Berri brushes off demand to resume House sessions

 

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Friday reiterated that he would not call the House to convene in regular session as long as Prime Minister Fouad Siniora”s government remained in office. “The absence of any legitimate executive authority prevents the convening of Parliament in a lawmaking capacity,” a statement issued by Berri”s media office said.

 

The statement came in responses to charges made by the ruling March 14 coalition one day before alleging that Berri was rejecting efforts to convene Parliament in a legislative capacity, thus preventing the House and its members from fulfilling their responsibilities.

 

Berri”s statement called on March 14 to “implement the Arab initiative [to resolve Lebanon”s 15-month-old power struggle], promote partnership and agree on an election law.” 

 

On Thursday, the March 14 Forces described the continued closure of Parliament as “a clear and explicit violation of the Constitution”

 

“Freezing the Parliament”s activity further downgrades the democratic regime and disrupts institutions under flimsy pretexts with the aim of collecting benefits for the Syrian and Iranian regimes at the expense of Lebanese independence,” the governing coalition said in a statement.  

 

The March 14 coalition also emphasized what it called its determination to restore power to the Parliament and announced that it would not tolerate the disruption of national institutions or the decline the presidential position and “would take all necessary constitutional and political steps to attain our objectives.”

 

Lebanon has been gripped by its worst internal crisis since the 1975-1990 Civil War with rival political factions unable to elect a successor to former President Emile Lahoud who stepped down at the end of his term in office in November.
 

The Lebanese Parliament is scheduled to meet on Tuesday to elect a new president after 16 previous attempts have been postponed amid a deadlock between the governing coalition and the opposition on the make-up of a future government and the formula for a new electoral law.

 

Meanwhile, former President Amin Gemayel on Friday denied local press reports indicating that he would join Siniora”s government to succeed his assassinated son, Pierre, as minister of industry.

 

Gemayel also said in a radio interview that Lebanon should be represented at the forthcoming Arab summit conference scheduled for March 29 in the Syrian capital, Damascus. Some members of March 14 have argued that Lebanon should boycott the gathering to protest what they say is Syrian meddling in Lebanese affairs.

 

He also denied press reports that the Siniora government would assign him to represent Lebanon at the summit.

 

The former president said the March 14 coalition should coordinate with its Arab allies to defend Lebanon”s cause at the forthcoming summit. 

 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met Syrian President Bashar Assad on Thursday for talks on the Middle East peace process and Lebanon”s political standoff.

 

Lavrov said it was necessary to “find a compromise as soon as possible for Lebanon.

 

“Inter-Lebanese dialogue is the key. That is in the interests of the Lebanese people, Syria and Russia,” he told reporters.