Lebanon puts two national mobile phone operations up for sale

BEIRUT, July 18 (AFP) - Lebanon's privatization council announced Thursday the government was selling two mobile phone networks, as well as 20-year operating licences, and asked for interested investors to step forward.

The government's Higher Council for Privatization statement, to be published in newspapers Friday, follows a parliamentary decision at the end of  May to allow the government to ask for bids for a pair of global system for mobile (GSM) network operating licences.

It offers "for sale through an international public auction, two mobile businesses each comprising mobile network assets relating to the operation and management of a GSM network in Lebanon." A mobile telecommunications license as well as GSM services are also part of the package, and are offered for a maximum period of 20 years.

The council also announced the "award through international public tender" management contracts for the operation of the two networks for a maximum period of 10 years.

Investors have until August 9 to express their interest in the offers, individually or as a consortium. The criteria for qualification will be made public soon, the council said. The successful candidate will take over the operations from two companies --- Cellis, a subsidiary of France Telecom, and LibanCell, owned in part by the Finish firm Sonera, who saw their 10-year contracts cancelled in June 2001 three years early.

They were accused by the government of having passed the limit of 250,000 clients set by their contracts.

Lebanese govt criticized for "band-aid" pollution crackdown

by Salim Yassine

BEIRUT, July 18 (AFP) - The Lebanese government came under increasing fire Thursday for its clumsy attempts to resolve the problem of highly polluting vehicles, which is hitting the less well off while likely having scant effect on the environment.

Adnan Kassar, the head of Beirut's Chamber of Commerce, told reporters a government ban on mini-buses using heating oil as fuel which came into effect on July 15 "was as improvised as the (parliament's) authorization that preceded it."

An air pollution expert and former head of Lebanese University's chemistry department, Hareth Sleiman, also said the government "took quick measures that do not solve the problem." In 1995, the government allowed the circulation of diesel-powered vehicles in a bid to reduce transportation costs but failed to import environmentally friendly diesel. As a result, drivers had to use the more highly polluting heating oil.

On Tuesday, when the ban on heating oil officially came into force against mini-buses, drivers took to the streets and blocked traffic in the capital arguing that the government was not doing enough to compensate them. They rejected a government offer of 1,200 dollars to convert each of their diesel-powered engines to gasoline.

The head of the mini-bus drivers union, Abdallah Hamade, said they wanted "the law to apply to all or none," noting that buses, trucks and army vehicles, many state-owned, are for now exempt from the ban. Hamade charged the government wanted to eliminate small public transport companies and "replace them with companies owned by the politicians."

The parliament also passed on Wednesday a law authorizing the government to buy back mini-buses which run on heating oil in a bid to appease the protestors. The plan will reportedly cost some 30 million dollars. An editorial in the English-language Daily Star paper called the parliament's decision against mini-buses a "slap-dash band-aid" and cast doubt on its effectiveness by remarking that "mini-buses only constitute six percent of diesel consumption."

"We assume the government's sudden environmental campaign involves going after the smallest and easiest to crack part of the equation, namely taxi drivers and mini-buses, which does not exactly inspire trust and respect by citizens," it said.

Mohammed Lamaa, deputy head of the chamber of commerce, told AFP "the new measures paralyze distribution" because "dozens of vehicles responsible for delivering basic goods from small companies were seized." The head of the government's environmental commission, Akram Shouhayeb, admitted the measures were limited in their effectiveness, but stressed "something had to be done because emissions threatened to scare away tourists."

He added that in the future unleaded fuel would be more widely available and natural gas would be used in electric power stations. Sleiman, however, believes the government could have started by setting up a body to monitor environmentally harmful emissions and locate the main sources of the pollution, as is done in Damascus and other Arab capitals.

Lebanon to compensate minibus owners with buyback plan

BEIRUT, July 17 (AFP) - Lebanon's parliament on Wednesday passed a law authorising the government to buy back minibuses run on heating oil whose owners have protested against a ban on their use, officials said. The official news agency ANI said the law was passed after two days of debate on the ban, which came into effect on July 15 as part of efforts to combat pollution.

The government had authorised use of the minibuses in 1995, with an initial allocation of 4,000 vehicles but their number has since tripled due to the low price of the fuel being used. The new law allows the government to buy back the vehicles for export. On Tuesday, 15 hunger strikers collapsed from dehydration as around 2,000 minibus owners demonstrated to protest the anti-pollution law banning the use of heating oil in their diesel-powered vehicles.

Abdullah Hamade, head of the minibus owners' union, earlier said the drivers were rejecting a government offer of 1,200 dollars in compensation to convert each of their diesel-powered engines to use gasoline. Minibus owners joined taxi drivers in protesting the ban on the use of  heating oil to power car engines. The ban on taxis went into effect June 15, while minibus owners were given until Monday.

Trucks, buses and army vehicles are exempted from the ban, as are factories and power plants, much to the anger of environmentalists. Over the past seven years, the Lebanese government turned a blind eye to diesel engines in a bid to reduce transportation costs, but it has so far failed to import diesel fuel. As a result, drivers resorted to use of the highly polluting heating oil.

Khaled enchants Lebanon crowd despite row over concert with Israeli

BEIRUT, July 16 (AFP) - Algerian star Khaled braved a sprained ankle to enchant the crowd at Lebanon's annual Beiteddine Festival despite criticism in the Arab media for appearing in a concert with an Israeli singer. The king of rai put aside his crutches, sat on a stool and brought an audience of 3,000 to its feet several times during his hour-long concert late Monday at the 19th century palace in the Shouf mountains east of Beirut.

"I don't necessarily agree with him singing with or for the Israelis, but he sang for peace and that's good," said one spectator. Khaled and Israeli singer Noa sang in support of Middle East and world peace at a Rome concert in May attended by Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and Mohammed Rashid, an adviser to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

Upon his arrival in Beirut on Sunday, Khaled said he had "a clear conscience" over his appearance with the Israeli and would "continue to sing for peace" and was "not scared of anybody." Khaled's performance at Beiteddine formed part of an evening that included concerts by Egyptian singer Hakim and Palestinian violinist Simon Shahin.

Suspected killer of Lebanese soldiers handed over

by Mountasser Abdallah

AIN HELWE, Lebanon, July 16 (AFP) - An Islamic militant wanted for killing three Lebanese army intelligence agents was handed over to the army early on Tuesday from this Palestinian refugee camp where he had been holed up for five days, a Palestinian source said.

The source said Lebanese Islamic leaders had handed the militant, Badih Hamade, to Lebanese soldiers at the northern entrance of the camp, on the outskirts of the port city of Saida. Hamade had been nabbed three hours earlier by members of the Islamist group Osbat al-Ansar in one of the camp's dwellings, the source said, after being sheltered by a rival Islamist group, Osbat al-Nour.

Hamade, a Shiite Lebanese militant, is accused by the army of shooting dead three intelligence agents who were tailing him last Thursday and of a spate of bomb attacks on military checkpoints around Ain Helwe. The shooting occurred on a road to Ain Helwe and Palestinian sources say Hamade was wounded in an exchange of fire.

Osbat al-Nour is a splinter faction of Osbat al-Ansar, which is on a US list of terrorist organisations. However, a spokesman for Osbat al-Ansar had denied links with Hamade. Late on Monday a mediator had said he struck an 11th-hour deal for the surrender of Hamade.

"After difficult negotiations, we have reached an agreement in principle to hand over the murderer to the concerned parties," Palestinian Islamic mediator Abu Sharif, spokesman for Osbat al-Ansar, had told reporters. Abu Sharif said he took part in long negotiations with Sheikh Abdullah Shreidi, leader of Osbat al-Nur.

Lebanon had turned up pressure for the handover of Hamade from the camp, to which it has entrusted security to the Palestinians since 1969, positioning hundreds of extra soldiers around the camp late Sunday, backed by military vehicles.

Interior Minister Elias Murr warned on Monday: "There is no solution but to hand over the murderer. Otherwise, the army will gradually take harsh measures that could lead to closing all the camp's entrances." Two of Ain Helwe's five entrances had been sealed off by Lebanese troops, who also imposed tight controls on the other three.

Lebanese authorities stay out of the 12 Palestinian camps scattered around the country and which are autonomous and home to supporters of all factions. Ain Helwe is the largest refugee camp with about 50,000 residents. With the noose tightening Palestinian groups had readied a strike force to seize the militant wanted by Lebanese authorities.

About 150 militiamen armed with assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades gathered Monday at the main entrance of the camp, but leaders of Palestinian factions and camp leaders first agreed to give a "last chance" to the negotiations.