Lebanon Averts Internet Cut as Sehnaoui Confirms Payment of Dues
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Lebanon avoided being cut from the India-Middle East-Western Europe (IMEWE) consortium project after caretaker Telecommunications Minister Nicolas Sehnaoui announced that the country had paid its dues, he announced via Twitter on Saturday.
He revealed that the payment was made at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday.
“The payment problem was solved thanks to a successful coordination between the Minister of Finance and myself,” he tweeted.
Earlier, al-Akhbar and al-Mustaqbal newspaper had warned that Lebanon's Internet connection was at threat over its failure to pay its dues to the IMEWE consortium project.
Sources from the Telecommunications Ministry told al-Akhbar that the consortium had warned Lebanon that it should pay its dues of some 1.6 million dollars before a November 3 deadline otherwise the consortium would be forced to vote Lebanon out of the project.
The sources said that this warning was given “a while ago” to Abdul Monem Youssef, the general director of the state-owned OGERO Telecom, but he only informed Sehnaoui of the development on Friday.
His memorandum held the minister responsible for any repercussions that may erupt should Lebanon fail to meet the deadline, which would cost the country some 60 percent of its Internet, said al-Akhbar.
Al-Mustaqbal reported however that OGERO Telecom had sent the memorandum to the Ministry on May 21, but it did not receive any reply from Sehnaoui.
Youssef then informed state officials, starting with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati, of the development.
Al-Mustaqbal explained that cabinet had tasked on December 13, 2011 the telecommunications minister of “representing Lebanon at all agreements linked to the IMEWE cable”.
This task includes paying Lebanon's dues and performing maintenance operations on the cable, which therefore exempts OGERO Telecom from any legal or contractual obligations towards the consortium, explained the daily.
02 November 2013, 08:44
2411
sehnawi is only interested in tracking legal phone owners.... not parallel and illegal networks nor paying bills. a christian with a shia mentality.... just wat lebanon needed.... instead of favoring Lebanon as one.
02 November 2013, 14:00
03
what lebanon needs is people to not include religion everywhere and change the way they percieve things..just saying !
03 November 2013, 01:31
317
wow that statement is so racist and unnecessary what does his lack of doing his job have to do with him being a Christian or a muslim why don't you base it on facts instead of blind hatred and prejudices
04 November 2013, 20:22
11
between primesuspect and baniyasou3's comments we can clearly see the rottenness of certain people's mentalities here.
02 November 2013, 09:00
2310
Unfortunately Sehnaoui will not pay the bill unless IMEWE agrees to give him his customary bribe.
02 November 2013, 09:51
30
excellent idea, i hope they will be cutoff from the world so the lebanese people ( I call them the uneducated population) will realize that for over 60 years nothing good came out from their politician or their religious leaders but missery, distruction and dispare....
02 November 2013, 10:09
2212
No, haboub what you are claiming as usual is false and lies. كانت هيئة "اوجيرو" أرسلت الى وزارة الاتصالات كتابها رقم 4442/هـ.أ./2013 تاريخ 21/5/2013 في الموضوع عينه من دون أن يلقى أي جواب من قبل المعنيين في الوزار
Naharnet's article is incomplete.
04 November 2013, 20:20
01
nia2 baniyasou3. your comments are disgusting and cheap. words show the level of the person that writes them.
02 November 2013, 10:10
1614
Abdul Monem Youssef should be sentenced to hard labor and life jail for his behaviors! he keeps pulling Lebanon to pre-historic era ... hariri should also pay Lebanon's debt and also jailed. thieves!
02 November 2013, 10:49
218
Here's an excerpt from today's newspapers:
وتقع مسؤولية سداد المستحقات المطلوبة والمقدرة بمليون و850 الف دولار اميركي على وزارة الاتصالات بعدما كان مجلس الوزراء بتاريخ 13/12/2011 قد كلف وزير الاتصالات "تمثيل لبنان في الاتفاقيات المتعلقة بالكابل IMEWE ، وتفويضه اتخاذ جميع التدابير الآيلة الى تجهيز واستثمار وصيانة هذا الكابل البحري، بحسب القوانين والانظمة المرعية الاجراء، وبالتالي لا يوجد اي مسؤولية قانونية او تعاقدية على عاتق هيئة "اوجيرو""
02 November 2013, 11:33
206
of course it s M14 fault, nothing better would come out of your mouth anyways....
typical M8 to find a scapegoat to their failures....
02 November 2013, 11:50
206
Al-Mustaqbal reported however that OGERO Telecom had sent the memorandum to the Ministry on May 21, but it did not receive any reply from Sehnaoui.....
02 November 2013, 11:51
206
Amazing the logic of people like frame thrower ..... Blinded by his hate for anything that is Sunni, he must find excuses for his inadequate minister. The FPM and HA have been running the government for almost 3 years, yet they still blame their political opponents for their failures. Let's purge the whole country, the army, judiciary, etc from everybody except Aounis and Shia, and then the country will run like a Rolex!
02 November 2013, 12:48
205
iza attatka mazamati min nakisene fahiya al chahadato lia bi aniya kamelon.
02 November 2013, 11:59
2010
Let me answer this..... Yes, you are! I read both articles in the 2 newspapers quoted and online news portals. The Miqati/HA/Aoun cabinet in 2011 issued a decree making contact with IMEWE exclusive to the Minister of Telecom. This was part of your Minister's attempt to limit OGERO's responsibilities. OGERO has not attended IMEWE meetings for over a year now. OGERO informed the Ministry through a written statement dated 13/12/2011 that payments were overdue. Your esteemed minister ignored the statement/request. Now, go do some research and prove what is fact as non-fact, something you have been well paid to do.
02 November 2013, 12:09
207
Finish reading it yourself and find out how this was no longer under ogero responsibilities. Or did you stop reading where it suited you and went straight for the post section?
02 November 2013, 12:39
206
Oh, now you agree that OGERO has no jurisdiction over internet payments:)) SO, why are you focusing on Abdel Monem? Re-read your first post:) You twist and turn like a snake when you are caught. You are a despicable expert at distorting the truth. Your use of explicits and derogatory adjectives only highlights your evil soul.
02 November 2013, 12:48
204
You read way into what I said. You posted one point that was mentioned in the article that suits your agenda and forgot about the rest. I am not discussing how corrupt or honorable youssef is.
02 November 2013, 12:17
205
" IMEWE payment problem solved thanks to a successful coordination between the Minister of Finance and myself."
and the hero of the day is..... wahahaha! what a setting to make him appear the savior! wahahaha!
02 November 2013, 13:02
204
isn't it so cuuuuute to see FT defend his inefficient minister? waw! a piece of art!
02 November 2013, 15:12
183
Amazing....:)))) Flamethrower has managed to vote people down 11 times so far! It means his argument is correct:) Enjoy
02 November 2013, 16:27
163
read the article , if you can, and you ll find your arguments poor useless FPMer....
02 November 2013, 16:19
02
Seeing sectarianism alive and well reminds me what tribal Africa would look like without the mineral wealth.
02 November 2013, 16:57
122
Even when M8 is in full charge ft finds a way to blame M14. The equivalent of a drunk driver blaming the passengers for all mishaps and accidents. No wonder Lebanon is on the brink of collapse, those in charge refuse to take responsibility for their corruption.
02 November 2013, 21:27
21
What is happening is beond disgusting. Political parties in this banana republic are getting at each other using our lives, and livelihoods as a bargaining chip. When will we revolt and put all those thugs in prison where hey belong? All, as in all Lebanese parties! Enough is enough, people are fed up.
02 November 2013, 21:30
11
And this 1.6 million is our money to start with. We pay for our connections, not a hand out.
