Siniora assesses Doha agreement implementation
President Michel Sleiman thanked Prime Minister Fouad Siniora for the government’s work throughout the past stage in Lebanon’s history and requested the Premier continue to enact the duties of Prime Minister, Siniora said.
If the majority voted that he head the next national-unity government, he added, he would comply with the “principles of democracy,” he said, adding that it was premature to consider the matter at present.
In response to another question, Siniora declined to comment on Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah”s speech on Monday. “To begin with, what is happening in the country is a Lebanese tradition, particularly not celebratory gunfire, rockets and grenades,” he noted. “This leads to wounded citizens every time, and to martyrs who die when then should not.”
“I would like to send a message to all Lebanese, that this is condemnable and it is not in this way that we express our support for those we love or those we support. This action is totally unacceptable,” Siniora stated.
“We want to try and calm the atmosphere,” he added.
The PM underlined the importance of the Doha agreement in helping the Lebanese overcome their wounds, an agreement which Siniora said built on the Taif Agreement.
The Doha accord, he continued, prohibited the use of weapons in any way or for any reason whatsoever. The agreement also addressed the expansion of military and security state authority across Lebanon. “There will be no ‘pockets’ outside state authority,” he added.
Siniora said another major clause in the Doha agreement was that the Lebanese electoral law must be approved in and by the Lebanese parliament, adding that his personal belief lie in the proposed law drafted by the Fouad Butrous Commission.