Geagea: ‘We agree with Kataeb on 99 pct of matters‘
The Daily Star/July 02, 2015
BEIRUT: The Lebanese Forces and Kataeb Party remain firm allies, the leaders of both Christian groups said Thursday, dismissing rumors of a rift between them. They also insisted that their alliance would not be shaken by LF’s rapprochement with the Free Patriotic Movement. “We agree on 99 percent of matters in terms of political vision and agenda,” LF leader Samir Geagea said in a joint news conference with Kataeb’s newly elected chief Sami Gemayel. “With the Kataeb, we agree on the strategic issues and disagree on some tactical ones,” Geagea said. “While with FPM, we agree on tactical matters and disagree on strategy.” Gemayel, in turn, expressed support to any rapprochement between Lebanese political groups, especially between Christian parties.
He hoped that all “personal ambitions and partisan interests” would be put aside to find an exit to the country’s political crises. Geagea explained that the FPM-suggested poll to determine the most popular presidential candidate is not an official referendum, but rather a poll that does not require government approval. “Nobody can stop others from holding opinion polls,” he added. “It is not a constitution[al amendment] and does not force anybody to do anything.”He praised the progress already achieved with the “declaration of intent” between his party and the FPM, saying the relationship between two had reached “level zero” after the announcement, climbing from level “minus 70.”
Heated Lebanese Cabinet session ends in dispute
The Daily Star/July 02, 2015/BEIRUT: A split Cabinet convened for the first time in nearly a month Thursday and ended in a quarrel between ministers after they failed to reach an understanding over the issue of security appointments.But the body did manage to pass a proposal to allot $21 million to help farmers and truck drivers export agricultural goods. “We could not reach an agreement in Cabinet,” Education Minister Elias Bou Saab said after the meeting. “We know that Prime Minister Tammam Salam is seeking national interest and the interest of the Lebanese people but the disruption isn’t here,” Bou Saab, one of two Free Patriotic Movement ministers, added. He said those behind the paralysis of Cabinet are the forces responsible for “disrupting national partnership.”
Thursday’s session mainly focused on questions relating to the decision-making system in Cabinet and the authority given to ministers who are assuming the prerogatives of the president, Bou Saab said. The education minister said that in the absence of the president there is no clear outline for the authority of ministers. The president decides when agenda items can be discussed and when they can postponed, he noted, hitting out at Salam who is now authorized with determining what topics are discussed. The meeting ended in a “dispute” and “opposing statements” were exchanged between ministers, Bou Saab noted. The debate was sparked when Prime Minister Tammam Salam raised one of the agenda items he wanted to resolve. Thursday’s dispute, according to Agriculture Minister Akram Chehayeb, resulted when FPM ministers opposed discussions on a plan he proposed to give cash and logistical assistance to truck owners exporting to the Gulf by sea.
But the bill was passed by ministers Thursday, Cheyaheb said, noting that Salam had previously approved it to be on the agenda list. After intensive lobbying by the agricultural minister, Cabinet allotted $21 million for the export of agricultural products. The sum would grant every truck owner $2,000 per trip to help them take the marine route instead of the traditionally used land roads, and then also provide help in their return to Lebanon. A jubilant Chehayeb congratulated farmers and exporters after the meeting, thanking Salam and his colleagues for supporting the “national issue.”
The FPM ministers have insisted that they would not allow the Cabinet to discuss any topic before it addresses appointments of new security chiefs. The two ministers are backed by their allies in Hezbollah, the Marada Movement and the Tashnag Party. The four parties have six ministers in the 24-member Cabinet. The last Cabinet session took place on June 4.
Justifying his decision to cancel three consecutive sessions, Salam said in the meeting that he sought to “make way” for further discussions that could solve unresolved issues. The prime minister, however, realized that the disputes needed to be studied in Cabinet due to the split between ministers, according to a statement released by the premier’s media office. These conflicting viewpoints should not lead to paralysis, Salam added, saying that he would still give priority to consensus in Cabinet decisions as long as this “consensus doesn’t lead to unproductive disruption.”
Ministers then engaged in three-hour-long discussions on the reasons that plunged Cabinet into paralysis earlier this month. The “exhaustive” talks also delved into Cabinet’s agenda, the constitutional prerogatives relating to the agenda, and the topic of security and military appointments.
Furious Aoun warns of ‘explosive’ response to Cabinet decision
The Daily Star/July 02/15/BEIRUT: The Free Patriotic Movement is set to take “explosive” measures against Cabinet for passing a “non-consensual” agenda item, party chief Michel Aoun announced Thursday. “Cabinet today raised a non-consensual agenda item and Prime Minister Tammam Salam withdrew from the session and now we hear that the law has passed,” Aoun, simmering with anger, said after the parliamentary Change and Reform Bloc held a special meeting to assess the results of Thursday’s Cabinet session. “And if this is true, then [Cabinet] is pushing us into responding with an explosive [reaction],” he added. “We have never feared confrontation,” Aoun warned. “So no one push us because we are not afraid of anyone.” Aoun did not reveal which bill he was referring to, but Cabinet Thursday managed to pass a proposal to allot $21 million to help farmers and truck drivers export agricultural goods. The FPM chief lambasted ministers for surpassing the limits of their authority, calling the move a revolution against the state. The majority of ministers, he noted, have followed this model and have overstepped their prerogatives as ministers and the authority of the president which they are acting on behalf of. He also criticized the executive body for “neglecting” vital issues such as the case of Syrian refugees and the security threat on Lebanon’s eastern border. Aoun did not disclose exactly what measures will be taken in response to Cabinet’s “neglect” of FPM ministers, saying that he would assess the issue with his party before making any decision. Thursday’s Cabinet session ended nearly a month of paralysis caused by disagreements over the appointment of senior military and security officers. FPM ministers have insisted that they would not allow the Cabinet to discuss any topic before it addresses appointments of new security chiefs. Thursday’s meeting ended in a quarrel between ministers after they failed to reach an understanding over the issue. The FPM ministers opposed discussions on a proposal to give cash and logistical assistance to truck owners exporting to the Gulf by sea, but the bill passed anyways.
