Jumblat Did Not Join Opposition but Is “More than Welcome”
MP Michel Aoun said Wednesday that MP Walid Jumblat had not joined the opposition but will be "welcomed" if he decided to do so.
Speaking to reporters, Aoun also warned that Premier-designate Saad Hariri”s trip abroad will be considered a form of "seclusion" if he delays his return.
"A political agreement with Jumblat, when reached, will not only benefit the Druze leader, but will benefit us and the whole society," Aoun said after presiding a meeting of his parliamentary bloc.
"Jumblat has not joined the opposition, but he will be more than welcome if he does," he added.
He said any agreement with Jumblat will be "announced when it happens," adding that the "circumstances" for a meeting between them had not "ripened yet."
Aoun said he "can deal with anyone who joins his political line on an equal footing."
Aoun considered that the coalition of March 14 ended on the day of March 14 saying it did not have a political platform.
"The only thing its members had in common was foreign pressure and money," he said, adding that Jumblat”s stances had "negative repercussions" on the Christians team in March 14.
"We did not interfere in the affairs of March 14 forces when they were in agreement and we will not interfere now that they are not," Aoun stressed.
On Hariri”s decision to leave the country on a private trip, Aoun said: "The premier-designate might have traveled for social considerations.
"But if his visit extends beyond two or three days, it will then be considered a form of seclusion abroad," he cautioned.
He said negotiations on the cabinet shape-up "stopped at the distribution of shares, which have yet to be determined."
"The political event (Jumblat”s announcement and Hariri”s travel) took place before we received an answer to our requests concerning the portfolios," he added.
"We are now awaiting Hariri”s return to resume talks," the Free Patriotic Movement leader said, repeating his suggestion for a government of "proportional representation."
On another note, Aoun insisted he was not in "severe disagreement" with any of the Christian political teams. "The Change and Reform bloc discussed in the meeting the Maronite League”s efforts to reconcile the Christians," he said.
"Any dispute we have with other forces is merely political which is natural in political life," he added.
He also denied reports of contacts with Saudi Arabia and said he believed Tuesday”s visit to Beirut by Saudi Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja will not "affect the new developments."
Addressing the Israeli threats, Aoun said: "There is nothing happening on the border that calls for such threats. Israel has problems on the domestic front."
"It can either relieve the internal crisis or can move to cause any incident on the border to serve an ulterior motive," he said.