Aoun Clings On to Bassil, Accuses Majority of Launching “Pre-Emptive War” on his Son-in-Law
Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun announced he would not give up on caretaker Telecoms Minister Jebran Bassil and accused the majority March 14 coalition of launching a "pre-emptive war" on his son-in-law.
"I continue to hold on the telecommunications ministry and to Jebran Bassil”s reappointment to the (same) post," Aoun said in an interview with al-Jazeera television network.
Aoun believed that the "campaign against Bassil began before we even got down to names and distribution of portfolios."
"After looking for a reason (behind the campaign) we were surprised to find out that they had launched a pre-emptive war" against Bassil, he claimed.
Aoun also accused March 14 of trying to "torpedo reformist efforts" by his Free Patriotic Movement.
The FPM leader said that the reason why the majority was clinging on to the telecoms ministry was "because they are no longer able to provide embassies with security data, as they used to do before Basil was appointed to the ministry."
Saad Hariri announced on Thursday that he was stepping down as Premier-designate after the Opposition rejected the Cabinet lineup he proposed earlier this week.
March 14 sources saw Aoun”s remarks as a "sign of fear" from the Special Tribunal for Lebanon "because the U.N. investigation committee had been provided with all the data related to the assassination of (ex-Premier) Rafik Hariri."
"This issue has caused embarrassment to internal and regional parties, prompting Aoun to express himself in their own way," one March 14 official told the daily An-Nahar in remarks published Sunday.