Salam Says Lebanon Breaking Down
Prime Minister Tammam Salam has warned that Lebanon is breaking down because of differences between the rival political parties and their failure to resolve controversial issues.
Salam told the Washington Post in an interview that the 1.5 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon “are a burden because they share our electricity, our water, our schools, our roads, our commerce, our jobs — and yes, the Lebanese are tired of this.”
“But the (real) breakdown in Lebanon will take place because of the inability to solve the problems of the country, like the garbage issue and others,” he said.
The garbage crisis erupted when Lebanon's largest landfill in Naameh was closed on July 17. Trash began piling up on the streets, leading to anti-government demonstrations.
The main activist group behind the protests is the “You Stink” movement.
“I can’t blame them at all,” Salam told his interviewer about the protesters.
“I respect their anger, because it is emanating from a reality: the weakness in almost everything as a result of the stalemate the country is going through — the incapacity of electing a new president for the past year and four months, the paralysis of legitimate institutions like the parliament, and the paralysis also seeping through to the Council of Ministers,” he said.
Asked about the vacuum at the Baabda Palace, Salam said: “Solving the problem in Lebanon requires much less effort. It only requires the international big powers and the regional ones to get together and say, “Yes, we will support this guy as a president,” and things will start moving.”
Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014 as a result of differences between the March 8 and 14 alliances.
19 September 2015, 09:59
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Salam Says Lebanon Breaking Down
and Hezbollah is lurking in the background to take over.
19 September 2015, 14:53
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Salam Says Lebanon Breaking Down, and we say that's GOOD thing!
19 September 2015, 16:32
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At least he speaks the truth. Something rare in politics and even more rare in Lebanese politics.
19 September 2015, 21:08
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This bald headed worm has no honor and is clearly the worse Prime Minister in Lebanon's history. He should compete with the Palestinian Abbas for loser/traitor of the year in the Islamic world.
19 September 2015, 21:21
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Well, it is blue, during the day, that is true. But not at night, or not in a dust storm when its sort of a brownish red. So that sort of depends on who's looking and when.
But the Lebanese state deteriorating, well now that is true, day or night, rain shine or dust storm, that is a true statement.
19 September 2015, 21:24
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This is how a nation dies. A nation is her people and when the people rot so does the nation.
19 September 2015, 21:24
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Lebanon is not just rotting from the smell of garbage in the streets, its people are rotting. The push to have money, or at least appear that you have wealth has driven the people to go to whatever means necessary to acquire wealth. The big rollers, like Hezbollah deal in drugs and diamonds and if you're passing through Beit Meri and see all of the palatial cut stone mansions, it wasn't chump change that paid for all of that.
For the next tier, they milk their politicians to the point that the political class in Lebanon are regional whores who will beg money from anyone and give up anything to get it.
Then at the village level, they sell their ancestral lands for enough money to last a season and when the land is all gone, then they dress up their best looking daughters and send them to prostitution to bring home the money to buy the bling and show out like they are top class people when they are not.
19 September 2015, 23:32
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the only way Lebanon will be saved if you kill all M8 and M14 heads
and realize that there is one people and one Lebanon
20 September 2015, 00:48
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I don't understand why electing a president in Lebanon is dependant on if other regional whatever get together and agree or not.
20 September 2015, 07:21
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It's funny/sad how we are resigned to the fact that foreign powers get to choose our leaders. Salam says it as a matter of fact, as if nothing is wrong with that, and people swallow it without hesitation. Pity the nation.
20 September 2015, 07:55
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Finally someone noticed, it's shameful a PM of a "country" Lebanon, to casually say the Lebanese are just waiting for regional and international powers to ok a name, any name, and the Lebanese will have a President. Shame shame on you all. Disgraceful!
