Report: Warnings against 'Removing' Salameh

The calls to remove the governor of the central bank Riad Salameh from his post will likely lead to “unfavorable” results, and could negatively affect the value of Lebanon’s already sagging currency, the Saudi Asharq al-Awsat reported on Saturday.

“Any void in the post, relations and role of Salameh will be reflected on the exchange rate,” political sources told the daily on condition of anonymity.

They stated that Speaker Nabih Berri and Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rahi constitute a “safety net” for Salameh’s stay, they told the daily.

Berri on Friday said there were “no compelling reasons for his dismissal,” while Rahi considered Salameh a red line during his talks with President Michel Aoun in Baabda a day earlier.

“Removing Salameh from his post could have negative repercussions on the negotiations with the International Monetary Fund which Lebanon is asking for aid to overcome its economic crisis,” the sources emphasized.

Adding to the above was the "American dissatisfaction reflected by the US ambassador to Lebanon with the recent financial appointments," they said.

“The International community was not satisfied with the latest appointments, therefore we can not deepen the crisis by triggering a new clash by removing Salameh from his post,” they noted.

Tensions have grown recently between the government, which is backed by Hizbullah, and the central bank's governor.

Experts say the cabinet would like to see Salameh removed from the position he has held since 1993.

Protesters accuse him of having encouraged state borrowing over the decades that they say benefited only the banking and political elite.