issue number 158 |September 2015 SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT IN LEBANON HEFTY COST AND UNSOLVED CRISIS POSTPONING THE RELEASE OF LEBANON’S ARMY COMMANDER THE MONTHLY INTERVIEWS NABIL ZANTOUT www.monthlymagazine.com Published by Information International sal GENERAL MANAGER AT IBC USURPATION OF COASTAL PUBLIC PROPERTY 5 MILLION M2: WHEN WILL THE STATE RECOVER THEM? 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 September INDEX 2015 4 USURPATION OF COASTAL PUBLIC PROPERTY 5 MILLION M2: WHEN WILL THE STATE RECOVER THEM? 16 2013 CENTRAL INSPECTION REPORT 19 SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT IN LEBANON HEFTY COST AND UNSOLVED CRISIS 22 POSTPONING THE RELEASE OF LEBANON’S ARMY COMMANDER 24 JAL EL-DIB: BETWEEN THE TUNNEL AND THE BRIDGE 25 PARLIAMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN: QONUNCHILIK PALATASI P: 28 P: 16 26 RASHID BAYDOUN (1889-1971) 28 INTERVIEW: NABIL ZANTOUT GENERAL MANAGER AT IBC 31 INJAZ LEBANON 33 POPULAR CULTURE 34 DEBUNKING MYTH#97: SHOULD WE BRUSH OUR TEETH IMMEDIATELY AFTER EATING? 35 MUST-READ BOOKS: DAR SADER- IN BEIRUT... A THOUGHT SPARKED UP 36 MUST-READ CHILDREN’S BOOK: THE BANANA P: 19 37 LEBANON FAMILIES: QARQOUTI FAMILIES 38 DISCOVER LEBANON: SMAR JBEIL 39 DISCOVER THE WORLD: NAURU 40 JULY 2015 HIGHLIGHTS 49 REAL ESTATE PRICES - JULY 2015 44 THIS MONTH IN HISTORY- LEBANON 50 DID YOU KNOW THAT?: 2014 FIFA WORLD CIVIL WAR DIARIES CUP THE ZGHARTA-TRIPOLI FRONT 40 YEARS AGO 50 RAFIC HARIRI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT 47 THIS MONTH IN HISTORY- ARAB WORLD - JORDAN TRAFFIC - JULY 2015 BLACK SEPTEMBER EVENTS 51 LEBANON’S STATS 48 TERRORIST GROUPS PRETENDING TO STAND FOR ISLAM (8) ANSAR AL-SHARIA’A: ORIGINATING FROM LIBYA AND ESPOUSING ISLAMIC SHARIA’A |EDITORIAL Iskandar Riachi Below are excerpts from chapter 40 of Iskandar Riachi’s book Before and After, which was published in Lebanon in the 1950s. Little has changed in the conduct of deputies and politicians over the decades. Political bickering and trade of accusations have since that time been a steady aspect of the Lebanese political landscape as evidenced below. GLASS HOUSES THROWING STONES AT EACH OTHER Dedication “..To the gullible, self-conceited and fooled, to those good people had to turn to the French authorities and said regrettably “I would like who still believe that there are in Lebanon political leaders who deem to grant the Lebanese Treasury all that it asks for from the very bottom exploitation a crime and decency a virtue in a land, which over several of my heart, but I am uncertain if I should grant Lebanese MPs their generations, has hailed the murderer as a hero, the manipulator as a requests,” said Youssed Zein. genius and those who can steal and loot but refrain from it as ‘idiots’! The people of hell continue trading blame and bickering as Sheikh ..This comes as no surprise because the talks about corruption, Farid attacks Khabbaz saying “You transformed Parliament into a state funds’ sharing, suspicious investments and both political and <$&P \ $>"(&"O term of Bechara El-Khoury1, which is being called today, even by spared no municipality in your region the jizyah and you are the one [QR who sold Mukhtar posts and order of merits for monetary gains!” ["" 5 2 O?$@ and allowed him Emir Bashir and the Tannoukhis. to establish his famous Hammam resort, whereas the sea and its shore What the Eddés3 said afterwards about Bechara El-Khoury’s term was no belong to the state and no one else is to take possession of them,” said different than what the constitutionalists used to say about Emile Eddé’s. Sheikh Farid to a well-known deputy from Beirut. No one was spared the accusations of corruption and abuse; those “You are protecting boardinghouses and debauched discos and #[$ gambling centers in exchange for a hoard of fees, pretty much like the Serail attempt endlessly to distort the image of the ones outside it. $AG#P $ " However, at that time, it was not possible to stage a rebellion by the Parliament, MPs started to frequent both Parliament and the Serail, sword and force and protests because the French were there. wondering when it wou ld all be over. Had the French not been here, had the country been as independent as From one conversation to the next, they would always reach the point it was after 1943, had the opponents not feared the Senegalese6, they [% would have done exactly what yesterday’s opponents did when they would bash the other as bad and corrupt, leading the Commissariat4 to revolted against Bechara Khoury, for under his term, the Senegalese view the council with further contempt and ponder the need for its had withdrawn their daggers and left this land. We no longer feared speedy dissolution, for, amidst the international crisis, and by taking them or feared the darkness of their faces. &$' The reasons that made the 1952 uprising a national necessity were it would be necessary to dispose of an erratic and chaotic parliament pretty similar to those, which, under that era, also called for resentment that would cause the Commissariat and the military big trouble. and revolting against the state. In addition, the political brazenness had ' " not reached at that time the levels it does today; a brazenness which between MPs who were bickering with one another in Parliament’s led many of those who were key players in corruption and bargaining hallways, saying all the hideous things recorded below: to boast shamelessly about their objectivity and brand themselves as "($)"*$+/ [ “You stood by the Serail ladder and started hoarding cash and few Lebanese politicians who can pride themselves, rightfully, for their bargaining for jobs and appointments in municipalities.” neutrality and decency. $+"/ Yes, we would like to emphasize that corruption, disorder and looting were indeed the features of the previous era but those who slammed O$"7" that era were not all innocent of theft and it is not possible that the took your share of the eight million francs which you ordered the memory of many of them could have betrayed them to such an extent government and some MPs to provide!” that they have forgotten today what they did yesterday. Even if there 7$#"8*(O< was nothing but those stacks of money they are now enjoying along $""&" with their pretention of impartiality and decency, that should be French found out about you!” enough for them to recall at every hour of the day that they, too, were He then moved to Youssef Khazen saying “It was you who accepted thieves and looters.” money from the Syrian bank upon renewal of the contract. Since the (Endnotes) bank fell under French control, it is undoubted that its director handed 1 First post-independence President of Lebanon. He held office from 21 September the Commissariat a list of the names of all MPs who were paid to 1943 to 18 September 1952, except for an 11-day interruption. 2 Lebanese Emir who ruled Lebanon in the first half of the 19th century. remain silent and approve the deal, which makes us in the eyes of the 3 Proponents of the Eddé family and President Emile Eddé, who served as French looters and thieves.” the president of Lebanon for 11 days, from 11 to 22 November, 1943. He had previously served as president from 1936 to 1941. “You were the one who requested money from the petroleum company 4 France’s High Commission in Lebanon. 5 Ajram beach is still in use today. in return for facilitating the approval of its concession. The company 6 Soldiers drafted by the French. issue 158 | September 2015 4 | LEADER USURPATION OF COASTAL PUBLIC PROPERTY 5 MILLION M2: WHEN WILL THE STATE RECOVER THEM? The occupancy of coastal public properties is both a paramount and a thorny matter. Paramount because, whether legal or not, the occupancy fails to provide the state with revenues commensurate with the value of the occupied seaside areas and thorny because since the end of the Civil War, due to political and regional interference, there has not been a solution to recover the usurped rights of the state. O[ Occupancy of coastal public properties the status of their occupancy today? V[~X_+{[X` under the presidential term of Charles Helo and the [ $<[ U[VX[[\V regulations of seaside property occupancy as follows: was issued by the High Commissioner of the Republic 8#]^$ Coastal public property shall remain at the disposal 7V(+X_X`{| of the public and no right, in favor of anyone, shall be four chapters including 26 articles. derived from it authorizing its closure for a personal or private interest. $ X OU ] ^ # $ $ intended, owing to their nature, to be used by everyone use of individuals or groups and limiting this usufruct to or to serve a public interest. They cannot be sold and no them shall be an exception that may only be implemented ownership over them can be acquired with time”. in special cases under the following general grounds: ${OU/ General grounds imposed where exploitation of the The seaside, up to the farthest distance that waves can seaside is approved: reach in winter in addition to sand and gravel beaches... as well as those saline lakes adjoining the sea... The intended project must bear a public aspect and The ports, marine terminals and bays...” @ according to the licenses issued by the relevant $$X[ OAGU that the state or the municipalities may license the occupancy of their properties on a temporary, revocable The requested investment should not prevent the and chargeable basis, particularly when the matter is integrity of the beach in cases where there are areas associated with a certain project.