Sanctions go beyond the formation of the Lebanese government

Beirut – Indira Matar –

US sanctions were opened against the two former Lebanese ministers; Ali Hassan Khalil (Amal Movement) and Youssef Fenianous (Marada Movement), a new stage in the Lebanese political reality, at the same time, raised more than one question mark, especially since the transition from the intimidation stage to the implementation coincided with the launch of the French initiative and the impact of ongoing “negotiations” to form a government.

The regional spokesperson for the US State Department, Geraldine Griffiths, confirmed that the United States will continue to impose sanctions and hold Hezbollah, which it does not consider a political party, responsible. She said: “The United States is seeking to hold the corrupt accountable for their actions, and these personalities have been targeted. Because it affects the government’s positions in the interest of Hezbollah, and this is unacceptable, we will continue with this policy. ”

It is striking that the sanctions targeted two personalities from two currents affiliated with Hezbollah, but not close to the Free Patriotic Movement, and its leader, Gebran Bassil, who was targeted by the sanctions, which was considered by political circles as a direct message for him and for the President of the Republic. Sources said that if political officials abided by international directives and went out of the way of President-designate Mustafa Adib to form a government of specialists, “Douz” may turn into mild sanctions and “some” are excluded in the next batch of sanctions, otherwise, the punishment will be severe.

Simultaneously, and in an Arab-Gulf position, which is the first of its kind after Mustafa Adib’s assignment, the Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry hoped that Lebanon would recover, away from sectarian militias and foreign interference.

Emad Chidiac

It is true that the sanctions affected people close to the party, but some Lebanese expected personalities more attached to it, and what was surprising was that the two ministers, Fenianus and Khalil, opposed the Free Patriotic Movement, which could be interpreted as neutralizing the Gebran Bassil’s opponents in front of him. According to journalist Imad Chidiac, this interpretation may be correct in the short term. According to information nominated yesterday, there is a new list of sanctions against 8 to 12 people that will be issued next week and may coincide with the formation of the government.

Emad Chidiac

And if the sanctions would give momentum to the French initiative, especially after Macron hinted at sanctions against Lebanese officials to prevent it from being obstructed, Chidiac considered the Franco-American coordination to be clear, supporting the saying of the carrot to the French and the stick. to Americans, saying, “ When a group obstructs government formation, Americans are careful to pave the way. In front of them. “The first governmental obstacles were in the rejection of the principle of rotation of the bags and the insistence of the Shiite team in the fourth signature, which means retaining the Ministry of Finance, and this contradicts the desire of the French to appoint personalities to take charge of specific ministries, including: works, finance and energy to lead Lebanon to security and reforms.

Yet the Americans support the Paris initiative on its terms, which goes beyond the expedient of forming more government, leading to the next parliamentary elections, and then to the presidency, according to Chidiac. Minister Ali Hassan Khalil, the target of the sanctions, is the person most prepared to succeed Nabih Berri, and Youssef Fenianos belongs to its president’s candidate for the presidency.

Therefore, Lebanon has entered the stage of all parties that want to protect their heads.

Chidiac attributes the failure to include Gebran Bassil on the US sanctions list because his threat of sanctions is more effective and more severe than punishing him, because the sanctions will throw Basil into the arms of “Hezbollah.” He sees the threat of sanctions as a deterrent, especially for front-line personalities. Chidiac speaks of information that the French are summoning political figures to put their opinions and perceptions in certain files, and everyone complies and leaves.

‘Safety net’

Dr. Sami Nader

Dr. Sami Nader, director of the Mashreq Center for Strategic Affairs in Beirut, considered in an interview with Al-Qabas that there are facts to read on the subject of sanctions: it is the first time that sanctions have been imposed on political allies “Hezbollah”, that is, we are no longer in the sanctions stage. Members or entities linked to or supporting “Hezbollah” in the financial, media or other sectors. Today, sanctions are prolonged by political allies and therefore the target is the political system on which the party in Lebanon depends and for which a “safety net” is formed. This is an important part of the “Hezbollah” political structure that allowed it to change the balance of power after the parliamentary elections. So today’s political system is on the prowl, and this is what to look out for when tackling the issue of sanctions.

The second issue that must be addressed in fact is the reasons for the decision and how the announcement was made. It is true that it occurs in the context of supporting an organization classified as a terrorist, but with justification, these two figures are accused of corruption, which is not directly related to terrorism and under the umbrella of laws related to the fight against terrorism, its financing or money laundering. Today we are faced with another umbrella related to the fight against corruption, according to the Magnitsky Law. This is a very indicative issue in light of what Lebanon is going through today at the political level, beginning with the people’s uprising to the French initiative to remove Lebanon from control of the quota system and corruption.

From these two points, one can read the political reality according to Sami Nader. It is a political message to the allies of Hezbollah, including the Free Patriotic Movement, for being the party of the President of the Republic to distance itself from him. The Free Patriotic Movement is a partner to facilitate or not facilitate the government, and the sanctions are a message for him, to say that the formation of the government is a fundamental reform process, and that returning to the old approach will give it strength and credibility to the logic of sanctions, and that the United States is moving forward and will not back down.

Franjieh: Hold on to our line

In turn, the head of the Marada Movement, Suleiman Franjieh, considered that “the sanctions against Minister Youssef Fenianos are a decision to restrict his position, convictions and position.” He said: “We as apostates have never been ashamed and will never be ashamed of our positions. Rather, we are proud and professed about them, because of our faith in our land, our sovereignty and our identity.” Consequently, we view the decision as a political decision, which increases our adherence to our approach and our line ”.

“Amal”: a target for Lebanon

The Amal Movement, led by Nabih Berri, responded to the US sanctions decision, saying: “The objective of the brother, Deputy Ali Hassan Khalil, is not against a person who held a ministerial position, but against Lebanon, his sovereignty and the political organization to which it belongs “. The movement linked the inclusion of Minister Khalil’s name on the sanctions list and the file that delimits the borders with Israel, noting that “our borders and our sovereign rights over the sea and land that we want are complete and we will not compromise or compromise. We will engage with them regardless of the sanctions and pressures. ”

The movement’s statement said that “revealing the truth, the agreement to proceed with the demarcation of the maritime borders in the south was completed with the United States and agreed on July 9, and so far it has rejected the moment of its announcement without justification. any.