Report: Ban to Stress Need to Elect President during Lebanon Trip
Naharnet/March 20/16
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is set to arrive in Lebanon on an official visit on Friday during which he will tackle various Lebanese affairs, reported the daily al-Mustaqbal on Sunday. The election of a president will be among the key issues he will address with Lebanese officials. He will emphasize the need for parliament to convene and officials to assume their responsibilities to that end. Diplomatic sources in New York told al-Mustaqbal that the situation in Lebanon will be present at the Security Council agenda as it reviews the implementation of resolution 1701and the presence of the peacekeeping force in the South. The implementation of the resolution will also be tackled by Ban during his meetings. On the security situation in Lebanon, Ban will focus on developing the capabilities of the Lebanese army and the need to support it “because it is a main factor in maintaining stability in Lebanon. This marks the second visit for the U.N. chief to Lebanon and probably his last before the end of his term in December.
FPM and LF to form alliance in municipal elections
The Daily Star/March 20/16
BEIRUT: Free Patriotic Movement MP Ibrahim Kanaan said Sunday that his party and the Lebanese Forces will be allied in the upcoming municipal elections, constituting a historical breakthrough for the formerly rival Christian parties.
“We are together, of course, however we will not eliminate anyone (from the political scene). At the same time, we will not allow anyone to take advantage of the differences between us (FPM and LF) to weaken or eliminate us,” Kanaan said, as he spoke at a political event at the Eastern College in the eastern city of Zahle, organized by Al-Shaabia University and the LF.
“We will not accept any electoral law that surmounts Christians, and we reject any law that weakens the Christian presence (in government)” he added.
The FPM has long rallied for electoral reform, calling for a president to be elected directly by the Lebanese people, as well as for a new electoral law to be used in legislative elections based on proportional representation, which would see Lebanon as one constituency.
The FPM has long complained of Christian political marginalization, saying that the community, which makes up between 35 to 40 percent of the country, has not been well represented in the government.
It has complained that the current 1960s winner-takes-all system devalues Christian votes.
Reiterating previous statements made by officials from the two parties in light of the historic reconciliation which took place in January, Kanaan said the alliance was intended to set the stage for a national reconciliation between all factions, and did not intend to “build walls” in the face of anybody.
“January 18 2016 wasn’t merely a reconciliation, for on that day we specified what we wanted, and we reached out to those near and far in accordance with a shared national vision – and not a sectarian one … The aim for us was to correct a 25-year-old problem, and this is a Lebanese responsibility (to end rifts), not only an FPM and LF responsibility,” Kanaan said, referring to the date of the reconciliation.
That day, LF head Samir Geagea nominated FPM founder Michel Aoun for the presidency, ending over two decades of bitter ties between the war-time foes and sending shock waves through Lebanon’s political spectrum. The two also reached an understanding on 10 national issues, including Lebanon’s foreign policy and the role played by the state’s security and military agencies.
The endorsement further destabilized relations however between Geagea and his March 14 allies, as well as between Aoun and his March 8 allies. Both were considered their political camp’s main candidate, before Future Movement head Saad Hariri of the March 14 camp endorsed Marada Movement leader Sleiman Frangieh, a March 8 official.
The FPM has however, along with its ally Hezbollah and Frangieh’s Marada Movement, boycotted parliamentary sessions to elect a head of state. The FPM and Hezbollah have said they will not attend any sessions without being assured of Aoun’s victory.
“Why has decentralization not been implemented until this day, and why has its draft law been kept in drawers? Why did we have to demand the citizenship law for 13 years? Was it (nationality law) a Christian demand? Of course not,” Kanaan asked.
The Lebanese citizenship bill, passed by Parliament in November last year, now allows people abroad of paternal Lebanese ancestry to obtain the nationality.
The law was a major demand of the FPM and the LF.
“When we raise our voice to say that there is a flaw in the (political) system, that does not mean that we don’t want this system,” he said, reiterating that the FPM and LF “will work on bringing a strong president we chose” to power, referring to Aoun, and an electoral law that assures fair representation.
LF media officer Melhem Riachi, who along with Kanaan worked for months in preparation for the parties’ reconciliation ceremony, hailed the new alliance between Geagea and Aoun at the event.
“Do you know what it means when we are together? Do you know what Lebanon is after today? Do you know what it means when two people the size of Samir Geagea and Michel Aoun converge?” Riachi asked.
“The Lebanon after January 18 2016 is infatuated in its alphabet, the Phoenix and the trinity of righteousness and goodness and beauty. This is the Lebanon that cannot be measured with its demography or geography, but instead with its creativity, quality, its radiant ambitions and its visions,” he continued.
He criticized comments on Geagea “giving up” the presidency for Aoun, saying that Geagea’s move was intended to achieve Christian reconciliation and end the nearly 22 month-long presidency crisis.
“We are here, together in everything that will protect democratic nobility and the (Lebanese) entity’s civilization,” Riachi said.
