Lebanon's ruling majority protests Nasrallah speech
Jumblatt leads charge against direct polls
By Rym Ghazal
Daily Star staff
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
BEIRUT: As the ruling majority continues to lash out at the latest speech by Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah hinting at electing a president based on popular vote, there are contradictory reports on when the actual president gets elected. As verbal clashes continue between the rival political camps, the Cabinet is scheduled to meet Tuesday to discuss 159 points on its agenda, including transferring all major assaults against the state to the Higher Judicial Council and issuing stamps paying tribute to army soldiers killed during fighting in the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp in the North.
In an unprecedented meeting, the Phalange, the National Liberal Party, the Lebanese Forces, the Free Patriotic Movement, the National bloc, Marada, Qornet Shehwan and other Christian factions are reportedly to gather at Bkirki this Thursday. However, later news said the opposition Christian groups and the loyalists will each be meeting among themselves separately, and then the two groups will meet depending on the outcome of the separate meetings.
"We want to protect the presidential elections from being hjacked by suggesting a popular referendum which is against Lebanon's consociational formula for democracy and the Taif Accord," Democratic Gathering leader MP Walid Jumblatt said in an interview with the weekly Al-Anbaa newspaper.
The 1989 Taif Accord upon which Lebanon is formed is a consensus formula based on a multi-confessional Lebanon.
Nasrallah has come under fire by leaders in the majority camp for his suggestion last Friday for electing a president directly from the people as a solution to the ongoing presidential crisis if a consensus president cannot be agreed upon by the constitutional deadline.
"We will never allow such a move," said Jumblatt, one of the opposition's harshest critics.
Jumblatt also reiterated the March 14's commitment to fully implementing UN Resolution 1559, one of the points of conflict between the two main political camps in Lebanon.
Resolution 1559, adopted in September 2004, called for the withdrawal of the Syrian forces from Lebanon, the holding of presidential elections without foreign intervention and the disbanding and disarmament of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias deployed in Lebanon.
Syrian forces withdrew from Lebanon in April 2005, following large protests over the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri.
The issue of disarming Hizbullah's armed wing, as well as Palestinian bases in Lebanon, remains one of the controversial issues and one of the obstacles to the ongoing political deadlock.
The UN-brokered Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 summer war, reactivated parts of resolution 1559 and banned the smuggling of weapons to Hizbullah from Syria.
Jumblatt also slammed Hizbullah's accusations of Israel's possible involvement in the ongoing assassinations and instability in Lebanon, and asked sarcastically: "Whatever Lebanese citizen criticizes Syria gets killed off by Israel?"
"Israel and Syria must have a special alliance, and Syria assigns Israel the mission of eliminating its enemies," he added.
Nasrallah accused Israel of being behind the serial killings in Lebanon to drag Hizbullah into internal conflict and to facilitate the creation of an international tribunal that would be used to topple Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime.
Without directly mentioning Nasrallah, Premier Fouad Siniora criticized "those who would pardon Hariri's assassins."
"It is a real tragedy," said Siniora in reference to Nasrallah's accusations, and stressed at an iftar dinner on Sunday that March 14 would uphold their "national commitment" no matter what the cost.
Hizbullah officials defended Nasrallah's suggestion by saying it was declared as the last option after failing to reach a consensus president.
"The majority launched an uncalled for mud-slinging campaign against Sayyed Nasrallah's speech," resigned Energy and Water Minister Mohammad Fneish told reporters Monday.
Meanwhile, the Pan Arab Al-Hayat newspaper reported on Monday that the presidential election would likely materialize in the last 10 days before the constitutional deadline on November 24, while Al-Akhbar daily, quoting a Jordanian source, reported that Saudi Arabia did not object to the army commander, General Michel Suleiman, becoming Lebanon's next president.
Lebanon now awaits the arrival of Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos and French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner on October 19 under an EU initiative to help Lebanon during its presidential crisis.
Sources told The Daily Star that the three ministers would be heading to South Lebanon as a clear message of their commitment to the Security Council Resolution 1701.
In related news, the oppoision Reform and Change bloc had its weekly meeting, during which it released a statement calling on the majority camp to use "less confrontational" language given the sensitivity of the upcoming days.
"It is a blow to all the compromise efforts to threaten to go vote a president based on a simple majority," said the statement on Monday.
Berri upbeat about election despite rift
Despite the apparent divisions between the rival political camps, opposition leader and Speaker Nabih Berri remained "optimistic" that a solution will soon be reached.
Speaking to reporters in Geneva Monday after participating in the International Parliamentary union, Berri said: "I am hopeful that all our efforts and initiatives will bring about good results."
Berri said his latest discussions with Parliamentary majority leader MP Saad Hariri had been good, and that they would continue to build on what they had agreed so far.
When asked whether Hariri's meetings with US officials had changed anything, Berri said: "The situation is good, and what we agreed upon will go, and nothing has changed."
"We are optimistic about the presidential issue, and reaching a solution doesn't rely only on me, but on many sides ... and not just Hariri," said Berri.
Berri denied he was conducting "Sunni-Shiite" agreements, and said the efforts take into consideration "all sides and sects."
Regarding fears that Resolution 1559 would be one of the main obstacles to agreeing on a consensus president, Berri said "1559 has become a silly fear ... once a president is agreed upon, then the goal of 1559 would have been accomplished."
"There should be no fears from any numbers...1559 or 1701, we are with UN Resolution 1701 and implemented it fully," said Berri.
When asked about the US role in Lebanon, Berri said the US is "with and against the initiative and neutral all at the same time."
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