[ad_1]
Elie Youssef wrote in Asharq Al-Awsat:
American circles talk that Lebanon is henceforth subject to various levels of sanctions, which will eventually lead to the elimination of the “imaginary differences” between “Hezbollah” and the Lebanese government. And it says that the sanctions imposed by the US Treasury Department on Thursday on Hezbollah-affiliated construction companies, and linking them to sanctions against two former Lebanese government ministers, clearly indicate that the US administration no longer intends to distinguish between the party and its institutions and the ministries it controls. Among the other ministries that it practically manages, officials carry out its orders and facilitate its financing operations inside and outside Lebanon.
According to those circles, the first level includes sanctions that target the party and its leaders and institutions, and the second level targets the personalities and institutions allied to it, as happened with the former ministers Yusef Fenianos and Ali Hassan Khalil. As for the third level, it will be subject to the “Magnitsky Law”, which includes entities and individuals from the entire political class, whether they are allies of the party or involved in corruption agreements, and the fourth level will be subject to the “César Law ”And will include individuals, companies and banks.
It adds that the last three levels include a relatively large list, while the appointment of those covered by the Magnitsky Act may take some time due to its complex nature, the sensitivity of its legal articles and the precision of the use of its expressions, despite from the promises of the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, David Schenker, that it will accelerate. However, those names are not expected to be announced on this list before the end of the year.
Those circles confirm that there is a congruence between the position of the administration of the republic of President Trump with the Democrats, that it is no longer feasible to separate Hezbollah from the rest of the Lebanese officials. Investigations conducted by US agencies are directed at all ministries, not just those controlled by Hezbollah, noting that any new Lebanese government will have the party in which no less than 30% of the bags, while the rest of the bags constitute rewards of consolation for the others who turned out to be they did not care or facilitate their control over him in the end.
Even the issue of demarcation of land borders, especially the maritime border with Israel, to determine Lebanon’s participation in the discovered gas fields, which David Schenker negotiates between Lebanon and Israel, these circles say will have no impact on the future of financial flows promised as a result of gas investment in Lebanese waters. This is if it was found, after it became clear that the companies assigned by former Energy Minister Gebran Bassil had provided incorrect and incorrect data and studies, causing French embarrassment when it became clear that Block No. 4 was empty. So far, the Lebanese have not presented a real vision of how their maritime borders will be demarcated, despite all the recent media buzz, and investment projects can take a long time. With the formation of a regional consortium that includes Egypt, Cyprus, Greece and Israel to exploit the discovered gas, it may be too late for Lebanon to join the promising wave of production.
Source: Middle East
[ad_2]
