†
(((It still amazes me that nobody has alleged that
Al Qaeda killed Hariri. Why WOULDN"T Al Qaeda
kill Hariri? It's got their MO written all over it!)))
Lebanon, Syria
Syrian fingers in Lebanese honeypot
Financial Times, 21 March 2005
By Roula Khalaf
Baramkeh central station in Damascus, usually packed with passengers waiting to travel to Lebanon, has lost much of its buzz.
As Syrian troops start to withdraw from Lebanon under international pressure, many of the Syrian workers who use the Baramkeh taxis have been staying away from Lebanon's construction sites.
"Business is down at least 60 per cent," complains Mazen Dabbas, the station's manager. :If this goes on, it'll be a disaster for us and for Lebanon."
Since anti-Syrian sentiment swept Lebanon after last month's assassination of Rafiq Hariri, the former prime minister, Syria's close economic ties with Lebanon have been threatened.
Syria's dominance of its smaller neighbour has been, above all, a strategic priority. Lebanon bolstered Syria's regional ambitions, allowing it to play a bigger role in the Middle East and to use Lebanese territory and organisations like Hizbollah to exert pressure on its arch-foe Israel.
But as important to Syria are the economic benefits derived from its political influence. Lebanon has absorbed Syrian labour, easing the social pressures on the Damascus regime. It has provided access to a liberal economy, giving the Syrian business community a privileged business outlet.
Lebanon has also been the source of less benign financial gain, a fertile ground for Syrian intelligence officers, along with their Lebanese partners, to illegally enrich themselves.
Since the killing of Hariri, the Lebanese opposition has stepped up its verbal attacks on the so-called "joint security-economic mafia," holding it responsible for distorting relations between Syria and Lebanon.
(((These days, everybody in the world has a "joint
security-economic mafia." One of the few places
to hide from the pressures of globalization is
behind one's bayonets.)))
These alleged networks, says Walid Jumblatt, the prominent Lebanese opposition leader, are "strangling" the country.
To be sure, aspects of the relationship between Lebanon's small but liberal economic system and Syria's state-controlled economy have benefited both sides.
The estimated 500,000 Syrian workers who repatriate $2bn ("1.5bn, £1bn) a year are a source of cheap labour and perform menial tasks that are looked down upon by the Lebanese.
((("Hi, we're your colonial overlords, and we're here
to take out your garbage>")))
But their work is also unregulated, largely due to Syrian influence over Lebanon's ministry of labour. While Syrian influence did not create corruption in Lebanon it has exacerbated it. (((Lebanese corruption was created back in 1,500 BC by crooked Phoenicians.)))
Bribery had infested the Lebanese economy in the aftermath of the 1975-1991 civil war. Hariri, the architect of the country's reconstruction, was repeatedly criticised for lack of transparency in government projects.
But according to the Lebanese Transparency Association, a non-governmental organisation, (((man, what a job of work these characters must have))) corruption in Lebanon reached unprecedented levels in recent years, as the meddling of Syrian intelligence in politics became more intrusive appointments at ministries, universities and even trade unions have needed Syrian approval.
"Syrian intelligence [agencies] scare administrators into making decisions, or a high officer gets paid to favour a company in a deal. He can force it on ministers that he had a role in appointing," says Charles Adwan, executive director of the association. ((("Hi, I'm a spy, and I'm here to appoint your garbageman.")))
"Security and intelligence control this country so security protects corruption and corruption gives [money] to security. This is the system that was transferred to Lebanon,"? says Haitham Mallah, a human rights lawyer in Damascus.
(((Can you hear that unlikely sound? Why, it's the Russians chuckling! I thought they'd forgotten how!)))
Since Hariri's killing, the Lebanese opposition has insisted that Syria withdraw its intelligence officers along with its 15,000 troops. The opposition has also demanded the resignation of Lebanese security chiefs and the prosecutor-general.
Lebanese and Syrian officials deny the charges of corruption. Commenting on the fight against corruption in Syria, Buthaina Shaaban, a government minister, says: "President Assad is [choosing] names who are known for their clean record and reputation." (((They can't come from the Middle East,
then – they must be Martians.)))
But the illicit Syrian-Lebanese networks have been linked to a series of scandals, from alleged siphoning of funds in the Beirut port to shady dealings in government procurement of fuel. Several politicians last year made public claims that the state-controlled Casino du Liban was shifting public funds to official and unofficial security figures. The claims have persisted despite the insistence of acting state prosecutor Rabia Qaddoura that this "black box" did not exist.
(((Rick's Casino du Liban, round up the usual suspects,
I am shocked, shocked to hear that gambling goes on
in this establishment)
Lebanese politicians also accuse Syrian and Lebanese security officials of involvement in a money-laundering scandal at Bank al-Medina last year a charge security chiefs have denied.
In December 2003, Tahsin Khayat, the owner of New TV, a Lebanese television station that had been investigating the high-profile scandal, was arrested by security officials and questioned about alleged links to Israel, then quickly released.
Mr Khayat told the FT that, before his arrest, he had openly declared that documents in his possession linked a top Syrian intelligence officer in Lebanon to the scandal. The officer had called him and threatened to throw him into prison. (((Pesky journalists!
Can't we get Rupert Murdoch to buy that station?)))
Political corruption can be even worse, according to the Lebanese Transparency Association. There were rumours in Lebanon in the run-up to the 2000 parliamentary elections that a price list had been established for aspiring MPs.
An introduction to a Beirut-based Syrian officer who could be helpful was said to cost between $50,000 and $150,000. A meeting in Damascus would require as much as $500,000.
(((Have they tried an eBay auction?)))
Some analysts in Damascus say the expected removal of Syrian troops and intelligence services from Lebanon will pave the way for a more balanced economic relationship. ((("We're rich, you're poor; so put down the guns and sell us all your drugs and women".)))
