MEET THE GOVERNMENT: THE PROFILES OF LEBANON’S NEW MINISTERS
NowLebanon
July 11 2008
Lebanon
Late Friday afternoon, the make-up of Lebanon’s 70th government was
announced to the media from the presidential palace in Baabda. The
cabinet includes both familiar faces and relative unknowns: NOW Lebanon
provides some background on the 30 figures currently capturing the
nation’s attention.
Fouad Siniora, Prime Minister (Sunni, Future affiliated)
Fouad Siniora was born in 1953 and succeeded former Prime Minister
Omar Karami in 2005. Considered a technocrat, he obtained his
business administration degree from the American University of
Beirut and subsequently worked at Citibank, AUB and the Central
Bank before becoming minister of finance in two of Rafik Hariri’s
governments. Siniora held the ministerial post under successive Hariri
governments (1992-1998, 2000-2004). A pro-business, pro-free-trade
politician, Siniora was a close Hariri aide and introduced the VAT
in 2002.
Siniora headed the first administration following the Syrian withdrawal
in 2005 and formed his government amid the political turmoil resulting
from the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Siniora
witnessed two conflicts during his first term: the Hezbollah-Israel
July War of 2006 and the Nahr al-Bared battles in northern Lebanon
in 2007. He is remembered by many for sobbing while appealing to the
international community for help during the July War.
Mohammad Chattah, Minister of Finance (Sunni, Future affiliated)
Dr. Mohammad Chattah was born in Tripoli and has been senior advisor
to Prime Minister Fouad Siniora since his election in 2005. He was
educated in economics at the American University of Beirut and the
University of Texas, where he received his doctorate. He previously
worked at the International Monetary Fund in Washington, D.C., and
as vice president of the Bank of Lebanon. He was later appointed as
ambassador to the United States from 1997 to 2000 and returned to the
IMF in 2001. Following the assassination of former Prime Minister
Rafik Hariri, he returned to Lebanon to work under Prime Minister
Fouad Siniora.
Tammam Salam, Minister of Culture (Sunni, Future affiliated)
Former MP Tammam Salam, son of former PM Saeb Salam, was the head of
the Makassed Foundation in the 1980s. A known moderate, he called
for the boycott of the 1992 legislative elections and ran as an
independent in 1996, winning a seat as one of Beirut’s Sunni MPs
on Rafik Hariri’s list. After winning again with Hariri in 1998,
he lost by a landslide in 2000. He has not aligned himself with any
faction since the Cedar Revolution.
Bahia Hariri, Minister of Education (Sunni, Future Movement)
Bahia Hariri was born in Saida in 1952 and is the sister of
assassinated former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri. She has been an
MP since 1992, elected to the same seat in the 1992, 1996, 2000, and
2005 elections. Hariri worked as a teacher until the late seventies,
before becoming head of the Hariri Foundation. She also heads the
Parliamentary Commission for Education and Culture, is a good will
UNESCO ambassador, a member of the Lebanese American University’s
board of trustees, and head of the Islamic Organization for Higher
Education. She has worked on projects aimed at supporting the
development of the role and status of Arab women and previously
campaigned to pass several laws to protect women. She is the
vice-president of the commission for women at the inter-parliamentary
Arab Union and was one of 1,000 women proposed for the Nobel Peace
Prize in 2005.
Khaled Qabbani, Minister of State (Sunni, Future Movement)
Khaled Qabbani, was the minister of education and higher studies in
Prime Minster Fouad Siniora’s first cabinet from July 2005 to July
2008, and justice minster in the cabinet of former Prime Minister
Najib Mikati from April 2005 to July 2005.
Mohammad Safadi, Minister of Economy and Trade (Sunni, Tripoli bloc)
Mohammad Safadi was born in Tripoli in 1944 and spent most of his
career as a businessman. He started his first business in Lebanon
in 1969 and then turned his attention abroad, investing in Saudi
Arabia and Europe. In the 1990s, he established Safadi Group Holding
SAL in Lebanon. The group deals primarily in property development,
banking, aviation, information technology tourism and industry. In
the year 2000, he successfully ran for one of the Sunni parliamentary
seats for Tripoli. He won re-election in 2005 and is a member of the
three-minister Tripoli bloc. Safadi served as minster of public works
and transport in Prime Minister Fouad Siniora’s first cabinet.
Ibrahim Shamseddine, Minister of Information (Shia, Independent)
Ibrahim Shamseddine was born in 1959 and is a Shia leader and the son
of Imam Mohammed Mehdi Shamseddine, the former president of the Higher
Shia Counsel. He is also the head of Imam Shamseddine Institute for
Dialogue and a member of the Lebanese Gathering for Dialogue. He is
the president of the Cultural Charity Organization, an NGO that works
on education and development, originally founded by his father. From
1991 to 1996, he was the vice president of the Council for Development
and Reconstruction (CDR). He is married with four children and has a
Masters in Business Administration (MBA) and a BA in Political Science
and Public Administration from the American University of Beirut.
Ghazi Aridi, Minister of Transport and Public Works (Druze, PSP)
Ghazi Aridi was born in 1954 in the town of Baisour and is a prominent
figure in the Progressive Socialist Party. Aridi first entered national
politics in 2000 when he won the Druze seat in Beirut’s third electoral
district. During his first term as a parliamentarian, he served as
minister of information in then-Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s fourth
cabinet from October 2000 until April 2003, and then became the
minister of culture in Hariri’s fifth cabinet from April 2003 until
October 2004. He was re-elected during parliamentary elections in
2005 and was appointed as minister of information in Fouad Siniora’s
first cabinet. Aridi has been a political advisor to PSP President
Walid Jumblatt since 1991, and held several high-level positions
in the PSP during the 1980s, including assistant secretary general,
central information officer and member of the party’s command council.
Wael Abou Faour, Minister of State (Druze, PSP)
Wael Abou Faour was born in 1972. He was elected MP in 2005 as
part of the Democratic Gathering bloc representing the Western
Bekaa (Rashaya). He is also a senior member of the Progressive
Socialist Party. Abu Faour was a member of the following parliamentary
committees: agriculture and tourism, youth and sports and information
technology. He graduated from the American University of Beirut with
a degree in Public administration.
Nassib Lahoud, Minister of State (Maronite, Qornet Chahwan)
Nassib Lahoud was born in 1944 to former deputy and minister Selim
Lahoud. His cousin is former pro-Syrian president Emile Lahoud. As an
engineer, he is the founder and partner of the regional construction
company Lahoud Engineering Co. Ltd. He used to be Lebanon’s ambassador
to the US after working to pass the Taif Accord and has been an MP
representing the North Metn since 1991. In 2001 he joined the Qornet
Shehwan Gathering and co-founded the Democratic Renewal Movement. He
is considered a moderate when it comes to Lebanese-Syrian relations
but is part of the March 14 alliance.
Elie Marouni, Minister of Tourism (Marointe, Kataeb)
Elie Marouni is the Kataeb party president for the Zahle district. He
was part of the Future Movement’s list for the Bekaa Zahle constituency
in 2005 but lost. Marouni’s brother, Nasri, was killed along with
Kataeb party member Selim Assi in April when Joseph Zouki, an Elie
Skaff loyalist, opened fire on a celebration for the opening of a
party office in Zahle.
Tony Karam, Minister of the Environment (Maronite, LF)
Tony Karam was born in Hadath in 1956. He received his elementary
education at the Sacred Hearts School and his elementary and secondary
education at the St. Joseph Institute, Aintoura. He graduated from the
University of St. Joseph, Faculty of Medicine in 1985. He has been a
member of the Lebanese Forces since its founding, and he was active in
the medical field. He established a number of medical institutions. He
is currently a member of the LF executive committee. He is married to
Danielle Mattar and has two children: Mark Henry (18) and Tania (15).
Ibrahim Najjar, Minister of Justice (Orthodox, LF)
Ibrahim Najjar is from the North Lebanon village of Amioun in the Koura
district, is close to the Lebanese Forces and was formerly a Kataeb
party official. He was head of the Kataeb’s Koura district bureau
from 1973 to 1978. Najjar is also a law professor at Université
Saint Joseph.
Tarek Mitri, Minister of Information (Orthodox, Independent)
Tarek Mitri was born in 1950 and has played a significant role in
advocating freedom of expression in Lebanon. Most recently, Mitri
successfully pushed for lifting the ban on the film adaptation of
Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis. Mitri was environment and administrative
development minister in 2005 and is currently culture minister. He
has a doctorate from the University of Paris and has been a professor
in several international institutions. He has extensive experience
promoting Christian-Muslim relations and has published on the subject.
Raymond Audi, Minister of the Displaced (Catholic, Independent)
Raymond Audi is the chairman of the board and general manager of Bank
Audi SAL – Audi Saradar Group, Lebanon. Born in Saida in 1932, Audi
has been director of the bank since its inception in 1962 and has been
its chairperson since 1998. He is also chairman of the bank’s Corporate
Governance and Remuneration Committee. Audi founded Bank Audi with his
brothers, father and a Kuwaiti businessman, an institution that is now
widely recognized both locally and regionally. He is also president of
the Association of Banks and has received numerous awards, among them,
the Euromoney Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Development
of Financial Services in the Middle East, and an honorary doctorate
from the Lebanese American University.
Jean Ogassapian, Minister of State (Armenian, Tashnaq)
Jean Ogassapian was born in 1954, is a Beirut MP and is the outgoing
minister of state for administrative development. He studied in
Lebanon, Jordan, France, Germany and the US. He is a ranking colonel in
the Lebanese Armed Forces and was the head of the president’s security
team from 1990 to 1999. He was the assistant to the commander of the
presidential guard from 1998 until 2000. He is a Future Bloc member and
was previously a minister of state in PM Fouad Siniora’s 2005 cabinet.
Fawzi Salloukh, Minister of Foreign Affairs (Shia, Amal)
Fawzi Salloukh was born in 1931 in Qumatiyya, Aley. Salloukh was
appointed minister of foreign affairs and emigrants in Prime Minister
Fouad Siniora’s cabinet in July 2005 and resigned in November 2006
along with five other opposition figures. He graduated from the
American University of Beirut in 1954 with a degree in political
science. He is a career diplomat and served as ambassador to Sierra
Leone (1964-1971), Nigeria (1978-1985), Algeria (1985-1987), Austria
(1990-1994) and Belgium (1994-1995). Before taking up his ministerial
position, Salloukh was the secretary general of the Islamic University
from 1998 to 2005. He is married to Hind Basma and has three children.
Ghazi Zeaiter, Ministery of Industry (Shia, Amal)
Ghazi Zeaiter was born in 1949. He was elected as an MP in 2005,
representing Baalbek-Hermel and served on the administration and
justice and finance and budget committees. Originally a lawyer, he
is a member of the Nahib Berri’s Liberation and Development Bloc. He
was previously elected as an MP in 1996. In 1998, he was the minister
of defense.
Mohammad Jawad Khalifeh, Minister of Health (Shia, Amal)
Mohammad Jawad Khalifeh is a member of the Amal Movement and no
stranger to his current ministry. He held the post in Prime Minister
Fouad Siniora’s first cabinet from July 2005 until he resigned with
five other ministers in November 2006, and before that he served in
this role in former PM Najib Mikati’s cabinet from April 2005 until
July 2005, and in former PM Omar Karami’s cabinet from October 2004 to
April 2005. Khalifeh is a doctor and has served as head of the general
surgery department at the American University of Beirut Medical Center
and secretary of the Lebanese Association for Organ Donors.
Mohammad Fneish, Minister of Labor (Shia, Hezbollah)
Mohammad Fneish was born in the South Lebanon town of Maaroub in
1953. He is a member of Hezbollah and entered national politics in
1992 when elected as a member of parliament representing Bint Jbeil. A
member of the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc, Fneish was re-elected
for that seat in 1996 and 2000. In 2005 he was elected to represent
Tyre and appointed minister of energy and water. Fneish was one of the
six ministers who resigned from the cabinet in November 2006. Before
entering politics, he worked as a teacher. Fneish is married with
seven children.
Ali Qanso, Minister of State (Shia, SSNP)
Ali Qanso was born in 1948 and spent the early years of his career
as a teacher. Qanso is a strong supporter of Syria and has served
as the president of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP). He
served as minister of labor in former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s
fourth cabinet from October 2000 to April 2003. Hezbollah nominated
Qanso for the current cabinet, and it sparked a controversy when,
on Wednesday, July 9, then-Prime Minster designate Fouad Siniora
"vetoed" his name. On Friday, July 11, Saad Hariri announced that
he told Siniora to withdraw his objection and within two hours,
the cabinet was announced.
Talal Arslan, Minister of Youth and Sports (Druze, Lebanese Democratic
Party)
Talal Arslan was born in the coastal town of Choueifat in 1963. Arslan
hails from the Yazbak clan, which has long jockeyed for power in
Lebanon with the other prominent Druze clan, the Jumblatts. He is
married with two children and studied political science and economy
in the U.S. before receiving a master’s degree from AUB. Arslan heads
the Lebanese Democratic Party which he founded in 2001 and has been
involved in politics since 1988. In 1992, 1996 and 2000 he was elected
to represent the Baabda-Aley district in Parliament but lost to rival
Walid Jumblatt’s Progressive Socialist Party in 2005. Arslan has
also served several times as a cabinet minister in the governments
of former prime ministers Omar Karami and Rafik al-Hariri. He was
minister of tourism between 1990 and 1992, minister of emigrants
from 1996 to 1998, minister of state from 2000 to 2004 and minister
of the displaced from 2004 to 2005. Arslan is staunchly pro-Syrian.
Mario Aoun, Minister of Social Affairs (Maronite, FPM)
Mario Aoun was born in Damour in 1951 and is a political advisor
with the Free Patriotic Movement. He graduated from the University
of Bordeaux with a medical degree in endocrinology and metabolic
illnesses in 1982. Aoun worked as both chief of service at the Lebanese
Hospital in Jeitawi and on the staff of St. Charles Hospital in 2004,
and was the Free Patriotic Movement’s coordinator in Damour. He was
elected the first FPM head of the Lebanese Order of Physicians that
same year. The FPM lost control of the Order of Physicians in 2007,
when March 14’s list won. Aoun also ran for the Maronite seat in the
Chouf district in 2005, losing to Lebanese Forces MP George Adwan, who
ran on Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt’s list. Aoun
went to Doha with the FPM contingent in mid May of 2008.
Gebran Bassil, Minister of Telecommunications (Maronite, FPM)
Gebran Bassil is the political relations officer of Michel Aoun’s Free
Patriotic Movement and a close Aoun aide as well as his son-in-law. In
2005 he unsuccessfully ran for the Maronite parliamentary seat in
Batroun. He is a long-time FPM activist and was particularly active
during the 1990s while Aoun was in exile in Paris. Bassil is a likely
candidate for becoming the deputy president of the FPM, the party’s
second-highest position, which is allegedly creating tension within
the party. Bassil was instrumental in negotiating the memorandum of
understanding the FPM signed with Hezbollah in February 2006.
Issam Abu Jamra, Deputy Prime Minister (Orthodox, FPM)
Former Major General Issam Abou Jamra was born in the South Lebanon
town of Al-Kfeir in 1937 and has been an important official in the Free
Patriotic Movement since the movement was founded. Abou Jamra joined
the Lebanese army in 1956. He graduated from the military academy
in 1959 as an artillery officer, served as secretary of the army,
commander in chief, commander of the second artillery battalion,
commander of the second brigade, commander of the seventh brigade,
inspector general of the defense ministry, and attended military
courses in France and the US. Abou Jamra also received a law degree in
1984. He served in General Michel Aoun’s military cabinet in 1988-89
as deputy premier and head of six ministries, after which he was exiled
to France with Aoun in 1990. He returned with him as well in 2005.
Elie Skaff, Minister of Agriculture (Catholic, Popular Bloc)
Elias Skaff is from the Bekaa and a member of the Aoun-aligned Popular
Bloc. He was industry minister in Rafik Hariri’s fifth cabinet from
2003 through October 2004 and was minister of agriculture in Omar
Karami’s cabinet from 2004 to 2005. He has represented Zahle as an MP
since 1992 and was the deputy during the April 2008 scandal when two
of his bloc’s supporters shot up a Kataeb party headquarters ceremony,
killing two before escaping. He denied giving the perpetrators cover.
Alain Tabourian, Minister of Energy (Armenian, Tashnaq)
Alain Tabourian was born in Beirut in 1964. Tabourian is the son of
former MP Andre Tabourian and is a graduate of Harvard University. He
previously served as minister in governments led by Omar Karami and
Najib Mikati.
Ziad Baroud, Minister of Interior (Maronite, President’s quota)
Ziad Baroud is a lawyer and human rights activist. He is a lecturer
at St. Joseph University, where he received his masters in law in
1992. Baroud’s areas of specialty are public and administrative,
civil, educational, and syndicate law. He also works as a consultant
with the United Nations Development Program, offering advice on local
governance and decentralization, and is the retainer legal counselor
for the World Bank’s office in Beirut. Baroud served as secretary
general of the Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections and was
a member of the National Council for a New Electoral Law, which wrote
a draft law in 2006. He disagreed with the law’s mandate to divide
the mohafaza of Mount Lebanon into two constituencies and lodged a
formal objection, which was submitted to parliament along with the law.
Elias al-Murr, Minister of Defense (Orthodox, President’s quota)
Elias al-Murr was born in the Metn town of Bteghrine in 1962, son of
political heavyweight Michel al-Murr. He studied law in Switzerland
and worked as a lawyer in Beirut, Paris and Geneva. Murr also serves
as chairman for over 20 corporations in Lebanon and abroad. He married
Carine Lahoud, daughter of former President Emile Lahoud. The two
have three children and are now divorced. Murr entered government in
2000 as interior minister after Rafik al-Hariri and his allies won
big in parliamentary elections and Hariri demanded Murr’s father
resign the post. Murr maintained that position until 2005 when he
became both defense minister and deputy prime minister. Murr and his
father were long-time supporters of Syria and closely tied to former
President Lahoud. He survived an assassination attempt on July 11,
2005, in the northern town of Naccache. Murr’s father has been moving
closer to the March 14 coalition in recent months, and he formally
left Michel Aoun’s Change and Reform bloc in April 2008.
Youssef Taqla, Minister of State (Catholic, President’s quota)
A lawyer by profession, Taqla, who hails from Zouk Mikael, is
the grandson of Selim Taqla, a prominent figure in the Lebanese
independence movement, and son of banker and eight-time minister of
foreign affairs Philippe Taqla.
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