Row over deputy PM”s powers divides Cabinet
Chances of Christian reconciliation declined further on Wednesday as Lebanese politicians sank deeper into debate over the powers of the deputy prime minister.
Deputy Prime Minister Issam Abu Jamra said he would boycott Cabinet sessions until his proposal to amend the powers of his office was put on the body”s agenda. Abu Jamra walked out of Tuesday”s meeting over the same issue.
In an interview with Sawt al-Ghad radio, Abu Jamra said he had submitted a written request in this regard on September 1, but Prime Minister Fouad Siniora "kept disregarding it and never included it on the Cabinet”s agenda." "This shows how they abase the people”s value and who they represent," he said.
Abu Jamra said he hoped the issue would be put to a vote by the ministers; otherwise, he would leave the Cabinet.
He added that the issue was first raised when the Cabinet was formed in late June, but discussions around it were delayed at the request of President Michel Sleiman.
Telecoms Minister Gebran Bassil, Abu Jamra”s colleague in the Free Patriotic Movement led by MP Michel Aoun, had said Tuesday that opposition ministers would likely boycott Cabinet sessions to express solidarity with the deputy premier.
In comments to As-Safir newspaper on Wednesday, Abu Jamra said the deputy premier "should be a real deputy to the prime minister," adding that the law should be amended to, among other things, allow the deputy premier to head Cabinet meetings when the prime minister is away and to exercise his powers at the Grand Serail. He also argued that his proposal neither contradicts the Constitution nor requires an amendment.
In separate remarks to the Central News Agency (CNA), Abu Jamra also denied that his boycott of the Cabinet sessions was a blow to May”s Doha Agreement, which put an end to Lebanon”s eight-month political stalemate and clearly specifies that in a national unity government no resignations or boycotts ought to take place.
In response to claims that Abu Jamra”s action aimed to divert attention following criticism of Aoun”s recent trip to Iran, the deputy premier said: "Aoun”s visit to Iran had a very clear objective; I am protesting against neglect from the part of the premier."
Former Deputy Prime Minister Issam Fares called on all groups to end disputes over the issue. In a statement issued on Wednesday, Fares said determining the powers of the deputy premier”s office, a relatively new post traditionally reserved for a Greek Orthodox, was "not aimed at weakening the position of the prime minister or threatening the rights of the Sunni confession."
In comments to LBCI on Wednesday, Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar said that the position of the deputy prime minister was not mentioned in the Constitution. Najjar said that he had always supported granting powers to the deputy premier, but added that a discussion of the office”s powers during Cabinet sessions "would not solve the issue."
In a statement on Tuesday, Former Prime Minister Salim Hoss said the deputy prime minister should not be given the right to sign decrees on behalf of the prime minister.
The Lebanese Greek Orthodox League, however, expressed surprise at "all this unjustified confusion around the powers of the deputy prime minister" and urged Siniora to raise the issue in the next Cabinet session.
"Everybody knows that determining the deputy prime minister”s powers and giving him an office do not require a constitutional amendment," the league”s statement added.
Information Minister Tarek Mitri, himself a Greek Orthodox aligned with Siniora”s March 14 Forces, disagreed, saying that "determining the deputy premier”s powers is a constitutional issue that must be discussed inside the institutions in the right time." He added that "involving the Orthodox confession in political disputes does not serve the country."
Separately, chances of an intra-Christian thaw remained weak on Wednesday, with Maronite League sources telling the CNA that the reconciliation between the Lebanese Forces (LF) and the Marada Movement was "not easy to achieve."
LF sources told the CNA: "The Syrians prohibited [Marada leader and former Interior Minister Suleiman] Franjieh to meet with us." They added that Franjieh was "embarrassed" when the LF showed readiness toward reconciliation. However, the sources said that contacts were still ongoing via the Maronite League.
Following a meeting with Siniora on Wednesday, LF MP Strida Geagea said the decision of reconciliation was "not in the hands of Franjieh."
Conversely, Marada sources told the CNA the movement wanted a "strong reconciliation" and advocated the formation of a joint committee to discuss the reconciliation process and a final statement that would be issued afterward.
March 14 MP Mosbah Ahdab slammed what he described as "some voices that are rejecting reconciliation."
Meanwhile, sources from Hizbullah and the Future Movement quoted by the CNA said that security cooperation between the two groups was still under way to pave the way for a meeting between their respective leaders, MP Saad Hariri and Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
The sources added that details of the meeting "would not be disclosed until after the meeting takes place."
On another level, Hizbullah officials told the CNA that Egypt”s government had sent several invitations for party representatives to visit that country, a strong supporter of Future, through the Egyptian Embassy in Beirut and Foreign Minister Ahmad Abu al-Gheith. The officials added that the party had yet to decide on these visits.
According to Asharq al-Awsat newspaper, however, Egypt denied inviting Nasrallah to visit Cairo
"This invitation has never been sent," an Egyptian source told the daily.
Also on Wednesday, French sources quoted by the CNA said they were satisfied with the development of the situation in Lebanon, with regards to the implementation of the Doha pact. They also "welcomed cautiously" the latest developments pertaining to the establishment of diplomatic relations between Syria and Lebanon.
French Foreign Ministry spokesperson Eric Chevalier said his country welcomed the establishment of relations between Syria and Lebanon and encouraged both countries to work on other pending issues, including the demarcation of their borders and detainees.
On the security level, Sleiman has met with several key officials in the past two days, including Internal Security Forces chief Major General Ashraf Rifi, General Security head Major General Wafik Jezzini and State Security boss Brigadier Elias Kaakati, according to a statement issued by the president”s office. The meetings focused on investigations into the recent Tripoli bombings and associated security measures.