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“Amal Movement” headed by Berri: “The message has arrived” (Hussein Baydoun)
The Amal Movement, after an emergency meeting held on Wednesday, headed by Nabih Berri, spokesman for the Lebanese Parliament, placed the sanctions imposed by the United States Treasury against former Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil, in the field of “targeting Lebanon and its sovereignty and the line and political organization to which it belongs, and the line of movement. I hope to defend Lebanon and its unity, and a definitive homeland for all its citizens.
The movement emphasized, in a statement, that this decision “will not change at all our convictions, and our patriotic and national constants, and that we want our borders and our sovereign rights in the sea and on land in their entirety, and we will not compromise nor will we compromise with them regardless of sanctions and pressure from either party. “
It revealed that “the traffic agreement delimiting the maritime borders in southern Lebanon was completed with the United States of America, and agreed on 7/7/2020, and has so far rejected the timing of its announcement without any justification” .
The Amal Movement said the US Treasury “firm”, which came at a time when the Lebanese, with most of their political and parliamentary forces, were close to arriving at a comprehensive government in which it could work to remove Lebanon from its crises, so is this decision to tell us: What drives us are the “prepositions”? Who thinks is wrong.
The Lebanese movement addressed the Americans saying: “They are wrong in title, time and place, but the message has arrived.”
Amal Movement for Washington: You are wrong about the address, time and place, but the message has arrived
Along with the imposition of US Treasury sanctions on two former Lebanese ministers, Ali Hussein Khalil, who is also an advisor to Berri, and former Minister of Public Works Youssef Fenianos, who belongs to the “Marada Movement” headed by Suleiman Franjieh, the Hezbollah’s closest ally and the most prominent candidate for the presidency, United States Under Secretary of State for Near East Affairs David Schenker expressed his belief that a framework agreement on the demarcation of maritime and land borders would soon be reached between Lebanon and Israel.
The minister, who boycotted politicians on his recent visit to Lebanon and was content to meet with civil society groups and parliamentarians who submitted their resignations, said Tuesday in a conference call with journalists, the details of which were reported by the Department of State of the United States, in a statement on its website: “We are close to completing the demarcation of the maritime and land borders. Our ambassador to Ankara and diplomat David Satterfield spent a year traveling between Lebanon and Israel trying to reach an agreement on the framework, that is, an agreement that defines the framework to start negotiations at the borders, and I think this framework is important, but it should have been completed. Long time ago. “
He added: “I see that we are approaching the stage of ending it, as I mentioned, which will allow Lebanon and Israel to start making real progress. But I will not discuss the details of the obstacles and I look forward to visiting Lebanon and signing this agreement in the upcoming weeks”.
The US sanctions against the two former ministers for their support of “Hezbollah” and their involvement in corruption and conspiracy at the expense of the Lebanese people come at a time when the Lebanese arena is witnessing a political movement to form a new government. before the fifteen-day term expires since Mustafa Adeeb was appointed on August 13 of last year. France, the international community and the confidence of the Lebanese people are satisfied, and the ruling class avoids the guillotine of sanctions that French President Emmanuel Macron hinted to use on his second visit to Beirut in case the political forces fail to deliver on their reform promises within a period of no more than eight weeks.
Although the dispute over the ministries still exists between the parties, the US sanctions came, on Tuesday, to directly affect Hassan Khalil and Fanyanos, in a letter addressed this time to the President of Parliament who has the file of demarcation of the borders with the Israeli enemy, Suleiman Franjieh, and all those who deal with “Hezbollah.” It holds the reins of Lebanese decisions, including governmental ones.
Political movement
At a time when Hassan Khalil refused to respond and comment on the US sanctions against him, and Fenianus closed his cell phone, a source from the “Marada Movement” only said: “The New Arab”, “Sanctions do not They scare us, and America always directs its arrows at the March 8 team. ” No more, knowing that there are many suspicions against politicians from the various Lebanese parties who have not been subjected to any punishment, yet the head of the Marada Movement has never been ashamed of his relationship with Hezbollah and Syria, while speaking publicly about his allies politicians, the project that unites them, and their willingness to face any punishment or fruit of this alliance, and he knows very well that the move is political par excellence, and comes as a complement to the American siege of the party, and Fannianus did not participate in any deal at the expense of the Lebanese.
In law, lawyer Jamil Murad tells Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed that the sanctions imposed by the United States Treasury are an internal matter, and in general legal principle, and that they are issued by a country that only bound to itself, the Lebanese judiciary is not obliged to act in accordance with it, but in accordance with force. The United States and its influence in foreign countries, these sanctions make the private sector, bankers or companies, refrain from dealing with any of the “OFAC” black list, for fear that the sanctions will cover them “.
And he added: “Therefore, the damage is moral due to the defamation of the two ministers, with files of corruption and others, and material in terms of their inability to contract for longer with international people.”
Murad clarifies that “the two former ministers can be tried before the Supreme Council to judge the presidents and ministers if the Judicial Power finds any suspicions against them, so he informs the House of Representatives, which has to accuse them of two thirds of its members, otherwise, will not be judged. “
And the US Treasury Department warned in its statement on Tuesday of the repercussions of the sanctions that have affected more than ninety individuals and entities affiliated with “Hezbollah” since 2017, and banned any American or US resident. dealing with any kind of financial services with the two former ministers.
The United States is seeking, either through the “Magnitsky Law”, or the “Caesar Law” and others, to increase the screws of “Hezbollah” and all those who deal with it, and to enter its circle, and it is expected that a new sanctions list will soon be issued that includes rotating Lebanese political figures in Hezbollah, in light of talk that the sanctions will hit politicians in the Free Patriotic Movement, before they go directly to their vice president and the president’s son-in-law of the Republic, Gebran Bassil.
The US sanctions announced on Tuesday for the first time included a person from the Christian community close to Hezbollah, in terms of political figures, noting that they were preceded by sanctions imposed on Tony Saab, a businessman who considers himself close to the head of the Free Patriotic Movement. that he is considered one of the people whose names are always mentioned when placing them on the sanctions list, given his relationship with “Hezbollah.”
It is noteworthy that the United States Treasury, despite the sanctions it imposes on Lebanese personalities in various fields, continues to exclude top political leaders from its lists, and is currently content with personalities within its orbit.
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