Lebanon”s premier says ‘I would do things the same all over again”
Lebanese premier Fuad Siniora, whose term in office has been dominated by a standoff with the Hezbollah-led opposition, said on Saturday that he will step down with a clear conscience and is ready to turn the page.
"I have been subjected to a lot of unfair treatment and accusations (by the opposition), but at the end of the day these are my countrymen," Siniora told AFP in an exclusive interview.
"And in retrospect, despite all the mistreatment I have been subjected to, I would do things the same all over again."
On Sunday, parliament will take a major step toward ending the country”s 18-month crisis by electing army chief and consensus candidate Michel Sleiman as president.
Under the constitution, the government is obliged to resign in order for the new president to appoint a new prime minister, so Siniora will head a caretaker government until that happens.
Siniora, 64, made it abundantly clear that he does not want to carry on in the post.
"I served for three years, and I believe it is somehow time for a change," he said, adding that the final decision rested with the parliamentary majority and ruling bloc, which is set to deliberate in the coming days.
"But if it were up to me I would like to leave," he said. "I”ve had enough, it”s time for me to go and seek other matters that have to do with public affairs."
However, Siniora might not get his wish.
The constitution requires the president to choose as premier from the majority in parliament, and only two names have been suggested so far — that of majority leader Saad Hariri and that of Siniora himself.
The election comes following a deal brokered in Doha, Qatar, to end the crisis between the Western-backed majority, from which Siniora”s cabinet is drawn, and the opposition backed by Syria and Iran.
The Doha deal calls for Sleiman”s election as a consensus candidate, the formation of a national unity government in which the opposition has veto power and a new electoral law.
Siniora said he was satisfied with the Doha accord and rejected claims that the opposition had come out the clear winner in the deal.
"I am satisfied that this is a deal for which we all gave in for the sake of the country," he said.
"I believe that what happened in Doha took into consideration the events of the past period and the trauma we went through when the Hezbollah fighters took hold of the city and directed their weapons against the population in Beirut."
He was referring to the spectacular armed takeover by Hezbollah gunmen and their allies of mainly Sunni areas of west Beirut earlier this month following government measures against the militant group that were eventually rescinded.
Siniora said he felt confident Hezbollah would not turn its weapons again on the Lebanese, because the Doha accord clearly established the authority of the state throughout the country with regard to security issues.
"This is like a bullet you shoot once but you can only shoot it once because they know what the consequences would be," he said, referring to Hezbollah”s recent power grab in Beirut. "It would be like opening a Pandora”s Box (if they use force again) and I think they got the message."
Siniora said he is looking forward to spending more quality time with his wife and three grown children.
"Since I went into public office I have not enjoyed my family," he said. "I should have allocated more time to enjoy my children, to enjoy their childhood."
Still he said he will be resigning with his head high on Sunday, proud of the fact that he had stuck to his principles.
"I am a man known for his patience, his prudence, who sticks to his principles and I believe I”ve lived up to that," he aid.
"You know I shave in front of the mirror everyday and I respect the face I”m looking at."