Lebanese President Aoun breaks his silence

BAALBEK: A week into daily demonstrations that have gone on into the early hours, the Lebanese may be in need of a pick me up - and the country's most famous drug dealer offered just that yesterday. Nouh Zaiter, a hashish dealer on the run from Lebanese authorities, delivered a blunt message in support of anti-corruption protests that have crippled the country. The self-styled Lebanese Robin Hood released a video on a local news site calling on protesters in the eastern Baalbek region to demonstrate.

"I hope that everyone who goes to the protests brings a Lebanese flag with them," he said, in an address laced with anger. "I hope that every oppressed and deprived person goes to the square," he said, wearing a baseball cap backwards, a hoodie and a chain around his neck. Protests sparked on October 17 by a proposed tax on calls made through messaging apps like Whatsapp have morphed into unprecedented cross-sectarian street demonstrations.

Demonstrators are demanding corruption be weeded out, as well as the overthrow of the entire political class. In downtown Beirut, where tens of thousands have gathered daily, graffiti reading "Nouh Zaiter for president" has been scrawled in at least one location. Baalbek, a poor and somewhat lawless area close to the Syrian border, is affiliated with the Shiite militant group Hezbollah.

It is known as the drug capital of Lebanon, with hashish grown relatively openly. Zaiter, who courts media attention, did not say if he would attend the protest but is wanted on 4,000 charges, according to an AFP correspondent in Baalbek. In February Lebanese security forces seized 20 truckloads of Zaitar's hash from a farm in Bekaa, local media reported. In 2014 a bullet grazed his shoulder during a shootout with the Lebanese army, a local newspaper reported.

Aoun broke his silence
Meanwhile, Lebanese President Michel Aoun broke his silence after a week of unprecedented protests Thursday, expressing willingness to meet demonstrators. "I am ready to meet your representatives… to hear your demands," he said in a short televised speech, his first since daily street protests began on October 17. The speech was met with derision at demonstrations in Beirut and other cities.

The protesters have been venting their frustration at daily woes from lack of healthcare to power cuts, and calling for the replacement of a political system they say is corrupt and broken. Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Monday presented a package of reforms, including cutting ministerial salaries, but the peaceful rallies have continued, crippling Beirut and other major cities. "The reform paper that was approved will be the first step to save Lebanon and remove the spectre of financial and economic collapse," Aoun said.

"It was your first achievement because you helped remove obstacles in front of it and it was adopted in record speed," the president told protesters. In Lebanon, the president does not control government policy, though Aoun's political party, the majority-Christian Free Patriotic Movement, is a key part of Hariri's governing coalition. The president also echoed calls on the street to stamp out graft. "Every person who stole public money should be held accountable but it is important their sect doesn't defend him blindly," he said.

Dozens of protesters listening to the speech on loudspeakers outside parliament booed it and resumed their calls for fundamental reform, an AFP correspondent reported. Among them, Rabah Shahrour said he was fed up with hearing the same speeches for years. "We were looking for a little hope from him," he said of the president's speech. "But sadly the president today spoke in generalities. We've being hearing these generalities for three years, and they haven't led to anything."- Agencies