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The minister of agriculture Ghazi Zeaiter described as fruitful the negotiations he undertook with Syrian officials on the sidelines of the Damascus International Fair concerning bilateral agreements. He mentioned some 36 arrangements, in addition to the cooperation and coordination agreement which has had practical outcomes on the export of made-in-Lebanon agricultural goods and on Lebanese farmers across the country. With Syria being the main export gateway to the Arab world, Zeaiter stated, the closure of crossings has led to a crisis in export and to a relatively expensive maritime bridge plan that cost the State around LBP 50 billion for subsidizing exports. To recall, the participation of industry, agriculture and public works ministers in the Damascus Fair did not receive the Cabinet’s full support. Zeaiter’s statement came during his meeting with farmers and agricultural associations in Baalbak, where he spoke of an imminent encounter with his Syrian counterpart to complete the application and activation processes of relevant agreements and the opening of Syrian borders with Jordan and Iraq. (Al Diyar, September 5, 2017)

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An Nahar newspaper highlighted in its issue of today that the tourism industry would have restored the golden years of 2008, 2009 and 20010 and the situation would have been much better had the rate of Iraqi, Jordanian and Syrian arrivals been reinforced with a more reassuring percentage of GCC visitors. For more on the subject, An Nahar interviewed the director general of the ministry of tourism, Nada Sardouk, who confirmed that the Eid holidays set off a promising start for the coming seasons. The 100% hotels occupancy rates and comparable Airbnb, furnished apartments reservations, as well as bookings at guesthouses currently totaling 100 hostels, are all indicators of a promising comeback, Sardouk said. The enhanced influx of Lebanese expats in particular has widely reflected on internal tourism which improved by 40% compared to the past two years, she maintained. Such favorable indicators along with the extraordinary traffic at Beirut International Airport that could be in fact repeated, An Nahar wrote, required Sardouk to call for a corresponding development of airport services to accommodate a larger number of travelers and aircraft, especially" if we truly want to promote international tourism and expatriate movement,” as she put it. And noting the exceptional rate of Iraqi, Jordanian and Egyptian arrivals as compared to other nationalities, with a limited number of GCC nationals, Sardouk hoped the latter will increase in numbers and extend their stay from presently one week to 20 days like in the old times. (An Nahar, September 5, 2017)

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After repeal by the Parliament on August 16 of Article 522 of the Penal Code which exonerates a rapist should he marry his victim, the minister of state for women affairs, Jean Ogassapian, submitted to the Cabinet yesterday a draft for amendment of Articles 505 and 518 of the new bill. The draft provides for severe punishment of a person who sexually assaults a minor or any girl under seduction of marriage.  It also revokes the provisions of above articles that exempt the assailant from punishment if he marries his survivor, given that the punishment for the felony of rape should be irrevocable. To recall, the repeal of article 522 was faced with objection from a number of community and women associations based on the fact that it retains its effects under Article 505 which pardons sex with a minor who completed 15 years if he married his survivor, and also Article 518 related to forced sex by deception or marriage.  (Al Mustaqbal, L’Orient Le Jour, August 31, 2017)

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Following the questioning the intentions behind Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi’s call for amendment of the inheritance law to ensure gender equality and for revoking the decree prohibiting marriage of a non-muslim man and a muslim woman (http://bit.ly/2wI5s2W), a number of Tunisian women expressed doubts about real change given the fierce opposition to such kind of social reform. Balkis, a university student studying English literature from Carthage, said she feels that gender discrimination is still institutionalized in her country, and this would hamper endorsement of similar laws. For her part, Lilia, a university student residing in the capital, expressed doubts over the President’s pledges. “I am confident that these two laws will not be approved given the wide opposition from the Tunisian community and certain politicians," she said. On the other front, Rothna Begum, women’s rights researcher for the Middle East and North Africa at Human Rights Watch, welcomed Essebsi’s initiative, lauding Tunisia’s progressive position in a number of areas related to women’s rights. Discarding some of these discriminatory provisos, Begum said, could help Tunisian women and could serve as a role model for the  region. In a related context, Al Hayat daily wrote the President’s call instigated a rift between Islamists inside Tunisia and those abroad. The Islamic Renaissance Movement, led by Rashid Ghannouchi, criticized Wajdi Guneim, member of the International Muslim Brotherhood, for addressing the president as an ‘unbeliever’. In response, Guneim attacked the secularists, labelling them as infidels just as the country’s independence leader, Al Habib Bourguiba, was an infidel. (An Nahar, Al Hayat, August 24, 2017)

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