LebanonActing Transport Minister Ali Hamieh announced Thursday that the government is scrapping its controversial plan to expand Beirut’s international airport, according to multiple Lebanese press reports. The change comes as retired military members protested in front of major banks over the suffocating economic crisis.
Background: Last week, Hamieh announced a $122 million deal with the Irish company daa International to build a new terminal at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport. The announcement was made during a ceremony in Beirut attended by Irish State Minister James Browne. The airport has not been renovated since 1998, and Hamieh said the project would create more than 2,500 new jobs.
Many Lebanese have criticized the lack of a competitive bidding process, as a foreign contractor apparently awarded the contract before Lebanese companies had a chance to bid.
Naharnet reported that Hamieh made the decision after a “request” by the Lebanese Shiite Islamist group Hezbollah. The Christian Kataeb party said Hamieh canceled the project after his MP Salim Sayegh proposed forming a parliamentary commission to investigate the deal, according to the official National News Agency.
Why it matters: The abrupt cancellation of the plan is the latest sign of government incompetence in crisis-ridden Lebanon. Earlier this week, Prime Minister Najib Mikati rejected his controversial decision to postpone DST which led to two time zones existing simultaneously throughout Lebanon.
Know more: Retired servicemen protested outside Lebanon’s central bank on Thursday demanding higher pensions, according to local reports. Retired soldiers also tried to storm the government headquarters last week to demand higher pensions.
