Chamoun says reconstruction burdens government
In an interview with Kuwaiti daily al-Anbaa, National Liberal Party Leader Dory Chamoun said on Tuesday that the Council for South and the Development and Construction Council had become not only a burden on the state’s treasury but also a waste of money, while the Lebanese suffered debt.
He refused the preset conditions proposed by Amal and Hezbollah to establish a Planning Ministry, cancelling thereby all funds and councils, especially the Council for South. He explained that the state building process necessitated the correcting of mistakes, which should be carried out unconditionally.
Chamoun said the national dialogue would not reach any results due to the huge controversy over the national defense strategy. However, he noted it still remained the only means to spread calm in the political and popular arenas.
On the centrist bloc, FNP leader questioned why Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun was fearful of forming such a bloc, as long as the latter claimed he had the most popular support. Chamoun said that the March 14 alliance supported the democratic right of every person to run in the upcoming parliamentary elections, as well as the freedom of choice and affiliation.