to boycotting the municipal elections including Scud missiles, that he did not Washington on May 24 to meet President in Beirut and taking part in the disagree with Hezbollah on the headline Barack Obama; Former Minister Skaff ikhtiariah polls; Osama Saad in Saida of resistance rather he disagreed on visits the Greek Catholic bishop in Zahle declares his opposition to the municipal some of the domestic matters and that ending a long estrangement. council’s lineup, which was unveiled he did not care for what makes someone May 15: General Jamil Sayyed by consensus candidate Mohammad al- from the outside happy or dismayed. considers that the vice president of the Saudi. He considered that al-Saudi is no However, Hariri’s office denied the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, Judge longer a consensus candidate and that statements and said such remarks did not Ralph Riachi, is misleading the tribunal all options are open. serve Lebanon’s interest. and the public opinion.

issue 96 - July 2010 44 |Media May 2010 Timeline French Minister of Defense Herve were not enemies of the resistance. of a certain group of Lebanese. He says Morin arrives in Lebanon on a visit. May 24: The ticket backed by Future Suleiman’s statement on the resistance May 17: Hariri arrives in Saudi Movement wins the municipal elections is a repudiation of his oath. Arabia on a formal visit and meets in Saida against the list backed by former May 28: Speaking at a press King Abdullah; Maronite Patriarch Mar MP Osama Saad; The ticket backed by conference in Ma’arab, Geagea says Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir arrives in Akkar the FPM wins the municipal elections that “Hezbollah is exposing Lebanon on a pastoral visit. in Jezzine against that supported by to Israel and is placing the country in May 18: 102 kilos of pure cocaine is former MP Samir Azar, the Lebanese a position that is not its position and confiscated in Beirut port being smuggled Forces and the Phalanges; Head of the in a place we do not know if it will from Colombia using a cable car crane; Lebanese Journalists Union, Melhem remain a homeland after it has turned The Islamic resistance organizes a trip to Karam, dies (on Saturday, May 22). into a defense front for Iran”; Jumblat its positions in Iqleem el-Toffah for 530 May 25: Hariri and his accompanying visits Damascus and meets assistant students from Saint Joseph University; ministerial delegation meet Obama vice president General Mohammad American or Lebanese origins, Rima at the White House; President Nassif. He was accompanied by his wife Faqih, is announced Miss USA. Faqih Michel Suleiman, in an interview Noura, his sons Taymour and Aslan and is a Shia’a from the town of Srifa, south with the Hezbollah-owned Al-Manar Minister Aridi. of Lebanon. television, says the formula that led to May 29: New Iranian Ambassador to May 19: Syrian President Bashar the resistance’s success is that of the Lebanon Ghadanfar Abadi visit Patriarch Assad says: “We will help Hariri and people, the army and the resistance Sfeir as part of a series of meetings the improvement in the relationship declaring his adherence to this formula; with political and spiritual leaderships. with Lebanon has harmed the interests Hezbollah carried out a maneuver in Sfeir says: “Lebanon is a source of of those harmed [by this improvement]; the region of Wadi al-Sayl in Baalbek; power for all its friends.”; Skirmishes Kuwait Emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad The spokeswoman for the International breakout in the town of Dahr el’A’ain Al Jaber Al Sabah arrives in Lebanon on Tribunal for Lebanon, Radia Achouri, in Koura between LF supporter, Hanna a two-day visit as part of an Arab tour; resigns; Jumblat considers that al-Barssawi, and Marada members, Hariri visit Damascus and meets Assad Lebanon’s victory in the July war was brothers Toni and Nayef Saleh. Barssawi ahead of his trip to Washington. a beacon that requires more efforts to kills the brothers and the LF considers May 20: Berri hosts the 26th ESCWA be preserved by the Lebanese; General the accident as personal. Ministerial Session and says in his Jamil Sayyed says the “witness” May 31: The ticket backed by the FPM speech that governments have been Mohammad Zuhair al-Siddiq was either win Batroun wins the municipal elections unable to adopt comprehensive policies in Belgium or has been killed in the against the one supported by March 14 for the youth. United Arab Emirates. forces; The ticket backed by Franjieh May 21: Hezbollah calls on the May 27: Nasrallah, speaking during in Zgharta wins against that backed by Lebanese judiciary to arrest (the the 10th anniversary of the liberation Michel Mouawad; The list supported witness) in murder case of former Prime of the south on May 25, announces that by MP Ahmad Fatfat is defeated in Sir- Minister Rafik Hariri, Mohammad all military, civilian and commercial Diniyyeh against the one supported by his Zuhair al-Siddiq, and to request that ships heading to Palestine’s ports opponents; The list supported by MP Hadi the Interpol pursue him; The opening along the Mediterranean will be within Hbeich and March 14 forces in Qbayyet of the Arab Economic Forum in Beirut the reach of the Islamic resistance’s wins against that supported by former MP with the attendance and sponsorship of missiles in case the Lebanese coasts Mikhail el-Daher and the FPM; Franjieh Hariri, Greek Prime Minister George were besieged in any upcoming war; says “he calls on the states which welcome Papandreou, Arab League secretary Hariri heads a Security Council session Samir Geagea and pretend commitment general Amr Moussa and Prince Khaled since Lebanese is council president to democracy to reopen his files”. He al-Faisal, the prince of Mecca. for May. He warns that Lebanon was says Hariri, “with whom I share a good, May 22: Hariri arrives in Jordan and suffering from Israeli threats; Former rather, an excellent relationship but who meets King Abdullah II; Nasrallah, President Amine Gemayel says that sometimes forget that he is supporting a speaking during the opening of the Hezbollah’s weapons are a major criminal who already murdered a Sunni Mleeta tourist site in Iqleem el-Tiffah constitutional violation and expressed prime minister”. and which showcases the works of the opposition to the president’s remarks on June 1: Hariri visits Damascus and resistance, wonder about the reason for the resistance; Geagea says Suleiman’s meets Assad.; The Council of Ministers all these visits to Lebanon and considers remarks on Al-Manar on the resistance continues deliberations on the 2010 draft that the competitors of the consensus do not make him a neutral president budget and decides to extend two mobile tickets between Hezbollah and Amal since he is adopting the point of a view phone contracts for three months.

issue 95 - published by Information International s.a.l. International Media Media|45 NEW YORK’S FAILED BOMB PLOT Hunt for bomber who targeted the heart of New York The Indepenent, By Guy Adams, Monday, 3 May 2010 “The most audacious terrorist attack on New York since The car bomb, which security experts say was strong enough September 11th may have been foiled by “amateurish” bomb- to have destroyed the front of nearby buildings if it had gone making equipment and a quick-witted t-shirt salesman who off properly, was a response to US drone attacks on Pakistan, alerted police to a car which had been filled with explosives according to the tape, together with “American interference and parked a couple blocks from Times Square, the city’s in Muslim countries” like Afghanistan and Iraq. busiest tourist district, on Saturday night. However the group’s claim was being treated with scepticism Police are still trying to establish whether the bomb plot by New York’s police, who cautioned reporters that was the work of an isolated extremist or domestic militia, or Pakistan’s Taliban has never previously struck outside of the whether it instead represented an attempt by Islamic terrorists subcontinent, and boasts a long history of wrongly claiming to bring fear back to the streets of the city where al-Qa’ida responsibility for attacks that other terrorist groups have destroyed the World Trade Center just under a decade ago. carried out… A group calling itself the Pakistani Taliban group released a … Another theory doing the rounds was that the car bomb video last night claiming responsibility for the potentially- was aimed at the nearby offices of Viacom, the broadcasting devastating but ultimately failed attack, which saw a Nissan conglomerate which owns Comedy Central, the channel that SUV packed with propane tanks, petrol, and fireworks, and recently censored an episode of satirical show South Park left a few blocks north of the always-bustling square. featuring a depiction of the Prophet Mohammed… Though smoke began pouring out of the vehicle at around …For anxious New Yorkers, the big question is now whether 6.30pm, the bomb failed to detonate, and security teams al-Qa’ida attempted the bombing as part of a renewed successfully disarmed it after clearing tens of thousands of campaign to attack the city. Although the organisation has tourists and revellers from the surrounding streets. In a tape historically tended to carry out orchestrated operations released on a militant website, the Taliban group nonetheless involving multiple targets and several agents, Saturday’s hailed: “a jaw-breaking blow to Satan’s USA.” attempted attack bears at least some of its hallmarks...”

U.S. citizen from Pakistan arrested in Times Square bomb case Washington Post, By Anne E. Kornblut, Jerry Markon and Spencer S. Hsu, Tuesday, May 4, 2010

“Attorney General Eric Holder announced early Tuesday that they believed he was fleeing the country at the time of that an arrest had been made in the failed Times Square car his arrest… bombing, saying that Faisal Shahzad, a 30-year-old American, …Shahzad, who lived in Connecticut, is believed to have used was taken into custody as he tried to fly to Dubai from John F. cash to purchase the Nissan Pathfinder that was set ablaze but Kennedy International Airport on Monday night. failed to detonate Saturday night on a tourist-crowded block Authorities said Shahzad, who is of Pakistani origin, had in midtown Manhattan. paid cash for an SUV found with explosives in midtown Investigators and agents also were scouring international Manhattan on Saturday night… phone records showing calls “between some of the people … It was not immediately clear what the charges were or who might be associated with this and folks overseas…” where he was being held -- or whether other arrests were Investigators uncovered evidence… The material points to imminent. The U.S. attorney’s office in New York said “an individual who causes concern to [investigators], who Shahzad will appear in Manhattan federal court Tuesday to has overseas connections, and they are looking for him,” the be formally charged. official said… Authorities became aware of Shahzad’s identity Monday …An overseas angle does not necessarily mean that the afternoon, and he was arrested at about 11:45 p.m. Monday. incident was planned or financed by al-Qaeda or another Shahzad’s flight to Dubai had left the gate and was headed organized group, investigators said. “Think smaller,” said toward the runway when authorities discovered that he was one senior law enforcement official… on board and wanted. He was removed from the plane and …The Pakistani Taliban had asserted responsibility for the taken into custody, an official said. attempted bombing in a video posted on YouTube, but New Officials were reluctant to discuss Shahzad’s potential ties York police and federal investigators have said no evidence to foreign extremists -- or his travel abroad -- except to say had surfaced linking the group to the bomb…”

issue 96 - July 2010 46 | Arab World Focus WOMEN IN ARAB GOVERNMENTS

he historical and intellectual inheritances that categorize the Arab society as patriarchal have placed the Arab woman on the margins of social, economic and political life in the Arab world. Despite her capabilities and potentials, the TArab woman has yet to escape the marginal frame of the intellectual, economic and political life where her role has been minimized and limited to some social contributions. As education becomes more widespread among women and as they become more aware of their role and potential, the female struggle for reform to achieve gender equality and guarantee female participation in politics through representation in political decision-making posts.

After a lengthy struggle and deliberations between only bold step by Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz proponents of the idea and opponents, some Arab states was to appoint a female to the post of deputy minister of gave women their right to participate in the legislative education and learning for girls’ affairs. In 2009, Noura councils using the quota system (Egypt, Morocco, al-Fayez became the first female to enter the government Jordan and Iraq). However, the decision to allow female in the history of Saudi Arabia. participation in executive councils and governments While Lebanon has been more progressive compared to remains solely in the hands of the state or the prime other Arab countries in terms of women and their rights, minister. Table 1 shows the top 8 numbers of female until 2004, during the term of Prime Minister Omar ministers in current Arab governments (except for Iraq, Karami, no female ministers had ever been appointed. Somalia, Libya and Palestine) by the highest percentage. In 2004, two female ministers were appointed for the The percentage of female ministers in other Arab countries first time in Lebanon’s history. include: Egypt and Algeria with 9.09% each, Sudan 7.5%, Although a majority of Arab constitutions guarantee Jordan 6.8%, Lebanon 6.8%, Kuwait 6.6%, Syria 6.4%, equality among all citizens, political practices, governed Yemen 6.2%, Tunis 3.7%, Saudi Arabia 0%. by the religious and patriarchal reality, continue to be a Accordingly, the data shows the limited female obstacle hindering women’s access to important posts participation in ministerial decision making posts since in which they can prove their real potential and escape it does not exceed 9%. Although a majority of Arab states the formalist frame that governments try to put them in listed included female ministers in their government by involving them just to please the female civil society lineups – between one and five ministers – ministries in and international societies. Saudi Arabia continue to be monopolized by men. The

The top 8 numbers of female ministers in current Arab governments by the highest percentage Table 1 Number of female Total number of State ministers Ministries ministers % 1- Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation 2- Ministry of Social Affairs, Childhood and Family Mauritania 5 3 - Ministry of Public Employement and Administration Modernization 26 19.2 4- Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports 5- Ministry of State Assigned for African Affairs 1- Ministry of State 4 2- Ministry of State UAE 3-Minitry of Social Affairs 21 19.04 4-Ministry of Foreign Commerce Comoros Islands 1 1-Ministry of Agriculture and Industry 8 12.5 1-Ministry of Social Development, Family and Solidarity Morocco 3 2-Ministry of Health 26 11.5 3-Ministry of Energy, Minerals, Water and Environment 1-Ministry of Culture and Information Bahrain 2 2-Ministry of Social Development 19 10.5 1-Ministry of Female Promotion and Social Development Djibouti 2 2-Ministry of Youth, Sports and Environment 19 10.5 1-Ministryf of Social Development Oman 3 2-Ministry of Tourism 30 10 3-Ministry of Higher Learning 1-Ministry of Health Qatar 2 2-Ministry of Education and Higher Education 20 10 source: Compiled by Information International from different sources issue 96 - published by Information International s.a.l. Index|47 REAL ESTATE PRICE INDEX IN LEBANON– MAY 2010

n the eve of a summer which is expected to go result in the further increase in prices but at a less of an through a boom in real estate transactions, the real increase than the past 2 years. Evidently, the real estate Oestate market in Lebanon seems to be living in a state market froze during the month of May pending a clearer of hesitation and loss, replacing vision with contradictory picture to identify trends in the market, especially for vacant expectations. Some experts believe that the prices in the land, particularly in Beirut and the surrounding area in light real estate market have reached their peak, particularly of the scarcity of supply for sale. in the Beirut and its surrounding areas and tourist areas, therefore the wait is a feature of the next phase which will Tables 1 and 2 show the prices of some estates and suffer a decrease in prices and enhances the chances of apartments sold during the month of May 2010. recovery; on the other hand, others believe that the prices have not yet reached its peak and is less than those in Prices of some constructed estates sold in May Table 2 the neighboring countries and therefore it is expected to 2010 witness a high demand in the summer season which will Location Area m2 Price (USD) USD/m2 Beirut Prices of some estates sold in May 2010 Table 1 Sassine 200 600,000 3,000 Location Area m2 Price (USD) USD/m2 Siofi 230 713,000 3,100 Beirut Koreitem 200 750,000 3,750 Al Bashoura 750 6,375,000 8,500 Hamra 185 671,550 3,630 Ain Mreisseh 1,750 17,500,000 10,000 Ain el-Tineh 285 912,000 3,200 Ashrafieh (Rizk) 1,150 10,925,000 9,500 Bristol 250 1,400,000 5,600 Salim Slem 150 300,000 2,000 Ashrafieh (Sioufi) 530 2,756,000 5,200 Tellet El-Khayat 270 969,300 3,590 Mazraa 270 2,025,000 7,500 Tareeq Jdeedeh 140 168,000 1,200 Shahrouri 240 792,000 3,300 Noueiri 210 462,000 2,200 Baabda Batrarkieh 180 441,000 2,450 Baabda 1,200 816,000 680 Mar Elias 190 421,800 2,220 Falougha 1,000 280,000 280 Zarif 240 588,000 2,450 Yarzeh 1,750 3,150,000 1,800 Raouche 300 1,215,000 4,050 Hazmieh 830 1,577,000 1,900 Baabda Metn Baabda 210 363,300 1,730 Bahr Saf 2,400 1,680,000 700 Hazmieh 200 300,000 1,500 Broumana 880 396,000 450 Hadath 140 193,200 1,380 Sin El Fil - Herj 1,600 6,560,000 4,100 Mar Taqla 330 742,500 2,250 Raboueh 1,250 1,437,500 1,150 Al Yarze 240 744,000 3,100 Bekfaya 800 248,000 310 Metn Dbayeh 930 492,900 530 Al Rabweh 165 239,250 1,450 Awkar 120 145,200 1,210 A’aley Al Motaileb 250 425,000 1,700 Bhamdoun 2,700 567,000 210 Antelias 150 187,500 1,250 Dhour Al A’abadiyeh 1,700 306,000 180 Al Naccache 160 240,000 1,500 Bshamoun 1,100 440,000 400 Broumana 200 270,000 1,350 Bshamoun 1,050 493,500 470 A’aley Dawhit AL Hoss 800 464,000 580 Dawhet A’aramoun 200 200,000 1,000 Keserouane Khaldeh 170 204,000 1,200 Al Qulaya’at 1,060 318,000 300 Aramoun 190 193,800 1,020 Faraya 1,200 132,000 110 Dawhet Al Hoss 200 278,000 1,390 Faraya 2,600 390,000 150 Keserouane Adma 1,000 1,000,000 1,000 Zouq Mosbeh 130 130,000 1,000 Ajaltoun 930 255,750 275 Haret Sakher 175 210,000 1,200 Source: Information International May 2010 Jounieh 220 294,800 1,340 Adma 240 396,000 1,650 Source: Information International May 2010

issue 96 - July 2010 48 |Index

TOWARD A LEBANESE CONSUMER PRICE INDEX CONSUMER PRICE INDEX: MAY 2010

n the month of May, prices of 40 items were stable compared to 55 last month. Also, the prices of 19 items decreased compared to 29, and the prices of 41 items increased compared to 16. Specialists report that this is Ian indicator of increase in prices the Lebanese market may witness over the summer. Table 1 shows the prices of consumer and food products in May 2010.

Prices of consumer and food products in May 2010 Prices of consumer and food products in May 2010 Table 1 (in LBP) Table 1 (in LBP) Prices Prices Prices Prices beginning beginning % of price Item and brand beginning beginning % of price Item and brand of May of June change of May of June change 2010 2010 2010 2010 Oil Dairy Products Afia corn oil (3.5 liters) 12,000 12,350 +2.9 Candia full cream milk (1 liter) 2,500 2,450 -2 Mazola corn oil (3.5 liters) 13,250 13,750 +3.7 Candia full cream yoghurt (2 kg) 5,000 5,250 +5 Mazola corn oil (1.8 liters) 6,900 6,900 0 Bonjus labneh (1 kg) 3,750 3,750 0 Slim corn oil (2 liters) 7,200 7,200 0 Taanayel labneh (500 g) 5,000 5,250 +5 Wesson corn oil (2 liters) 8,500 8,800 +3.5 Candia labneh (500 g) 5,000 5,250 +5 Ghandour soya oil (3.8 liters) 10,500 10,700 +1.9 Taanayel yoghurt (1 kg) 2,750 2,750 0 Alfa corn oil (4 liters) 13,100 13,500 +3 Smeds cheese (400 g) 4,300 4,400 +2.3 Al-Wadi Olive Oil (1/2 liters) 6,650 7,500 +12.8 Picon cheese (360 g) 3,250 3,250 0 Ketchup and Sauces Picon cheese (160 g) 1,725 1,625 -5.8 Libby’s Ketchup (567 g) 3,100 3,100 0 Double-crème cheese (1 kg) 7,200 8,000 +11.1 Extra Ketchup (340 g) 1,200 1,400 +16.6 Fresh country cheese (1 kg) 9,000 9,250 +2.7 Extra Ketchup (2.2 kg) 5,000 5,100 +2 Khashkawan cheese (1 kg) 12,900 13,250 +2.7 Dolly’s Mayonnaise (500 ml) 4,200 4,500 +7.1 Lurpak butter (200 g) 2,500 2,500 0 Al-Wadi Mayonnaise (500 ml) 4,150 4,250 +2.4 Tatra butter (200 g) 2,300 2,100 -8.77 Al-Bsat Tahina (900 g) 6,850 7,000 +2.2 Al-Maalaqtain margarine ( 2 kg) 7,500 7,500 0 Al-Bsat Tahina (450 g) 3,900 4,000 +2.5 Al-Baqara al-Haloub margarine (2kg) 25,650 23,500 -8.33 Taous tomato sauce (70 g) 650 650 0 Vegetaline margarine (2 kg) 13,750 13,750 0 Taous tomato sauce (425 g) 3,450 3,450 0 Nido full cream milk (bag)(2,250 g) 19,000 19,000 0 Tala tomato sauce (675 g) 3,250 3,250 0 Nido full cream milk (2,500 g) 23,100 23,100 0 Fruits and Vegetables Tatra full cream milk (1,800 g) 17,500 17,500 0 Orange (1 kg) 1,000 1,250 +25 Sugar and Salt Tomatoes (1kg) 1,500 1,250 -16.6 Sugar (2 kg) 2,150 2,400 +11.66 Cucumbers (1kg) 1,200 1,000 -16.6 Al-Ousra Sugar (5 kg) 8,250 7,250 -12.11 Bananas (1kg) 1,000 1,000 0 Salt (700 g) 475 475 0 Lemons (1 kg) 800 800 0 Box of salt (738 g) 1,000 1,250 +255 Apples (1 kg) 2,000 2,000 0 Potatoes (1 kg) 500 500 0

issue 96 - published by Information International s.a.l. Index|49 Prices of consumer and food products in May 2010 Prices of consumer and food products in May 2010 (in LBP) Table 1 (in LBP) Table 1 Prices Prices Prices Prices beginning beginning % of price beginning beginning % of price Item and brand of May of June change Item and brand of May of June change 2010 2010 2010 2010 Dairy Products Meat, Fish and Eggs Khater white lentils (1 kg) 3,350 3,250 -3 Zwan chicken (200 g) 2,250 2,450 +8.9 Khater chick-peas fahli (1 kg) 3,100 3,000 -3.2 Zwan beef (200 g) 2,250 2,450 +8.9 Khater beans (1 kg) 1,900 1,950 +2.6 Luncheon meat beef (198 g) 1,100 1,250 +13.6 Peeled wheat (1 kg) 1,550 1,550 0 Al-Mona chicken (200 g) 2,000 2,100 +5 Pineal Lima Bean (1 kg) 3,500 3,500 0 Al-Taghzia beef (200 g) 1,750 1,750 0 Brown Fine Burgul (1 kg) 1,650 1,950 +18.2 Al-Taghzia chicken (200 g) 1,750 1,750 0 Egyptian rice (1 kg) 2,100 1,900 -9.5 Geisha sardine (125 g) 1,000 1,000 0 American rice (1 kg) 2,500 2,500 0 Deli sardine (125 g) 990 990 0 Italian rice (1 kg) 2,500 2,850 +14 Milo sardine (125 g) 990 990 0 Al-Wadi Hommos Tahina (380 g) 1,000 1,000 0 Geisha tuna (200 g) 2,800 2,500 -10.7 Chtaura Hommos Tahina (380 g) 950 1,100 +15.8 White Bell tuna (200 g) 2,000 2,150 +7.5 California Gardens beans (450 g) 1,250 1,100 -12 White Diamond tuna (200 g) 1,800 2,250 +25 Al-Wadi beans (450 g) 1,200 1,000 -16.7 Skipper tuna (185 g) 1,550 1,750 +12.9 Chtaura beans (480 g) 1,200 1,000 -16.7 Eggs (30 eggs) 6,000 5,750 -4.1 Libby’s corn (340 g) 1,450 1,500 +3.4 Beef (1 kg) 12,000 14,500 +20.8 Pasta Sheep (1 kg) 18,000 19,500 +8.3 Barilla spaghetti (500 g) 2,050 2,050 0 Coffee and Tea Antonio Amato spaghetti (500 g) 2,850 2,850 0 Najjar coffee (1kg) 12,000 12,000 0 Monte spaghetti (500 g) 2,150 2,150 0 Brazil coffee (1 kg) 10,500 11,000 0 Al-Hisan tea (180 g) 2,450 2,450 0 Nestle (250g) 2,500 2,500 0 Halvah and Jam Al-Wadi halvah (454 g) 3,850 3,850 0 Al-Bsat halvah (450 g) 3,250 3,500 +7.7 Chtaura apricot jam (1 kg) 4,620 4,620 0 Al-Wadi apricot jam (1 kg) 4,350 4,450 +2.3 Tissues and Detergents Mimosa tissues (500 g) 2,800 2,800 0 Fine tissues (200 tissues) 1,250 1,200 -4 Primo tissues (200 tissues) 1,000 1,100 -33.3 Gipsy tissues (300 tissues) 2,300 2,400 +4.3 Mimosa toilet papers (4 rolls) 2,750 2,750 0 Yes detergent (900 g) 2,300 2,300 0 Clorox (1 liter) 1,450 1,450 0 Persil (4 kg) 18,100 18,500 +2.2 Ariel (4 kg) 18,250 18,750 +2.7 Source: Information International May 2010

issue 96 - July 2010 50| Did you know that? Highest Taxes in the World

A 20.5% is the corporate Income tax as a percentage of total tax A 78.89 % as revenue from taxes on customs and other import collected by Luxembourg (tax levied by various jurisdictions on duties in Afghanistan. the profits made by companies). A 54.2 % of Sweden’s GDP comes from tax revenues. A 49% is the goods and service tax as a percentage of total tax collected by Mexico (tax levied on supplies of goods or A 79.24 % as revenue from taxes on goods and services in China. services. It includes most products, except certain politically These taxes include general sales and turnover or value added sensitive essentials such as groceries, residential rent, and taxes, selective excises on goods, selective taxes on services, medical services, and services such as financial services). taxes on the use of goods or property, taxes on extraction and production of minerals, and profits of fiscal monopolies. A 53.2% is the personal income tax as a percentage of total taxes collected by Denmark. A 326,450$ is the highest marginal tax rate (individual rate) in the United States of America. It is the highest rate shown A 11.9% is the property tax as a percentage of total taxes on the schedule of tax rates applied to the taxable income of collected by the United Kingdom. individuals.

A 28.3% is the tax on employer’s contribution of social security A 130 is the total number of tax payments by businesses in as a percentage of total tax collected by the Czech Republic. Uzbekistan including electronic filing. The tax is counted as paid once a year even if payments are more frequent. A 29% is the tax on employee’s contribution of social security as a percentage of total tax collected by Poland. A 70% of levied taxes in Lebanon are in the form of indirect taxes.

A 25% is the Value Added Tax rate in Denmark. Sources: http://www.nationmaster.com/index.php Beirut International Airport Rafic Hariri International Airport - Traffic May 2010 4.1% monthly drop in passenger activity Airport traffic in May 2010 compared to April 2010 and May 2009. Table 1 In May 2010, the 420,159 passengers % of change % change that passed through Rafic Hariri Traffic April 2010 May 2010 May 2009 April/May May 2009/ International Airport, when compared 2010 May 2010 to the 438,328 passengers that did Arriving airplanes 2,526 2,617 2,234 +3.6 +17.1 so in April, registered an 18,169 Departing airplanes 2,524 2,624 2,241 +3.9 +17 drop, or 4.1%. While the arrivals Total # of airplanes 5,050 5,241 4,475 +3.8 +17.1 activity slightly increased (0.6%), Arriving passengers 219,080 220,464 187,852 +0.63 +17.3 that of the departures registered a Departing passengers 215,342 196,026 157,448 -8.9 +24.5 high drop by 9%. In comparison to Transit passengers 3,906 3,669 3,210 -6 +14.3 May 2009, passenger activity then Total # of passengers 438,328 420,159 348,510 -4.1 +20.6 reached 348,510, with a 71,649 Imported goods (per ton) 3,781 3,766 3,434 -0.55 +9.6 increase, or 20.6%. Table 1 shows airport traffic in May 2010 compared Exported goods (per ton) 2,392 2,968 2,790 +24 +6.3 to April 2010 and May 2009. Total amount of goods (per ton) 6,173 6,734 6,223 +9 +8.2 Source: Information International and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation

issue 96 - published by Information International s.a.l. Stats & Numbers | 51 Stats& Correction The Monthly magazine received from the Ambassador of the Republic Numbers of Iraq to Lebanon Mr. Omar Al Barzanji the following clarification: “The Monthly published in May 2010, issue no. 94, pages 34-35, an interview A LBP 1,393 million was paid to the with me where some statements have been omitted and which possible lead to a Lebanese Basketball Federation by the misinterpretation of the meaning. The following is correction with thanks and Lebanese government as a financial appreciation: contribution to cover its participation in the world championship for male Statement 1: “If a person lives in an arid desert he resembles the nature of the basketball players in Turkey. desert…” Correction: “If a person lives in an arid desert he resembles the nature of the desert for we know that people in the desert are characterized by courage, generosity and A LBP 760 million was spent on sacrifice…” hosting the Lebanese-Qatari joint committee meetings in Lebanon on Statement 2: “At the beginning there was disagreement between the Arabs and the April 26-28. Kurds that pushed them to infighting and we were afraid. Then this disagreement immediately ends and things returned to how they once were in terms of harmony, love and openness.” A USD 250,000 in assistance were Correction: “At the beginning there was disagreement between the Arabs and the former allocated by the Lebanese government regime that pushed them to infighting and we were afraid. Then this disagreement for Indonesia following a devastating immediately ends and things returned to how they once were in terms of harmony, earthquake in October 2009. love and openness after the end of the regime.”

A LBP 500 million in credit was Publications transferred from the budget of the Other publications by Other publications by INMA (in Arabic): Ministry of Culture- Directorate Information International: 1-“I am Responsible, All of Us are Responsible” General of Antiquities to the Council 1-Salaries and Remunerations in the Public Sector 2-“Our Environment is Our Home” for Development and Reconstruction 2-Public Seaside Properties 3-“My Society is My Responsibility” (CDR) to restore Beiteddine Castle 3-Lebanon’s Parliamentary History 1920-2000 4-“My Society is My Responsibility” Workbook in Chouf. The castle is also the 4-Taxes and Fees 5-“I am a Student, I am a Citizen: Ways Towards presidential summer residence. 5-Lebanon in Figures 1992-2002 State Building” 6-Lebanon in Figures 2003-2004 6-“I am a Student, I am a Citizen: Ways Towards 7-Lebanon in Figures 2005-2006 State Building” Workbook 8-Lebanon’s MPs and Lebanese Parliamentary 7-“Lebanon Wars, why?” A LBP 475 million in credit was Elections 1960 - 2009 8-Discrimination in Lebanon allocated for the presidency, including 9- 2009 Parliamentary Elections by ballot box, LBP 20 million in stationary expenses, candidate and confession-North District LBP 20 million in wardrobe expenses, 10- 2009 Parliamentary Elections by ballot box, LBP 50 million in seeds and plants, candidate and confession-Beirut District 11- 2009 Parliamentary Elections by ballot box, LBP 300 million in miscellaneous candidate and confession-Mount Lebanon expenses and LBP 50 million for District internal delegations and conferences. 12- 2009 Parliamentary Elections by ballot box, candidate and confession-Beqa’a District 13- 2009 Parliamentary Elections by ballot box, To subscribe: A LBP 500 million is the cost of candidate and confession-South and Nabatiyeh District Al-Borj Building, 4th Floor, Martyrs Square stationary for the Ministry of Finance Beirut Central District offices. 14- Municipal Elections 2010 Telephone: 961-1-983008/9 961-3-262376 Fax: 961-1-980630 [email protected] www.iimonthly.com www.information-international.com © Information International SAL All rights reserved License No. 180/2003 Responsible Director: Hala Saghbini “Salaries and Remunerations in the Public Sector”

nformation International adds a new book in Arabic I “Salaries and Remunerations in the Public Sector” to its “Facts” series. The book sheds light on the reality of public administrations, employment, and salaries in the public sector in addition to the allowances and remunerations of the public institutions and authorities in Lebanon. The book in its 2nd print also details the salaries and äÉ°†jƒ©àdGh ÖJGhôdG remunerations of judges, military ΩÉ`````©dG ´É£``≤dG ‘ forces, Foreign Service personnel, clerics, government committees, management boards, and employees of the Central Bank of Lebanon, and others. The ﬁrst print was published by Information International in 2001.

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