Lebanon today!

The prisoners swap is taking place today between Hezbollah and Israel. Latest update is that the 2 Israeli prisoners that Hezbollah captured before the July 2006 war are dead. Among the prisoners that will be back to Lebanon is the infamous Samir Kuntar.
Moreover, a political handshake between Saad El Hariri and Sheik Hassan Nasrallah is awaited. Aren't we all just looking forward for this day?

On Top of all this, a picture for the cabinet members will be taken today and everybody should be dressed in white (angels?) no exception!

Cabinet finally formed

- New President (Check)
- New Cabinet (Check)
- Fix 3rd problem - Hezbollah's weapons (Status - UNKNOWN)
- Fix 4th problem - lack of trust, xenophobia, sectarian clashes, etc... (Forever and ever existent and will never be "CHECK")

Read more here

Constitutional or not Constitutional, this is the question

Not because it's a historical day, but it's because it is one of the most contradictory days that Lebanon has ever witnessed.
1- 109 Parliament members including opposition arrive to the parliament at noon.
2- Session postponed till November 30th in order to elect a president agreed upon from all sides
3- Post the canceled session, deputies talk back to each other through the media
4- The Cabinet is in session since 6:30pm discussing the latest updates
5- The president (till 11:59pm on November 23, 2007) Emile Lahoud declares a state of emergency starting 24 November 2007
6- The Cabinet denies it, based on the constitution, explaining that only the cabinet after passing it to the parliament as well and the majority's signature can declare such state. (That was at 8:30 pm today)

Stay tuned for any updated, today is not finished yet.

The solution for Lebanon is

I know this carpenter, he's really good at his work, and he can make a replicat of any chair the politican desires, and he can put it in his house. He can ask for a replicat of the president's chair, even if he's not maronite. It's christmas people, let everybody get what they wish for on Santa's list.

Lebanon president says cabinet okay of UN court plan void

BEIRUT (AFP) - Lebanon's pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud has rejected as null and void the pro-Western government's approval of a UN plan for an international court to try the murder of ex-premier Rafiq Hariri.

Pro-Western? so he'd rather it be pro-Syrian?

"The cabinet's approval of the plans for the establishment of the court are not binding on the Lebanese state because the decision was taken by an illegitimate body in breach of the constitution," Lahoud said in a letter to UN chief Kofi Annan on Tuesday.

Illegimimate?

It's not like they're voting for a nuclear bomb, they're voting on the decision for an international tribunal to condemn those who have assassinated Rafic Hariri. So Lahoud and the Shii'a ministers are fighting so hard against this decision?

Isn't it just TOO obvious?

To continue reading artile, please click here.

No breakthrough in Lebanon's party talks

BEIRUT, Lebanon - Rival politicians failed to bridge their differences Thursday in talks aimed at breaking a political stalemate that threatens to return Lebanon to violence, but delegates agreed to meet again for over the weekend.

Well good to know they are trying hard, they're even working on weekends.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has threatened to bring down the government of Prime Minister Fuad Saniora unless his group and its allies receive a third of the seats in the 24-member Cabinet — effectively gaining veto power.

Okay if this happens, we should just bid Lebanon farewell!

Source: AP

Bravo! What great accomplishment

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Rival Lebanese leaders agreed on Monday to halt media campaigns against each other as an ice-breaker in talks to defuse a political crisis threatening to spill over into violence. [1]

Now that the "Discussion" table has started, and as the Lebanese already have an experience with such a "table", we all can predict the outcome. We definitely hope that they can reach a conclusion, come up with a solution to perhaps inprove the political situation in Lebanon.

The funny thing is, the above quote. They have agreed on halting Media campaigns against each other. I am not sure if I should be happy that they have finally decided to GROW UP, or sad that our politicians are that ridiculous that it took them so long to actually GROW UP.

As for the other issues, well they are still hanging.

[1] Reuters