●Adlieh telecom building standoff; Baroud steps aside

The telecommunications minister Charbel Nahas wanted to inspect the equipment of the third mobile network (a Chinese gift supervised by Ogero) on the second floor of the ministry building in Adlieh. The reason was the existence of some 50,000 lines run secretly and entirely independently for unknown security and intelligence purposes, and suspicions circulated that the network might be used to support the Syrian opposition's communications beyond the Syrian army's reach. Major General Ashraf Rifi sent Information Branch men to stop him. The interior minister Ziad Baroud ordered the men withdrawn, and Rifi ignored him, arguing that his orders came from a higher authority, and a clash between the army and the gendarmerie nearly broke out. On Thursday 26 May 2011 Baroud announced that he was stepping aside from exercising his powers in protest, and the army took over the disputed floor; Marwan Charbel succeeded him on 13 June.