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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

LF Hails Constitutional Council for 'Staying Out of Deals'

2021-12-22

[An Nahar] MP George Adwan of the Lebanese Forces A Christian political party founded by Bashir Gemayel, who was then bumped off when he was elected president of Leb... on Tuesday lauded the Constitutional Council for "staying out of (political) deals," shortly after the Council announced that it failed to issue a ruling on an appeal filed by the Free Patriotic Movement Despite its name a Christian party allied with Hizbullah, neither free nor particularly patriotic... against the electoral law’s amendments."The (Council’s) members maintained their stance," Adwan added, noting that "the constitutional and legal right of non-residents to vote for 128 seats has triumphed." "The attempted deal will remain in the minds of non-residents, who will hold accountable the domineering system that displaced them from their homeland and kept trying to exclude them until the last moment," the MP went on to say. MP Imad Wakim, also of the LF bloc, for his part tweeted that "the will of Lebanese expats to take part in parliamentary elections in their (electoral) districts has triumphed." They "will not be isolated from their homeland and they will hold you accountable," he added. Former deputy PM Ghassan Hasbani also tweeted that "the Constitutional Council remained safe from political deals." "The right of expats to vote from their places of residence has been consolidated. This is an additional positive step towards the parliamentary elections," he added. A major political deal among several parties had been reached on Monday, but it failed to materialize due to the rejection of some parties, most notably Prime Minister Najib Miqati, media reports said. According to reports, the deal had called for the Constitutional Council to accept the FPM’s appeal in return for preventing Judge Tarek Bitar from questioning ex-ministers, securing the resumption of Cabinet sessions and replacing the head of the Higher Judicial Council, the state prosecutor, the financial prosecutor and the head of judicial inspection.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Kerry Not Sure if Hariri's Support of Aoun Will Lead to New President

2016-10-22

[An Nahar] U.S. Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you know Kerry Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a lucky hat, conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State... expressed caution on Friday regarding the possibility of electing a new president in Leb in the near future, a day after ex-PM Saad Hariri Second son of Rafik Hariri, the Leb PM who was assassinated in 2005. He has was prime minister in his own right from 2009 through early 2011. He was born in Riyadh to an Iraqi mother and graduated from Georgetown University. He managed his father's business interests in Riyadh until his father's assassination. When his father died he inherited a fortune of some $4.1 billion, which won't do him much good if Hizbullah has him bumped off, too. formally endorsed Free Patriotic Movement Despite its name a Christian party allied with Hizbullah, neither free nor particularly patriotic... founder MP Michel Aoun ...a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hizbullah... for the presidency. In response to a news hound's question during Washington talks with Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Khaled al-Sabah, Kerry hoped there will be progress in Leb but noted that he is not sure about the outcome of Hariri's move. "This stalemate on the issue of the presidency is hurting Leb and hurts the region and we hope it will move forward," Kerry added. Lebanese Forces A Christian political party founded by Bashir Gemayel, who was then bumped off when he was elected president of Leb... bloc MP George Adwan later tweeted that Kerry's statements "prove that the presidential juncture is Lebanese par excellence," noting that "his skepticism increases Aoun's chances." In a speech on Thursday, Hariri described his decision to endorse Aoun as a "major political risk" that he is willing to take for the sake of the country. Leb has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ...before assuming office as President, he held the position of commander of the Leb Armed Forces. That was after the previous commander, the loathesome Emile Lahoud, took office as president in November of 1998. Likely the next president of Leb will be whoever's commander of the armed forces, too... ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah ...Party of God, a Leb militia inspired, founded, funded and directed by Iran. Hizbullah refers to itself as The Resistance and purports to defend Leb against Israel, with whom it has started and lost one disastrous war to date, though it did claim victory... , Aoun's Change and Reform bloc and some of their allies have been boycotting the parliament's electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Report: Nusra Front Demands al-Rahi's Apology over Burning of ISIL Flag

2014-09-03

[AnNahar] Al-Nusra Front is reportedly demanding Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi to apologize for the burning of an Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant ... the current version of al-Qaeda in Iraq, just as blood-thirsty and well-beloved as the original... flag by youth in Beirut's Ashrafiyeh district. Sources close to the Moslem Scholars Committee said in comments published in the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat on Tuesday that "the group (al-Nusra Front) will not release the soldiers and coppers without anything in return." Media reports have said that the jihadists have a list of demands, including the withdrawal of Hizbullah ...Party of God, a Leb militia inspired, founded, funded and directed by Iran. Hizbullah refers to itself as The Resistance and purports to defend Leb against Israel, with whom it has started and lost one disastrous war to date, though it did claim victory... from battles in Syria, the release of ten Syrian inmates held at Roumieh prison in return for each captive soldier and policeman, an apology from al-Rahi over the burning of the flag and the end of calls by the Free Patriotic Movement Despite its name a Christian party allied with Hizbullah, neither free nor particularly patriotic... to mobilize Christians against the Syrian people. Islamists have allegedly burned crosses in the northern city of Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... in retaliation to the burning of an ISIL flag in Ashrafiyeh's Sassine Square. Reports said however that the flag was burned last month and not over the weekend. Several threats were written on the walls of Churches in the northern city of Tripoli, the latest on Tuesday when assailants vandalized the walls of Mar Elias Church. They vowed to "slaughter the worshipers of the Cross." Lebanese Forces A Christian political party founded by Bashir Gemayel, who was then bumped off when he was elected president of Leb... politician George Adwan had said that al-Rahi "will not address these people," considering that the apology demand will not occur. Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi vowed to legally pursue the youth who set ablaze the flag, considering it a sectarian incitement. He also called for an investigation to be carried out into the burning of crosses in Tripoli. For his part, FPM official MP Ibrahim Kanaan said that he will defend the youth who set ablaze the flag. The Islamic State (IS) jihadist group has prompted widespread concern as it advances in both Syria and Iraq, killing hundreds of people, including in gruesome beheading and mass executions.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

March 14 Officials Criticize al-Rahi's Remarks on Syria, Hizbullah

2011-09-10

[An Nahar] A number of March 14 Those are the good guys, insofar as Leb has good guys... MPs and officials on Friday criticized the latest stances voiced by Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi about the Syrian crisis and Hizbullah's arms. "To give or not to give Syrian President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad One of the last of the old-fashioned hereditary iron-fisted fascist dictators. Before going into the family business Pencilneck was an eye doctor... a chance is something to be decided by the Syrian people, not anyone else," Lebanese Forces A Christian political party founded by Bashir Gemayel, who was then bumped off when he was elected president of Leb... bloc MP Antoine Zahra told MTV. On Wednesday al-Rahi said "Assad must be given a chance because he is implementing reforms in Syria." Zahra also said the patriarch's remarks on Hizbullah's weapons "contradict with the principle of keenness on building the State and its authority, as liberating Leb and supporting the Paleostinian rights should be done by the State, not by an armed party that is breaching the State's jurisdiction and contesting its authority over the Lebanese territory." For his part, Zahra's colleague in the LF bloc MP George Adwan told LBC television: "All of our sacrifices are for the sake of the rise of a strong State that should be in charge of liberating and defending Lebanese land and supporting the Paleostinian right to return through its capabilities and international relations." "So we can't now justify the rise of a mini-state outside state control and provide cover for the presence of weapons other than those of the army and security forces," Adwan added. "Approaching the issue of weapons in this manner undermines all the foundations of the Lebanese state," Adwan noted, stressing that the LF will remain committed to "Bkirki's historic principles" and that it will "always distinguish between its stance and its relation with Bkirki." Al-Rahi told Al-Arabiya television on Thursday that sectarian tensions between Sunnis and Shiites may emerge if the Syrian government is tossed. "If the regime changes in Syria, and the Sunnis take over, they will form an alliance with the Sunnis in Leb, which will worsen the situation between the Shiites and the Sunnis," al-Rahi said. He warned that the Christians will pay the price if the Moslem Brüderbund succeeded Syrian President Assad. Asked about Hizbullah's arms, he responded: "The international community must pressure Israel to withdraw from the occupied Lebanese territories ... and fulfill the Paleostinians' right of return, and consequently Hizbullah will have to lay down its arms." March 14 General-Secretariat Coordinator Fares Soaid told MTV that al-Rahi's remarks "contradict with all of the church's historic principles, especially that he took part in drafting the text of the Synod for the Middle East which only mentions the support of the State." "Linking the Paleostinians' arms to Hizbullah's arms is usually something done by Syria's allies in Leb, not the patriarch," Soaid noted. Meanwhile, ...back at the fist fight, Jake ducked another roundhouse, then parried with his left, then with his right, finally with his chin... Mustaqbal ... the Future Movement, political party led by Saad Hariri... bloc MP Khaled al-Daher claimed that the Syrian president "has dispatched envoys to meet with al-Rahi in Leb in order to rally the support of Lebanese minorities for his regime." He accused the Syrian regime of "intimidating minorities in a bid to remain in power." Daher voiced surprise over the patriarch's statements, saying they "contradict with the history of Christians and Bkirki, which has always supported freedom and stood by people and their rights." He also lamented "the remarks in which he (al-Rahi) called for giving a chance to the regime that has left no less than 3,000 people dead, according to the International Red Thingy, and more than 70,000 tossed in the clink or missing." Al-Rahi's stances "stem from fear of the practices of the (Syrian) regime, which has sent the minorities in Leb bloody messages containing a carrot-and-stick approach," Daher charged. Daher's colleague in the Mustaqbal bloc, MP Nidal Tohme, for his part stressed "the need that Christians support the will of the neighboring peoples ... and overcome the complex of the minority that is in constant need of protection," noting that "a strong, just State is the solution."

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Siniora meets MPs to discuss allocation of cabinet posts

2008-06-01

BEIRUT: Prime Minister Fouad Siniora began on Friday consultations with the various parliamentary blocs in a bid to form a new national unity government. Sources close to Speaker Nabih Berri told The Daily Star on Friday that a late afternoon meeting between Berri and parliamentary majority leader MP Saad Hariri was "very positive." The sources added that Berri sees no obstacles facing the formation of the new government. Siniora kicked off the consultations by meeting Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, deputy Speaker Farid Makkari, Independent MPs Michel Murr and Hussein al-Husseini. After talks with Siniora, Makkari said that he told the prime minister that the new government must take Lebanon from political confrontation to political dialogue. Makari added that the cabinet must adopt the inaugural speech of President Michel Suleiman and start preparing for next year's parliamentary elections. Meanwhile, Hizbullah MP Mohammad Raad told reporters after meeting Siniora that the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc has forwarded its requests regarding the number of ministers and the portfolios it wants in the next government. Raad said the bloc has requested that the opposition get a Sunni minister and a Druze minister at the expense of Hizbullah's Shiite representation in the government. The Hizbullah bloc also discussed with Siniora the prospects of the next ministerial platform. "There were no differences between our vision and Siniora's vision on the issue of the resistance," Raad said. Hezbollah military threats are working like a charm ... Media reports on Friday said that the opposition wanted to trade two Shiite ministers for a Sunni and a Druze minister and two draft picks next year. Under such formula, Hizbullah, the Amal Movement, and the Free Patriotic Movement would give their Sunni and Druze allies the chance to take part in the government. Loyal votes, bought and paid ... Meanwhile, Berri's Liberation and Development bloc insisted after talks with Siniora that the Interior Ministry portfolio in the new government should go to a neutral figure. Assuming they can find one in all of Lebanon ... The next interior minister is likely to be appointed by the president as he is required to remain neutral while conducting next year's legislative elections. Meanwhile, Murr lashed out at the opponents of his son, Defense Minister Elias Murr, saying that "Elias Murr is our candidate for the government and this is the case for a big portion of the people of Metn." "I want to tell some lawmakers who are against appointing Elias Murr in the new government that they would not have made it to Parliament had it not been for the votes of the supporters of Elias Murr's father," he said, in an indirect criticism of members of MP Michel Aoun's Reform and Change bloc. "It is up to Siniora and to the president to appoint Elias Murr in the ministry that best suits him," Murr added. Aoun told reporters after meeting Siniora on Friday that his bloc wanted five ministers in the next cabinet, adding that the posts would be distributed among different Christian sects. Meanwhile, MP Hagop Parkradounian of the Armenian bloc, which is allied with Aoun, told reporters after talks with Siniora that it wants two ministers in the next government. Pakradounian said that former minister Alain Tabourian was one of the bloc's nominees for the next government. Meanwhile, the different blocs representing the March 14 Forces maintained a low profile regarding their demands in the next government. Hariri only told reporters that the general atmosphere was positive, while Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt said he preferred not to make any comment. MP George Adwan, representing the Lebanese Forces bloc, also declined to reveal the number of ministers requested by his bloc. However, the Tripoli bloc, headed by MP Mohammad Safadi, requested that Safadi remain in his post as public works and transportation minister.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

March 14 Christians consider next president

2006-02-26

In an attempt to reach an agreement over who will succeed President Emile Lahoud to Lebanon's top post, leaders of March 14 Forces held a meeting Friday in the house of former President Amin Gemayel. Talking following the meeting, Gemayel said: "We are living in a crisis where the national and constitutional life is passive because the presidency, which is supposed to be symbol to all Lebanese, is passive." The meeting was attended by the country's top Christian leaders, including Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, MPs Ghassan Tueni, Nayla Mouawad, Butros Harb, George Adwan and former MPs, Ghattas Khoury, Gabriel Murr, Fares Soueid and Nassib Lahoud, who is viewed by many as a strong contender for the presidency. Lahoud to Lahoud, huh? Doesn't sound like a good idea to me. "The beginning of a solution for our crisis is through electing a new president, who can give back the presidency its true international and local value," Gemayel said. He added: "The positive thing about what is happening is that all political factions agree on the need for President Emile Lahoud to resign, but the problem lies in the way to topple Lahoud and who will replace him." At this point, it looks like the only ones who don't agree are Emile and Hezbollah. Asked whether the March 14 Forces were in contact with Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun, Gemayel said: "I personally spoke with Aoun on the phone yesterday in addition to sending a delegation headed by Karim Pakradouni to visit him over this issue." He added: "We will be in constant coordination with the FPM." Aoun doesn't seem really eager to give Emile the toss. I'm not sure why not... Let me rephrase that: I'm not sure how sordid the deal is. Gemayel also said that after consultations, March 14 Forces decided Lahoud could be ousted through securing a two-thirds majority in Parliament. However, Aoun, who is also a strong presidential candidate, told The Daily Star over the phone that he opposed ousting Lahoud in the way March 14 Forces were proposing. Aoun said: "If they think they can oust Lahoud through providing a majority of two thirds, we can arrange a mechanism to prevent them from having the two-third majority to topple the president. Where would they bring the two-thirds from, the moon?" Tueni, who answered questions by the media following the meeting, also stressed the need to topple Lahoud, saying: "The prolongation of Lahoud's mandate was forced on us by a foreign country." Asked by The Daily Star about Hizbullah's Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah's warning of using public demonstrations as a tool to topple Lahoud, Tueni said the March 14 Forces rejected any threats over this issue, and added: "Nobody wants to use the street as a tool, but if we go on demonstrations, they will be peaceful. We never used weapons in our demonstrations."

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