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| Lebanon (Lebanese Republic) |
State on the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Territory - 10.4 thousand sq. km. Population - about 3 million (estimate 1974, there has been no official census since 1932); about 90% are Arabs (Lebanese), the rest are Armenians, Kurds, Greeks, etc. About 400,000 Palestinian refugees live. The capital is Beirut (1 million inhabitants). The state language is Arabic. The population is Muslim and Christian. Since the beginning of the XVI century. and until the end of the First World War, Lebanon was part of the Ottoman (Turkish) Empire. In the fall of 1918, the country was occupied by the Anglo-French troops. Since 1920, Lebanon has been a French mandate. 26.V 1926, the French High Commissioner promulgated a constitution that proclaimed Lebanon a republic, but France retained control over its foreign relations and defense. After the abolition of the articles of the constitution that limited the sovereignty of the country, on November 22, 1943, Lebanon was officially proclaimed an independent republic. However, only on December 31, 1946, the complete withdrawal of French troops from Lebanese territory was completed. The decisive action in 1958 by the USSR and other socialist, as well as Arab countries led to the failure of the US intervention in Lebanon. On the territory of the country, there are organizations of the Palestinian Resistance Movement (PDM), cooperating with the Lebanese National Patriotic Forces (NPS). Since the end of the 60s. imperialist forces, Israel and Lebanese right-wing Christian reactionary circles are trying to defeat the PDS units in that country. To this end Israel repeatedly committed acts of aggression against Lebanon in 1969 and 1973. right-wing Lebanese forces tried to strike the PDS. Since 1975, with minor interruptions between the right-wing Christian forces, which are supported by Israel, and the PDS-NPS bloc, an armed conflict has continued, which between April 1975 and October 1976 took on the character of a civil war. In the course of it, about 30 thousand people died, the country suffered material damage of 10 billion dollars.The armed struggle was suspended only after entering Lebanon in accordance with the decisions of the summit meetings of the Arab countries in Riyadh and Cairo (October 1976. ) "Inter-Arab deterrent forces" (MSS), the basis of which (30 thousand) were the Syrian troops stationed in Lebanon. Since February 1978, the Lebanese right-wing Christian forces have periodically waged military operations against the Syrian troops belonging to the MSS, seeking their withdrawal from the country. In March 1978, Israel launched a large-scale aggression in southern Lebanon. By decision of the UN Security Council, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was sent to the area to monitor the withdrawal of Israeli troops. Israel handed over the border areas it occupied to the right-wing Christian South Lebanon Defense Army, which is preventing the restoration of the legitimate government there. On this occasion, the Lebanese government has repeatedly appealed to the UN Security Council. Israel's aggressive actions against Lebanon intensified even more after the conclusion of a separate "peace" Egyptian-Israeli treaty (March 1979). The current situation in Lebanon is fraught with the threat of a split in the country and the emergence of a new hotbed of war in the Middle East. Lebanon supported the decisions of the Arab summits in Baghdad (November 1978) and Tunisia (November 1979), which condemned the secessionist policy of Egypt and Israel under the auspices of the United States. Lebanon is a republic. The head of state is the president, elected by the parliament for 6 years (since 23 September 1976 - I. Sarkis). The highest legislative body is a unicameral parliament, elected for 4 years on the basis of representation from religious communities. Executive power belongs to the Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister (from 9.XII 1976 - S. Hoss). Based on the so-called. The National Pact of 1943, concluded by the bourgeois-nationalist leaders of Christian and Muslim communities, the president of the country can only be a Christian Maronite, the prime minister is a Sunni Muslim, and the chairman of parliament is a Shiite Muslim. There are several dozen political parties and organizations in the country. Among the right-wing Christian parties, the largest is the Kataib (Phalangists) party, founded in 1936 as a paramilitary youth organization of the Maronite community. Its social base is the petty-bourgeois strata of the city and countryside. The National Liberal Party (NLP) - formed in 1958, expresses the interests of the Maronite bourgeoisie, landowners and clergy. "Kataib" and NLP have armed groups of several tens of thousands of people. United with other right-wing Christian forces in the so-called. "Lebanese Front", acting from anti-Arab positions, for the elimination of the Palestinian presence in Lebanon. The National Bloc Party - founded in 1943, expresses the interests of the moderate liberal strata of the Maronite bourgeoisie. The country's progressive national-patriotic forces are represented by the Lebanese Communist Party, the Progressive Socialist Party and a number of other organizations. Lebanese Communist Party (LCP) - founded in 1924. Fights for the establishment of a national democratic regime, for the political and economic independence of Lebanon. LKP Chairman - N. Shaui. General Secretary of the Central Committee of the LKP - J. Howie. The Progressive Socialist Party of Lebanon - founded in 1949, unites part of the intelligentsia, the petty bourgeoisie, peasants, and enjoys influence among the Druze community. Lebanon's economy is characterized by a very high level of development of trade, banking and tourism compared to other Arab countries, while industry and agriculture play a significantly smaller role. Economic recovery after the war of 1975-76. is proceeding at an extremely slow pace as a result of the persistence of constant tension in the country. Business activity in the economic field is estimated at about 60% compared to the pre-war level. A number of prom. enterprises idle, as a result of which many skilled workers and employees were forced to leave the country (in 1978 alone, 200 thousand people left Lebanon). One of the main sectors of the economy is foreign trade. Due to imports, most of the country's needs for food products, raw materials, machinery and equipment, as well as industrial products are satisfied. consumer goods. At the same time, a significant part of industrial production is exported. and agricultural products (mineral and chemical products, metal products, electrical appliances, textiles, etc.). Approximately 90% of exports are directed to the markets of Arab countries, while goods are imported mainly from developed capitalist countries, with the exception of oil supplied by Saudi Arabia. The volume of trade in 1979 amounted to 9 ^ 8 billion liters. l., including imports - 8.5 billion liters. f., export - 1.3 billion. The trade deficit, covered by remittances from emigrants and the receipt of foreign aid, in 1979 was equal to 4.3 billion. Beirut is the leading banking center in the region. There are 75 commercial banks operating in it (in 1979, their assets amounted to 16.9 billion rubles, of which 45 are owned or controlled by foreign capital. % of all revenues to the state budget. Industry accounts for about 15% of the national income. The most developed industries are the building materials industry, oil refining, textile and food industries. In 1979 it was produced: oil products - 1,757 thousand tons, cement - 1,550 thousand tons, electricity generated about 1,768 million kWh. Agriculture provides about 10% of the national income. The main direction in agriculture is the production of citrus fruits, apples, olives and vegetables, characterized by a high degree of intensification; concentrated mainly in large landlord farms. Cereals and melons, tobacco and grapes are also grown. Harvest in 1979 (in thousand years): citrus - 255, apples - 140, olives - 38, tobacco - 4.5, wheat - 55. The main mode of transport is automobile. The length of the roads is 7.7 thousand km, railways. roads - 408 km. The monetary unit is the Lebanese pound. 100 l. f. = 19.66 rubles. (February 1980).
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