Chouf MP hopes leaders’ spat will not affect key issues
Chouf MP Neameh Tohme said he hoped that the current political climate would not distract officials from following up on major files, like that of the displaced and the Lebanese University.
In a statement issued on Friday, Tohme said it was unacceptable to keep the issue of the displaced in limbo and said that the necessary funds should be allocated to continue the processes of reconstruction.
Regarding the situation at the Lebanese University, he said solutions must be found, and he called the school a “national and academic fortress” which ought to be preserved.
Tohme added that its situation could be improved by meeting the demand of its teachers.

Fadlallah says LU must be protected
Leading Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah asked officials if they wanted to see Lebanon, a country “which hosts conferences of thought, culture and human rights,” fall victim to political and economic darkness.
During a Friday sermon Fadlallah said there was a plan afoot to weaken the Lebanese University, though it should be one of the most solid universities since “it is for the poor and all the Lebanese.”

Army announces new plan to certify military suppliers
The army command’s Orientation Directorate, in a statement issued Friday, said that military equipment and uniforms had recently been bought and sold by several traders who had not obtained required permits.
Accordingly, the army command announced the cancellation, beginning in January, of all previously granted permits to sell, import or manufacture military uniforms and equipment.
According to the statement, the sale, manufacture or import of goods must be undertaken within a framework established by the Economic Organization, which is affiliated with the Directorate-General of Administration at the Defense Ministry.
It added that those wishing to acquire new permits should report to the directorate-general to find out about required conditions.

Investigation of Al-Madina Bank case delayed by courts
Beirut Chief Investigating Magistrate Hatem Madi did not convene Friday’s planned session to investigate five lawsuits on the Al-Madina Bank case, because the files were still being examined by the Cassation Court and the Court of Appeal.
The Court of Cassation is examining the following cases: Imad Hariri versus Al-Madina Bank shareholder and former employee Rana Qoleilat and others, Saleh Assi versus Qoleilat and others, and the bank’s director-general Ibrahim Abu Ayyash versus Qoleilat and others. The Prosecution Committee is studying the files of Adnan Abu Ayyash versus Qoleilat and others and Ibrahim Abu Ayyash versus Qoleilat and others.
Madi will wait for the files to be returned to his department to set session dates. Qoleilat, her brother Taha and Ibrahim Abu Ayyash are being sued for misappropriating funds at the bank.

Energy Ministry hikes prices of butane, unleaded gasoline
The Energy Ministry announced a LL100 increase in the price of unleaded gasoline and a LL200 increase in the price of butane.
A statement issued Friday said that a 20-liter tank of 98 octane unleaded fuel would now cost LL21,900, while 20 liters of 95 octane unleaded gasoline would cost LL21,100.
The statement said that the price of a 20-liter tank of unleaded 92 octane fuel would be LL20,800 while the price of a kerosene tank would be raised to LL9,400 and a diesel tank to LL8,900.
A 10-kilogram tank of butane would now cost LL11,200 and one kiloliter of fuel oil would be $198, according to the statement.

Hoss: People do not trust current government
The National Action Forum said on Friday that it was “futile” for the people to depend on a government that has proved of being “incapable” on all levels.
The forum, headed by former Prime Minister Salim Hoss, in a statement released after a meeting of its executive committee, said that the era of the current government has been one of crises, problems and scandals.
The statement said that the government will be replaced at the time of the forthcoming presidential elections in November 2004, and its successor will only last a few months until the parliamentary elections in 2005.
“Accordingly, the people no longer expect any good to come out of the government before parliamentary elections in about one and a half years’ time, and the most they are looking for until then is to limit losses incurred as a result of the government’s incapacity,” it said.

Committee searches for site in North for waste dump
North Lebanon Governor Nassif Qalosh chaired a meeting at his office on Friday to follow up on implementation of a government decision to find a suitable solid waste dump in the region.
Participants in the meeting included government officials, mayors, a representative of the Council of Development and Reconstruction, a World Bank adviser and an Environment Ministry delegate. An earlier committee presented its findings and proposed various sites for a dump.