BEIRUT: Lebanon’s army chief on Saturday criticized measures in the country’s austerity budget, including a recruitment freeze, warning they would have a negative impact on the military.
General Joseph Aoun’s intervention, rare for a Lebanese army chief, comes after the government approved a budget aimed at unlocking billions of dollars in aid that an official source said includes a three-year army recruitment freeze.
“The ban on recruiting soldiers or cadets, and the ban on dismissal, will have negative consequences on the military institution,” Aoun said in a statement published by the army.
Lebanon is one of the world’s most indebted countries and the government plan is expected to trim the country’s deficit this year to 7.59 percent.
Donors at the so-called CEDRE conference last year pledged $11 billion in aid and soft loans to Lebanon, which vowed to reduce its public spending.
Aoun said the army has already been adopting a stringent approach to spending and last year returned part of its budget to the state coffers.
“The army is the backbone of Lebanon, we do not exaggerate in saying that it guarantees (the country’s) security and stability. Its mission is not limited to times of war and conflicts,” he said.
“Despite the current security stability, significant challenges remain, such as those at our eastern, southern or maritime borders,” Aoun added.
Lebanon has been hit by repeated political deadlocks in recent years and the economic woes have been compounded by the devastating war in neighboring Syria.
It is also technically still at war with Israel, with United Nations peacekeepers stationed on the frontier.
There have been numerous protests in recent weeks against the austerity measures by Lebanese government workers, including by retired soldiers concerned about possible pension reductions.
Civil servant salaries are to be cut under the new budget, which would also introduce a 2-percent tax on imports and increase taxes on interest income from bank deposits from seven to 10 percent.
The plan still needs to be ratified by parliament, giving lawmakers an opportunity to table amendments.
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Lebanon army chief angry at budget measures
Lebanon army chief angry at budget measures
- Joseph Aoun: The ban on recruiting soldiers or cadets, and the ban on dismissal, will have negative consequences on the military institution
- Aoun: The army is the backbone of Lebanon, we do not exaggerate in saying that it guarantees (the country’s) security and stability
Jailed Turkish Kurd leader calls on government to broker deal for Syrian Kurds
- Clashes between Syrian forces and the SDF have cast doubt over a deal to integrate the group’s fighters into the army
ANKARA: Jailed Turkish Kurd leader Abdullah Ocalan said Tuesday that it was “crucial” for Turkiye’s government to broker a peace deal between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Damascus government.
Clashes between Syrian forces and the SDF have cast doubt over a deal to integrate the group’s fighters into the army, which was due to take effect by the end of the year.
Ocalan, founder of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militant group, called on Turkiye to help ensure implementation of the deal announced in March between the SDF and the Syrian government, led by former jihadist Ahmed Al-Sharaa, whose forces ousted longtime ruler Bashar Assad last year.
“It is essential for Turkiye to play a role of facilitator, constructively and aimed at dialogue,” he said in a message released by Turkiye’s pro-Kurdish DEM party.
“This is crucial for both regional peace and to strengthen its own internal peace,” Ocalan, who has been jailed for 26 years, added.
“The fundamental demand made in the agreement signed on March 10 between the SDF and the government in Damascus is for a democratic political model permitting (Syria’s) peoples to govern together,” he added.
“This approach also includes the principle of democratic integration, negotiable with the central authorities. The implementation of the March 10 agreement will facilitate and accelerate that process.”
The backbone of the US-backed SDF is the YPG, a Kurdish militant group seen by Turkiye as an extension of the PKK.
Turkiye and Syria both face long-running unrest in their Kurdish-majority regions, which span their shared border.
In Turkiye, the PKK agreed this year at Ocalan’s urging to end its four-decade armed struggle.
In Syria, Sharaa has agreed to merge the Kurds’ semi-autonomous administration into the central government, but deadly clashes and a series of differences have held up implementation of the deal.
The SDF is calling for a decentralized government, which Sharaa rejects.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, whose country sees Kurdish fighters across the border as a threat, urged the SDF last week not to be an “obstacle” to stability.
Syrian Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi said Thursday that “all efforts” were being made to prevent the collapse of talks.
Clashes between Syrian forces and the SDF have cast doubt over a deal to integrate the group’s fighters into the army, which was due to take effect by the end of the year.
Ocalan, founder of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militant group, called on Turkiye to help ensure implementation of the deal announced in March between the SDF and the Syrian government, led by former jihadist Ahmed Al-Sharaa, whose forces ousted longtime ruler Bashar Assad last year.
“It is essential for Turkiye to play a role of facilitator, constructively and aimed at dialogue,” he said in a message released by Turkiye’s pro-Kurdish DEM party.
“This is crucial for both regional peace and to strengthen its own internal peace,” Ocalan, who has been jailed for 26 years, added.
“The fundamental demand made in the agreement signed on March 10 between the SDF and the government in Damascus is for a democratic political model permitting (Syria’s) peoples to govern together,” he added.
“This approach also includes the principle of democratic integration, negotiable with the central authorities. The implementation of the March 10 agreement will facilitate and accelerate that process.”
The backbone of the US-backed SDF is the YPG, a Kurdish militant group seen by Turkiye as an extension of the PKK.
Turkiye and Syria both face long-running unrest in their Kurdish-majority regions, which span their shared border.
In Turkiye, the PKK agreed this year at Ocalan’s urging to end its four-decade armed struggle.
In Syria, Sharaa has agreed to merge the Kurds’ semi-autonomous administration into the central government, but deadly clashes and a series of differences have held up implementation of the deal.
The SDF is calling for a decentralized government, which Sharaa rejects.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, whose country sees Kurdish fighters across the border as a threat, urged the SDF last week not to be an “obstacle” to stability.
Syrian Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi said Thursday that “all efforts” were being made to prevent the collapse of talks.
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