2010 public budget: Public debt LBP 83,182 billion Lebanese emigrants from 2000-2007 June 2010 | Property ownership by non-Lebanese in the 95 qada’a of Baabda The Monthly interviews Jan Čížek, Ambassador issue number www.iimonthly.com • Published by Information International sal of the Czech Republic to Lebanon JUDICIARY REPUBLIC OF LEBANON Lebanon 5,000LL | Saudi Arabia 15SR | UAE 15DHR | Jordan 2JD| Syria 75SYP | Iraq 3,500IQD | Kuwait 1.5KD | Qatar 15QR | Bahrain 2BD | Oman 2OR | Yemen 15YRI | Egypt 10EP | Europe 5Euros INDEX 4 LEADER: Judiciary between sectarianism and new appointments 7 2010 public budget 8 Lebanon Radio 1993-2009 9 Lebanese emigrants from 2000-2007 11 Ministry and Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants 14 Ministry and Ministers of Justice 18 Marriage 20 Illegal arms possession Page 11 21 Property ownership by non-Lebanese in the qada’a of Baabda 27 Syndicate of Bakery Owners in Beirut and Mount Lebanon 29 Greater Beirut Evangelical School 31 Shortness of Breath or ‘Dyspnea’ by Dr. Hanna Saadah Page 20 Page 43 32 Is intelligence a single entity independent from the brain? by Antoine Boutros 42 Aoun-Geagea (1/2) 33 Neuronal Bench Pressing for Lifelong Health 43 April 2010 Timeline in Lebanon by Dr. Samar Zebian 45 Iceland Volcano Erupts 34 The Monthly interviews Jan Čížek, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Lebanon 46 Islamic movements in the Arab world 36 Popular culture 47 Real estate index in Lebanon- April 2010 37 Myth #34: Oldest City in the World: BYBLOS? 48 Food Price Index - April 2010 38 Must-read books: The Human, the Homeland, the Freedom 50 The Palestinian Demographics around the World 39 Must-read children’s book: “First Rhymes” 50 Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport - 40 Lebanon Families: Afram (Fram) Families April 2010 41 Discover Lebanon: Al Qunaitra 51 Lebanon stats 51 Proportions of Lebanese by confession through obituaries Editorialﹺ | 3 NANCY AJRAM AND THE “MUNICIPALITIES…” Who remembers? On that day in the mid-nineties, individuals from the so-called “civil society”, and most of whom with good intentions and some with a purpose and a strategy, organized the campaign “my country, my hometown, my municipality”. Funding of course is western and the reasoning is change from through the bottom-up approach. With those of purely good intentions there is no discussion, but for those who claimed they had a strategy and views of change involving civil society and 12 years after the first post- civil war municipal elections, the time is ripe for a serious discussion. My country: Divided horizontally and vertically between five heads, and sponsored by the Ta’ef and Doha agreements and jubilantly celebrated in the ceremony held at the Syrian Arab Republic’s Embassy in Beirut. My hometown: No electricity, no sewage, no water, and pollution everywhere. No public schools, no preventive health care, lack of awareness for rights and obligations and no accountability for those elected to the municipal council. Considering that all of this is not in the horizon, it is therefore recommended to raise Nancy Ajram’s picture My Municipality: A miniature replica of the public in their so-called “municipality palaces” and to start sector and the Council of Ministers with every the day with her song “baladiyat”…” literally meaning family being represented by a person irrespective of municipalities or from the same hometown. Following how corrupt or ignorant he is and with the head of are the lyrics: municipality controlling all decisions. The saying goes: “The municipality is a president and a policeman.” “Very very good … I am also naïve, I thank him, there Squandering of public funds, outright theft, construction is no one else to make my hours happy … I am a part of of roads and retaining walls even when they are not him as he is also a part of me … he is also from the same needed, and the ambition of families for their sons to be hometown… he is my “baladiyat”.” hired as municipality policemen. Since Nancy is the United Nations goodwill ambassador, The solution? The solution lies in the dissolution of we can here celebrate the so-called international all the municipal councils and the implementation of legitimacy partnership with the private and public the laid out and paid for schemes, plans and strategies sectors and celebrate our success in raising Lebanon’s including (Lebanon’s urban and rural master plan and name high in the world of art and democracy. the strategies of social and economic developments, among others), holding elections after the integration A lie called civil society! Yes, “I am a part of him and he of the municipalities to minimize their number to less is also a part of me!” as Nancy says. than quarter, allowing residents to vote in their place of residence rather than their place of birth and placing them under the jurisdiction of the Court of Audit. issue 95 - June 2010 4 | Leader Judiciary between sectarianism and new appointments JUDICIARY BETWEEN SECTARIANISM AND NEW APPOINTMENTS 52% Christian, 42% Muslim; A large gap, especially in the middle grades he judiciary authority in Lebanon is one of the three powers along with the legislative authority (Parliament) Tand the executive authorities (the presidency and the government). Article 20 of the Constitution stipulates: “Judicial power (Sunni), in addition to seven members: two Shia’a, two is to be exercised by the tribunals of various levels and Maronites, one Druze, one Catholic and one Greek jurisdictions. It functions within the limits of an order Orthodox. established by the law and offering the necessary guarantees A General prosecutor: Sunni (the post was reserved for to judges and litigants. The limits and conditions for the Maronites before the Ta’ef Accord) protection of the judges are determined by law. The judges A Head of the Judicial Inspection Commission: Sunni are independent in the exercise of their duties. The decisions A Head of the permanent Military Court: Shia’a and judgments of all courts are rendered and executed in the A Head of the State Shura Council: Maronite name of the Lebanese People.” A Head of the Court of Audit: Shia’a (the post was reserved The judiciary is independent and the rulings of judges are for the Sunni confession before the Ta’ef) issued and executed in the name of the Lebanese people. There have been nine ministers of justice from 1991 to date However this constitutional text has not prevented the (mid-April 2010): four Sunni, two Maronite, one Armenian establishment of judicial power along sectarian lines, as Orthodox, one Catholic and a current Greek Orthodox is the case within the legislative and executive authorities. minister, with a notable absence of Shia’a ministers in the The appointment of judges has been based on the criteria recent period. Furthermore, their presence over the past of sectarian balance (over the past few years some judges few decades has been very limited, since the dominant have been chosen based on their merit, but sectarian balance confessions are generally Sunni and Christians. remains the overruling factor in rounds to select judges despite being weakened in certain rounds as will be demonstrated). Confessional distribution of judges The formation of courts is also carried out after paying full The total number of judges is 561, with 291 Christians consideration to the judges’ confession, and essential posts compared to 270 Muslims. In their confessional distribution, in the judiciary are reserved for certain confessions. Maronites rank highest, forming 70% of Christian judges and 36% of judges in Lebanon. Graph 1 shows the confessional Number of judges distribution of judges. There are 561 judges (as of March 2009) in the Lebanese judicial sector. They are distributed as follows: Distribution of heads of chambers by A 481 judges in the judicial system confession A 53 judges in the State Shura Council According to Decree #1465 on March 6, 2009 (judicial A 27 judges in the Court of Audit transfers and appointments, which are the most recent decree in this field) the heads of chambers in the courts of cassation The distribution of main positions and appeal are distributed according to the following according to confession confessional criteria: According to custom, certain posts have been reserved to Ten chambers are distributed equally between Muslims and specific confessions: Christians: A Ministry of Justice director general: Sunni A Maronite: Three heads of chambers A Head of the Higher Judicial Council: Maronite (with A Greek Orthodox: One head of chamber one exception to the rule when A’atef al-Naqib, a Sunni, A Catholic: One heads of chamber was appointed as head of council in 1990 to 1992). A Sunni: Two heads of chambers Furthermore, the ten-member council is formed based A Shia’a: Two heads of chambers on confessional criteria: the three top members are: A Druze: One head of chamber president (Maronite); vice president (general prosecutor a Sunni) and the head of judicial investigation commission issue 95 - published by Information International s.a.l. Judiciary between sectarianism and new appointments Leader | 5 [Graph 1] Distribution of judges by confession Attorney generals: There are 36 attorney generals across Source: Compiled by Information International based the muhafazat with 17 Christian lawyers and 19 Muslim: on judicial appointment decrees as published in the official Gazette A Maronite: Eleven attorney generals 0 50 100 150 200 250 A Greek Orthodox: Four attorney generals A Catholic: Two attorney generals Maronite 36%