Amin Gemayel: The majority may have to elect a president by exceptional measures
Kataeb leader and former President Amin Gemayel said that the opposition has demanded through Ambassador Hisham Youssef, director of the office of Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa, that the ministers representing the president’s share in the coming government not have the right to vote during cabinet meetings.
“I don’t know if Army Commander General Michel Sleiman will accept for his ministers in the government to be deprived of the right to vote,” Gemayel said.
He also expressed his surprise over MP Michel Aoun’s support for the demand.
“The opposition’s suggestion is a coup that will lead to the overthrow of the system, the constitution and the Taif Agreement,” Gemayel told LBC Television.
He also slammed Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah for declaring an open war against Israel in response to the assassination of the group’s security official, Imad Mugniyah.
“Either we declare war together, or we approve peace together, but it is not acceptable for a party to impose war on others and accuse them of treason if they do not agree,” he said.
Gemayel asked what MP Aoun’s position on Hezbollah’s declaration is, considering his claim that the Memorandum of Understanding he signed with Hezbollah is restricted the use of the party’s weapons to be used for the liberation of the Shebaa Farms in South Lebanon.
“Today, Hezbollah is trying to eliminate Israel,” Gemayel said.
“We will not accept for the political system and the coming government to be obstructed as a service to Hezbollah’s allies,” he added.
He also accused the opposition of seeking selective participation. “They participated in the Metn by-elections, but they are monopolizing war-and-peace decisions.”
Gemayel welcomed the visit of Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa to calm things down until the Arab Summit is held in Damascus in March.
He also said that everyone is wondering about the opposition’s intentions and if Moussa can bring something new to negotiations.
“The opposition is saying, ‘What is ours is ours, and what is yours is ours.’ Let the debate move in another direction. We are ready to suggest Lebanon’s neutrality and its commitment to the Palestinian cause, while we reject being part of the Syrian-Iranian axis,” Gemayel said.
“We accepted Speaker Berri’s initiative that he suggested in Baalbek, and we agreed on the consensus candidate suggested by former Minister Sleiman Franjieh and MP Michel Murr. Yet the opposition is still rejecting. I fear we might reach a dead end,” he said.
Gemayel said that if the present crisis is prolonged, the majority will have no options but to elect a president by exceptional measures, expand the government or establish a “revolutionary council.”
“Ensuring the functioning of the state is a constitutional and national obligation.”
Commenting on the opposition sit-in in downtown Beirut, Gemayel said that a lawsuit might be filed.
“The opposition has not right to occupy private property, cause companies to go bankrupt and force them to fire employees. No one has the right to block roads and prevent people from moving. The sit-in is a violation of the law, and we reject it on all levels.”