"Fadhl Chalak, the former president of Lebanon’s Council for Development and Reconstruction (which is what war had already turned the Ministry of Planning into, back in 1977), charges that the government has intentionally stalled the reconstruction effort. Mr. Chalak, who was instrumental in completing the reconstruction of Beirut after the civil war, says he believes that the government calculated that Shiites in the south would turn against Hezbollah if reconstruction dragged on — a charge the government dismisses as unworthy of response.He quit the development council, he said, after Arab countries pledged hundreds of millions of dollars in aid before the war ended and the government was slow to accept it — which the government also denies.“By delaying funding, they think they can turn Shias against their leaders,” Mr. Chalak said."