Sarkozy warns politicians have “last chance” on Monday

 

French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Friday urged all sides in Lebanon to grab a “last chance” next week to finally elect a president after a series of postponements, warning that any country which intervened to prevent a deal would be isolated on the international stage.

 

“Monday is the day of the last chance. France appeals to all parties, internally and externally, to work so that Lebanon can get a president of unity and consensus,” Sarkozy told a news conference following a European Union summit.

 

“France has been committed like no other country to help Lebanon sort out its difficulties, but Monday is the last chance,” he added.

 

After weeks of wrangling, rival political camps in Lebanon have agreed to nominate the commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, General Michel Suleiman, for the presidency, which has been vacant since November 23, but a full deal is yet to be reached.

 

Wednesday”s car bomb that targeted a senior military official, General Francois Hajj, prompted many leaders from across the political divide to call for a quick presidential election.

 

But the opposition, led by Hizbullah, wants to reach a comprehensive deal before electing Suleiman a president, while the ruling majority wants to leave negotiations over controversial issues for a later stage.

 

Suleiman”s presidency requires a constitutional amendment. The Constitution bars a sitting army chief from running for president and much of the wrangling today is over a mechanism to amend the Constitution and who should lead the negotiations between the opposition and the ruling coalition.

 

So far negotiations have been held between Saad Hariri, head of the parliamentary majority, and Speaker Nabih Berri. But Berri announced this week that his role has been handed over to MP Michel Aoun, the leader of the Free Patriotic Movement, and that the majority should deputize someone to negotiate with him.

 

Deputy Hizbullah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem said on Friday that there will be no presidential election without prior agreement on a “full basket” of conditions that can be discussed with Aoun.

 

“We want a consensus president as part of a full basket. The basket includes the election of a president and a group of points that we want to agree on before the election,” Qassem said. “These points are defined and written on a paper that is in General Michel Aoun”s pocket. Go and negotiate with him and we could reach a thorough agreement in 24 hours,” he added.

 

The conditions included in the basket are based on the principle of “partnership,” Qassem said. He said that this agreement is “the solution, today, tomorrow, after tomorrow and until the end of time.”
 

Addressing the ruling coalition, Qassem said: “Start dialogue. Delegate a person you deem suitable to sit with MP Michel Aoun and start negotiating the points.”

 

What could be agreed on, according to Qassem, “requires guarantees. Such guarantees can be agreed on during the dialogue, and they could be an official declaration under French auspices, for example.”

 

Qassem said that once both camps reach an agreement, they then can elect a president.

 

One of the debatable issues is distribution of seats in the new Cabinet, Qassem said.

 

“All what we are talking about is the structure of the government,” he said in reference to the traditional opposition condition of having veto powers in the executive authority.

 

“We call for a quick political solution, if they are ready to accomplish this in a day or two then we are ready day and night,” Qassem said.

 

But Deputy Speaker Farid Makkari, a member of the March 14 coalition, accused the opposition of trying to obstruct   Suleiman”s election and said Berri was abandoning dialogue.

 

“Speaker Nabih Berri declared that he was commissioned by the opposition to negotiate with MP Saad Hariri, March 14″s representative,” Makari said. “When March 8 discovered that it is facing a strong candidate who enjoys wide support, Berri gave the candidate and MPs an ultimatum: either an unconstitutional amendment and the presidential elections, or no amendment and no election.”

 

Makkari said that when Berri”s plot was “uncovered” by jurists and constitutional experts, he chose to abandon negotiations. “He started by trying to replace Hariri as the majority”s negotiator with another figure, but the majority reiterated its commitment to Hariri as its representative,” he said.

 

“Afterward, the opposition commissioned MP Michel Aoun to negotiate on its behalf instead of Berri. Yet the result is still the prevention of Suleiman”s election,” he added.

 

“The only outcome of commissioning Aoun as an opposition negotiator is that Berri has lost his capacity as speaker of Parliament,” Makkari argued.

 

Meanwhile, at a Phalange Party rally on Friday, former President Amin Gemayel called for renewed dialogue. During a ceremony at the rally, the president of the Phalange, Karim Pakradouni, announced that he is leaving his post in the party.

 

In other news, the US undersecretary for Near East affairs, David Welch, is expected to arrive in Beirut on Saturday.