No One Wants to Alienate the Rights of Any Community
Future Movement MP Atef Majdalani on Friday called for a “rational solution” to the recent dispute over the deputy prime minister’s powers and headquarters.
“Regardless of the ulterior motives driving General Issam Abu Jamra to raise this issue at this time and in this way,” Majdalani said in a statement, “whether he truly aims at defining the rights of his position or whether he is looking for a hot electoral topic for the Free Patriotic Movement, we cannot demand the issue be resolved … clearly and terminally without overstepping the constitution and logic,” Majdalani.
The MP said the powers of the deputy PM were listed in the constitution and required a constitutional amendment to be altered.
“The powers in question could be addressed through the assignment of specific tasks to the deputy prime minister, as was the case during the government of the martyred Prime Minister Rafik Hariri,” he added.
Majdalani suggested the deputy premier be given an office in the independent cabinet headquarters, which is located in Beirut, and not in the Grand Serail, as stipulated in the Taif Agreement.
“No one wants to alienate any of the rights of any communities, especially the Greek Orthodox, but no one wants the fabrication of a controversial issue either,” he concluded.