Berri says he has key to ending presidential crisis
Speaker Nabih Berri is in possession of a suitable constitutional solution to pave the way for an amendment that would allow Lebanese Army commander General Michel Suleiman to be elected president, sources close to Berri say. The speaker is waiting for political consensus to be reached and is calling for dialogue between the majority and both Hizbullah and the Free Patriotic Movement to ensure a smooth transition for Suleiman.
Berri has prepared a mechanism to amend the Constitution which he will be announcing very soon, according to Development and Liberation Bloc MP Michel Moussa, who added that national consensus for the amendment already exists. “After Speaker Berri was informed of the position taken by the March 14 Forces to nominate Suleiman, talks were started and are continuing to get a clearer and final picture to initiate an amendment to the Constitution,” Moussa said.
Moussa said that a real problem exists with regard to the government. Article 77 of the Constitution requires 10 MPs to put forward a proposal for an amendment; Parliament then votes on the revision by a majority of two-thirds. The speaker then has to “transmit” the recommendation to the government to prepare a draft law.
Berri, speaking to Ash-Sharq al-Awsat, continued to insist that a constitutional amendment will not pass through “an amputated” government. The opposition says the government is illegitimate because of its lack of Shiite representation.
Moussa, on the other hand said what is needed is an amendment based on consensus among the various political forces, which “already exists.” Berri also left a window open for accord, adding that “if a political agreement is reached, I am ready for anything.”
Berri called on the majority to “reach an understanding” with Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun to pave the way for consensus over Suleiman”s nomination, adding that while he initially approached Suleiman”s nomination cautiously he is now considering it seriously.
“We declared our support for Suleiman”s candidacy from the beginning, but some accused him of being pro-Syrian and then accepted his candidacy after other options failed. [The majority] came to the conclusion that [Suleiman] is a decent an reasonable man,” Berri said.
The speaker criticized those who feel a week”s postponement of the presidential session is too long and blame Aoun for it. “They said that a week is a waste of time. Two days have already passed and they haven”t made any move yet,” Berri said. “There is an agreement over the president and the constitutional amendment. What are they waiting for to discuss the next step?”
Former President Amin Gemayel, who chaired the Phalange Party politburo meeting Monday, said electing a new president would ensure that Lebanon”s sovereignty and independence were safeguarded. He expressed hope that Suleiman”s nomination would be received positively by the Lebanese and said amending the Constitution was an alternative to the risk of uprising in the country.
“The choice was between a constitutional vacuum and suspending the Constitution. Both options were rejected so we forced ourselves to proceed with an amendment to rescue the country from the danger of an uprising,” Gemayel said.
Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh said March 14″s endorsement of Suleiman should be well received by the opposition.
“The opposition must cooperate with us on the constitutional amendment to fill the presidential vacuum,” he told Voice of Lebanon radio Monday.
Hamadeh said the procedure to amend the Constitution was clear: Ten MPs must submit a draft amendment to Parliament, which would then approve it with a two-thirds majority before referring it to Cabinet, which in turn would need to approve it with the same quorum. The proposal would be referred again to the Parliament for a vote before the amendment is officially issued by the government in the absence of a president.
Commenting on the debate over the legitimacy of the government, Hamadeh said the whole world recognizes this government. “If the opposition does not recognize it as legitimate, why did it participate in the Metn and Beirut by-elections, which were based on decrees issued by the government?” he asked. Hamadeh expressed hope that Berri would not obstruct the election of the new president because any delay would not be in the country”s best interests.
Democratic Gathering leader MP Walid Jumblatt said the nomination of Suleiman came after intensive political consultations within the March 14 alliance, with the aim always “to come out of the crisis and the vacuum as quickly as possible, especially after the failure of all political mediations.”
In his weekly interview with his Progressive Socialist Party”s Al-Anbaa newspaper, Jumblatt said a constitutional amendment today cannot be compared to previous amendments as this time an amendment springs from a firm “national will.” He said with the election of a new president the country would have gone a long way to preserving civil peace and protecting Lebanon, leaving the discussion of contentious issues for later.
Prime Minister Fouad Siniora stressed the importance of the March 14 decision to support Suleiman”s candidacy, saying: “It”s an important step toward transcending the vacuum in the presidency.”
Siniora on Monday called several Christian and Muslim religious leaders, among them Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir, to discuss the latest developments on the internal front. Siniora also called Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Gemayel, and Lebanese Forces boss Samir Geagea. Change and Reform MP Michel Murr said the presidential session could be held Friday, depending on how negotiations go over the next 48 hours. “We do not wish to obstruct the election or the Taif Accord,” Murr said after meeting with Berri at Ain al-Tineh Monday.
“For [Berri] a constitutional amendment is not an obstacle and no one is talking about a package deal,” Murr said
“The premiership is not similar to the presidency, as it requires consultations,” he added.
Aoun previously offered to nominate another candidate for the presidency other than himself, but had insisted that the next premier not be a member of the Future Movement.