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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Outraged Lahoud tells Aoun: Stop misleading the Lebanese
2009-03-18
Lebanon's Minister Nassib Lahoud responded to the attacks of the Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun's during a press conference on Tuesday, by telling the retired general "to stop cheating and misleading the Lebanese people."

Lahoud, who appeared to have had enough with Aoun told reporters : Aoun has reached a new low, which does not suit the Lebanese and the Christian communities.

In response to Aoun's allegations that he was with Saiqa, Lahoud said : " The Lebanese people will decide who is right. Everyone knows that I was never a member of the "Saiqa" organization. I was an adherent to the National Liberal Party not to the 'Saiiqa' as Aoun claimed." He added : "what Aoun said about the issue is fabricated. Let the Lebanese people judge who is the ignorant amongst us." He continued " General [Michel] Aoun's rhetoric is based on rumors. Misleading information cannot fool the Lebanese."

In response to Aoun's attacks against the Church Lahoud said : " Who forgets the campaigns against Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir, the Maronite bishops and the Patriarchy?"

" I tell Aoun: Stop fooling and misleading the people, enough forgery, enough cheating . You deceived people too many times and we won't let you cheat them again." He added

With regards to the elections in the Metn , Lahoud said : "I believe that the Lebanese and the Metn residents will abide by the Maronite Patriarchy's recommendations." He added " June 7 would witness the response to General Aoun personally."

Lahoud stressed that : "The March 14 alliance would be unified in the Metn district and a unified list will be announced in the forthcoming weeks."

Lahoud criticized Aoun's campaign style : " Attacks and campaigns are Aoun's style to run in the elections. Aoun's campaigns also targeted prominent journalists, the spirit of the martyrs." Lahoud warned: " We will not remain silent to these attempts."

With regards to Aoun's former ally MP Michel Murr, Lahoud said : "There used to be a disagreement with MP Michel al-Murr in the past, but I previously announced that there are some common points between us."

In response to allegations that March 14 leaders are behind his defeat in 1990 Ladoud responded
" Those responsible for October 13, 1990 are not only those who were present at BIEL on Saturday, but also some were Aoun's allies. I have nothing to do with the Presidential Palace's invasion in Baabda in 1990 as Aoun claimed."

Aoun "should have remembered Oct. 13 during his visit to Damascus," Lahoud proclaimed

For the record on 13 October 1990 Aoun was defeated by the Syrian army and forced into exile. He returned to Lebanon on May 7, 2005, eleven days after the March 14th Cedar Revolution forced the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon.

Lahoud concluded: "I remind Aoun that I was within the opposition for 15 years. If he wants to hold me accountable for participating in governance, this would be for the past six months when I became minister of state."
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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Geagea: Freedom in Lebanon is irreversible
2008-03-21
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea warned that the pro-government ruling camp would "if it had to" elect one of two presidential hopefuls -- Boutros Harb or Nassib Lahoud by simple majority. Geagea, in an interview published by the daily An Nahar on Thursday, ruled out presidential elections in Lebanon would take place ahead of an Arab summit scheduled in Damascus March 29-30. "We will discuss the next steps after the summit," Geagea said from New York.

Geagea stressed that the ruling March 14 coalition "should reach a settlement" to the ongoing political crisis and "establish an interim rule."

He denied he will run for presidency if efforts to elect Army Commander Gen. Michel Suleiman failed. "If the majority (March 14 Forces) had to elect a president by a half-plus-one (of MPs' vote) it will certainly choose one of its two candidates - MP Boutros Harb or former MP Nassib Lahoud," Geagea stressed.
Link


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Jumblatt: Hezbollah aims at eliminating the state of Lebanon
2008-01-03
PSP leader MP Walid Jumblatt was interviewed Wednesday evening , by ANB, an independent TV station . The interview started at 8:30 :PM and lasted for 2 hours . While Jumblatt was being interviewed Hezbollah Chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was also being interviewed by the Hezbollah owned Al Manar TV station . Nasrallah’s interview started at 9:PM and lasted for nearly 3 hours .

Jumblatt painted Hezbollah as paid agents for Iran and Syria and all Nasrallah is doing is implementing Syrian and Iranian orders with absolutely no concern for the wellbeing of Lebanon. For this reason the majority is not interested in a unity government in which the Hezbollah- led opposition will have a veto power. This veto power according to Jumblatt is for use by Syria and Iran. Jumblatt aserted that the Hezbollah -led opposition aims at eliminating the state of Lebanon.

This is what Jumblatt said during the interview :
  • We do not want a "gathering of tribes, we want a state" and asked Nasrallah whether he and his allies recognize Lebanon as an independent state.
  • A political agreement is needed to avoid exhausting the army.
  • "I thank God that my father died in 1977 and did not witness what we are going through.
  • Lebanon "is not Aleppo or Houran, Lebanon is an independent country."
  • March 14 Presidential candidate Nassib Lahoud supported the nomination of Army Commander Gen. Michel Suleiman for president.
  • Nasrallah "is not a free man and his decision-making is not free."
  • It is not Israel that is killing Lebanese civilians these days.
  • Lebanon was a democratic country "before Bashar and his father were born."
  • The March 14 alliance is a pluralist group.
  • Nasrallah would not be able to contradict a fatwa by Khamenei that the Siniora government is illegitimate.
  • "I wouldn't go into negotiations if a gun is pointed to my head."
  • "We don't want Beirut changed into another Baghdad."
  • The campaign targeting Premier Fouad Siniora is of a factional nature.
  • He would not allow Syria and Iran to control decision-making in Lebanon.
  • There is only one negotiator facing March 14 and that is Hezbollah.
  • The majority would not give the opposition veto powers in any government because that would allow Syria and Ahmadinejad to block Lebanon's political process.
  • Palestinian bases outside refugee camps are "Syrian bases."
  • The resistance should be absorbed in the Army and the decision of going into war should be in the hands of the Lebanese authorities.
  • The assassination of Brig. Gen. Francois el-Hajj was a message to the Lebanese that you are not entitled to choose your president.
  • The opposition aims at eliminating the state of Lebanon.
  • Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun is not a principal negotiator.
  • Hezbollah is morally responsible for attacks staged by Syrian intelligence in Lebanon.
  • Syria will not recognize that Shebaa Farms are Lebanese territory because it wants Lebanon to remain under U.N. Security Council resolution 242.
  • Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Mouallem has no authority to discuss the Lebanon situation.
  • Normalization of relations with Syria should be based on Syrian recognition of Lebanon as an independent and sovereign state.
  • Stressed that the borders are open for Hezbollah weapons from Iran to Lebanon via Syria.
  • If Hezbollah changed Lebanon into an Iranian-like state it would justify the existence of Israel as a Jewish state.
  • Can Hezbollah survive as a political party without Iranian financing and Iranian Weapons?
    • Link


    Syria-Lebanon-Iran
    Geagea rejects a president committed to Hezbollah /Aoun accord
    2007-11-26
    Dr. Samir Geagea, leader of the Lebanese Forces said Saturday he opposes the election of a president who is committed to the existing understanding between Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement of Michel Aoun. He stressed that Aoun is not the leading Christian leader and urged him to consider consensus on presidential candidates Nassib Lahoud and Butros Harb who represent the March 14 alliance to "salvage Lebanon."

    Geagea, addressing a news conference, also noted that blocking presidential elections opens the door to Syria's renewed influence in domestic Lebanese affairs "that is why Arab and international envoys talk to the Syrians about Lebanon." He said Syrian leaders have invested 40 years in trying to convince the world that Lebanon is not a viable state and that the Lebanese are not capable of ruling themselves. "We will not permit a return of Syria's influence and no revolution would survive in Lebanon except the Cedar Revolution. This is Cedar Land," Geagea pledged.

    He expressed the belief that a new president would be elected before year-end. He said the interim rule by Lebanon's Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's government "is not the solution (to Lebanon's crisis) the solution is in holding the presidential election as soon as possible."

    "What prevents the election of Butros Harb or Nassib Lahoud?" Geagea asked. "Is the present situation better than what it would have been had either of them been elected president? I propose this solution to hold the election, otherwise, the alternative solution would be more difficult."

    In answering a question as to whether the Lebanese Forces is applying a U.S.-set agenda, Geagea said: "If the U.S. agenda is to elect a president on constitutional schedule, we are with the U.S. agenda, but if the U.S. agenda is to block presidential elections then Hezbollah is applying a U.S. agenda" because the MP's of the Iranian-backed party have boycotted the vote.

    He stressed that political differences with the FPM would persist within the "political frame and there would be no confrontation" with Aoun's partisans. Geagea concluded by stressing that electing a president by simple majority remains an option, denying reports of differences with Druze leader Walid Jumblatt or any other leader of the March 14 forces.
    Link


    Syria-Lebanon-Iran
    Lebanon is back to square one, Sfeir list vetoed
    2007-11-20
    After the feuding political sides vetoed names of consensus presidential candidates drawn up by Maronite Patrirach Nasarallah Sfeir, Lebanon seemed to be heading back to square one. The new state of affairs prompted French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner to rush back to Beirut on Sunday for his sixth visit in as many months.

    There was speculation that Wednesday's parliamentary session to elect a new president may be postponed till Friday, prompting fears of civil unrest and the formation of two rival governments. Kouchner said he was "less confident" about reaching a solution to Lebanon's political crisis after news circulated that the Hizbullah-led opposition vetoed presidential nominees Butros Harb, Nassib Lahoud Robert Ghanem and Michel Khoury. In turn, leading officials within the ruling March 14 coalition have reportedly vetoed Michel Edde, while favoring Ghanem.

    The daily An Nahar said Monday that Speaker Nabih Berri and parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri were each separately expected to discuss the Ghanem-Khoury problem with their allies. According to An Nahar, information made available to March 14 said that a senior opposition figure had informed an international side that the opposition vetoes Harb, Lahoud Ghanem and Khoury and that the opposition could accept Edde and Lebanon's Central Bank governor Riad Salameh.

    It said the emergence of Salameh's name made the opposition demand an amendment to Sfeir's list such as Army Commander Gen. Michel Suleiman be included. LBC has reported that Michel Edde went to Syria on Saturday to get Syria's blessing , but Edde denied.

    Parliament is to convene on Wednesday to elect a new president to succeed pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud, whose term runs out on Friday. Three previous attempts have failed because the ruling coalition and the opposition have been unable to agree on a candidate, with the opposition blocking sessions or threatening to deny the legislature a quorum.

    Failure to elect a new president could result in a power vacuum and possibly the formation of two rival governments. Under the constitution, the cabinet takes over executive power if the president's post became unfilled.

    An Nahar said the "veto battle" has led circles to believe that there was a lack of global and regional understanding of a guarantee mechanism for finding a consensus presidential candidate.

    Many political analysts fault the March 14 alliance for accepting that the list of candidates from Sfeir goes to Speaker Berri first for decision, knowing that the pro-Syrian , Hezbollah led opposition will use the list to shift the battle from the parliament to Ain el Tineh ( Berri's home). One analyst told Ya Libnan "Speaker Berri is acting as the whole parliament. Where is the democracy ? . This is bound to result in a new weak president that will not be able to lead the country in this critical period . March 14 alliance should have insisted that the list goes to the parliament on November 21 and let the parliament vote for the best president of the republic."

    Cardinal Sfeir was angered by the vetoes. He said it is up to the leaders to add or delete any name they want to the list that he has reluctantly submitted.

    Link


    Syria-Lebanon-Iran
    Wally accuses Hezbollah of plans to occupy Beirut
    2007-10-13
    Democratic Gathering chief MP Walid Jumblatt accused Hezbollah of planning to take over the government headquarters and to occupy Lebanon's capital Beirut. Jumblatt said this is part of the Persian plan to exert influence in the region from Iran to Lebanon, including Iraq and Syria. Jumblatt called Hezbollah a division of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.

    Jumblatt, who is heading to Washington on an official visit revealed the above during an interview with the Kuwaiti newspaper al Anbaa , which will be published on Saturday. Jumblatt warned that if Lebanon falls to the Persians , this could endanger the whole Arabian Gulf region

    Jumblatt criticized the delay in setting up the International tribunal to try the killers of former PM Rafik Hariri. He told Al Anbaa that he plans to raise this issue both in Washington and at the UN in New York.

    Asked about the Bkirki meetings for finding a consensus president Jumblatt said " I hope they will be able to select a president that will recognize all the UN resolutions starting with UN 1559." Asked who is his favorite presidential candidate he said " March 14 alliance ( of which he is a member ) has 2 candidates : Boutros Harb and Nassib Lahoud. They are our only candidates."
    Link


    Syria-Lebanon-Iran
    Wally: Details on Hizbullah plans to invade Beirut
    2007-10-13
    In an interview with Kuwaiti daily al-Anbaa to be published tomorrow, Walid Jumblatt said he has information that Iran might allow Hizbullah to invade the government building and occupy Beirut.

    Jumblatt added that Hizbullah is working in concert with Emile Lahoud, who might invoke obscure legal arguments to justify staying in power. The PSP leader, who is en route to the US to ask about the delay in forming the Rafiq Hariri tribunal, called on the Lebanese army to remove Syrian installed president Emile Lahoud. He described Hizbullah as an extension of the Iranian revolutionary guard and part of a "Persian project" that starts in Persia and ends in Lebanon and Syria via Iraq.

    Jumblatt said he didn't trust Nabih Berri's talks, and hinted that the speaker is endangering the lives of deputies by bringing them to the parliament for no purpose. He reiterated that March 14 has two presidential candidates, Nassib Lahoud and Boutros Harb, and that the parliament's majority has the right to elect a president "anywhere".
    Jumblatt described the scheduled electoral session on October 23rd as "imaginary" because the "opposition" has no intention to attend.
    He called on Christians to unite around a leader who recognizes UN resolutions, especially 1559, which calls for fair elections and the disarmament of militias. Jumblatt described the scheduled electoral session on October 23rd as "imaginary" because the "opposition" has no intention to attend.

    Jumblatt statement came after Hizbullah yesterday stepped up its attacks on March 14, accusing Hariri of "defending the US", and warning of "measures" ready in place should March 14 deputies elect a president without their approval. Hassan Nasrallah's finger-waving deputy vowed not to let parliamentarians have a session if there is no agreement. MP Mohammad Raad visited Lahoud to put the final touches on the "measures", and issued a statement afterwards threatening the parliament's majority. Lahoud has repeatedly said he would not hand over power to Siniora, and that he has alternatives in place that he refused to disclose.

    Hizbullah has also been training and arming pro-Syrian parties, as well as Aoun's party, amid rumors that the post-election plan might involve dispatching armed elements to the presidential palace to keep the March 14 president from assuming power.
    Hizbullah has also been training and arming pro-Syrian parties, as well as Aoun's party, amid rumors that the post-election plan might involve dispatching armed elements to the presidential palace to keep the March 14 president from assuming power.

    This week, Al-Shiraa reported that Hizbullah has dispatched armed members to Shia villages in Mount Lebanon to prepare for the scenario of March 14 electing a president. The pro-Hariri weekly speculated that Hizbullah is either preparing to storm Baabda, which is not far from Kayfoun and Qmatieh, or to control the Beirut-Damascus highway in the event of two governments.

    Military escalation seems to be on the Syrian agenda for Lebanon. In an interview with a Tunisian newspaper, Bashar Assad predicted that Lebanon "will not know stability in the near future" because some Lebanese (March 14) "had chosen to side with Israel and submit themselves to foreigners instead of taking the Arab path and that of resistance." In other words, they left Syria's orbit. Or should we say Iran?
    Link


    Syria-Lebanon-Iran
    Wally: Nasrallah is spokesperson for Syria and Iran in Lebanon
    2007-10-09
    Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah endured a fiery rage of backlash following his speech on Friday, in which he suggested ditching the constitution, and passed the blame of assassinations to Israel. Leaders from the ruling March 14 coalition lobbed sharp criticism at Nasrallah for his proposal that people be allowed to elect a president directly.

    Without making any mention to Nasrallah, Prime Minister Fouad Saniora criticized those who would pardon the assassins of former Premier Rafik Hariri. Saniora stressed at an Iftar dinner on Sunday that March 14 will uphold their "national commitment" no matter what the cost.

    In a speech Friday marking Jerusalem Day, Nasrallah said Israel of being behind the serial killings in Lebanon to facilitate creation of an international tribunal that would be used to topple Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime. Nasrallah also called for direct popular elections to choose the next president if political parties failed to reach consensus on a candidate.

    Al Mustaqbal Movement leader and MP Saad Hariri said from Washington that such a proposal risks dragging Lebanon to the unknown. He said the Hizbullah-led opposition "should stop making such suggestions because the Lebanese constitution is clear. We don't fear a referendum, and we could, if one was fulfilled, get a president elected." Hariri reiterated that March 14 "will not abandon" the constitution or the Taif Accord "which ensured civil peace. This is not the time for proposals that take the country to the unknown."

    Hariri held a phone conversation with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who is visiting Geneva, and discussed the outcome of his talks in Washington. The daily An Nahar on Monday said that "communication channels" were opened over the past few hours between Beirut, Washington and Geneva against the backdrop of Nasrallah's controversial remarks. It quoted parliamentary and political sources as saying that Nasrallah's speech was "about" to torpedo Berri's latest initiative since the ruling majority thought it targeted the speaker's proposal. An Nahar, according to the sources, said March 14 had raised questions as to whether Nasrallah's remarks represented the views of the various opposition factions.

    One of the strongest attacks against Nasrallah came from Democratic Gathering leader and MP Walid Jumblat, who accused the Hizbullah chief of turning into a "spokesman for Syria and Iran. Nasrallah says, 'if you want an international probe expect more assassinations.' He also said 'if you want freedom, sovereignty and independence, we won't stand for it and we will impose a consensus candidate' by which he means a head of state who rejects all international resolutions."

    Presidential hopeful and March 14 MP Nassib Lahoud said that there is no way to change the rules of the game on the eve of presidential elections. "Changing the Lebanese political system to allow the election of a president directly from the people is complicated and requires other adjustments to the system as well," he said.

    President Emile Lahoud backed up Nasrallah's proposal to reach a consensus presidential candidate. Lahoud, however, emphasized the need to agree on electing a president through "democratic competition" in accordance with constitutional norms, if rival groups fail to agree on a consensus head of state.

    Asked why March 14 lawmakers are the only MPS threatened with their lives, Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh rebuffed Nasrallah's allegation that Israel was behind the political assassinations in Lebanon. "I don't see a single opposition legislator in danger," Hamadeh told Future TV on Sunday. "Does this mean Israel is their ally and it doesn't threaten them but only kills us? This is a question I would like to put to Sayyed Nasrallah."

    Hamadeh said that March 14 "knows Syria will continue with the assassinations," for which reason the majority has taken preventive measures and is looking forward to see the formation of the international tribunal very soon. On Nasrallah's demand for direct elections, Hamadeh asked: "Is there a country in the world that elects a president based on opinion polls?"

    Presidential hopeful Butros Harb said Nasrallah's proposal was a breach of the Taif Accord. Harb said that Taif "maintained a consensus formula based on a multi-confessional" Lebanon, adding that resorting to direct elections would "topple this formula." Presidential candidate MP Robert Ghanem agreed, saying the time was not a suitable to demand direct popular elections.

    Meanwhile, Hizbullah lawmaker Hussein Hajj Hassan defended Nasrallah's remarks, saying the Hizbullah chief suggested, only in the event consensus was not reached, that democratic options "that are available all over the world" be considered.
    Link


    Syria-Lebanon-Iran
    Presidential election: Nassib Lahoud makes it official
    2007-09-14
    Former MP Nassib Lahoud made it official today and announced his candidacy for the next President of Lebanon, to replace his cousin the pro-Syrian president Emile Lahoud. In kicking off his presidential campaign, he declared that only the Lebanese army is entitled to bear arms and defend the country.

    Here are some highlights of his presidential platform.
    Lahoud called for:
    • Enrolling Hezbollah fighters into and under the command of the Lebanese army insisting that only the army should be the "legitimate armed forces of Lebanon"

    • Training Lebanese army and supplying it with all the equipment needed to properly defend the country .

    • Establishing friendly, but balanced relations with Syria. Lahoud called for mutual respect of sovereignty , independence and freedom between Lebanon and Syria and also called for diplomatic relations and demarcation of the borders between both countries.

    • Lahoud also called for reforms against corruption , improved rights of women, improved standard of education in the public schools, reviving the Labor Unions and political freedom .
    He expressed his frustration with the current crises and called for ending the current sit- in protest and the closure of the parliament

    Unlike Emile Lahoud, Nassib lahoud is a leading member of the March 14 alliance.
    Unlike Emile Lahoud, Nassib lahoud is a leading member of the March 14 alliance. In 2001, he joined the Qornet Shehwan Gathering, regrouping prominent Christian opposition figures under the patronage of Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir.
    Link


    Syria-Lebanon-Iran
    Majority condemns Aoun for demanding that Siniora quit
    2006-09-01
    Lebanese politicians from the March 14 Forces and the parliamentary majority lashed out on Thursday against Kesrouan MP Michel Aoun for calling for the formation of a national unity Cabinet. In an interview with As-Safir daily published Thursday, Aoun said Prime Minister Fouad Siniora "will pay the price of his stubbornness." Aoun was responding to the premier, who said a day earlier that the Cabinet would not resign.
    “We warned you of the dangerous repercussions that might happen if the government does not resign but you don't care; now we will choose the appropriate time to achieve the desired change in our own way...”
    "This will happen very soon; he will then not have time to pack his things because he will be forced to leave quickly," Aoun said.

    Addressing the people, the head of the Reform and Change parliamentary bloc threatened: "We warned you of the dangerous repercussions that might happen if the government does not resign but you don't care; now we will choose the appropriate time to achieve the desired change in our own way." He added that Siniora's government "has forged an alliance with foreign countries working against Lebanese parties."

    Following Aoun's statement, government allies expressed their strong disapproval of Aoun's stance. The head of the Democratic Renewal Movement, former MP Nassib Lahoud criticized what he called "a programmed campaign against the government that aims to shift the attention away from the humanitarian and socioeconomic crisis of the Israeli offensive against Lebanon." In a statement released following the movement's weekly meeting Thursday, Lahoud said "this campaign does not meet the priorities of the Lebanese."

    “... some parties are seeking either to increase their shares in the Cabinet so that they can hamper ministerial decisions or prevent the current government from assuming its responsibilities...”
    "Lebanon is at a turning point and cannot bear internal disputes and tense speeches; it needs cooperation among all the parties," he added. Lahoud also said citizens' priorities were lifting the Israeli air and maritime blockade, reconstructing houses and roads and fully implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1701 as a way of reaching a sustainable cease-fire.

    Future Movement MP Atef Majdalani criticized calls for the creation of a national unity Cabinet, saying they were aimed at toppling Siniora's government. In a statement issued on Thursday, Majdalani said that "some parties are seeking either to increase their shares in the Cabinet so that they can hamper ministerial decisions or prevent the current government from assuming its responsibilities in implementing UN Resolution 1701 and the creation of an international tribunal to try those accused in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri."
    Link


    Syria-Lebanon-Iran
    Lahoud or not Lahoud? That is the question
    2006-04-30
    Participants in Lebanon's national dialogue held their first official discussion of potential replacements for President Emile Lahoud on Friday, bridging what had been a psychological barrier before adjourning until a follow-up session on May 16.

    Although the names of the four individuals under consideration - MP Michel Aoun, MP Butros Harb, former MP Nassib Lahoud and Social Affairs Minister Nayla Mouawad - had been among the country's worst-kept secrets for months, this was the first they had been publicly acknowledged.

    At a press conference after the talks, Speaker Nabih Berri said the entire session had been dedicated to the presidency but that it would have to be revisited in the next round of talks. He told reporters that regardless of whether or not a decision was reached on presidency issues on May 16, participants would move on to another subject of considerable contention, that of Hizbullah's arms.

    Speaking with The Daily Star immediately after the talks, Harb confirmed that the names discussed were those made public earlier in the day by Lebanese Forces (LF) leader Samir Geagea. Geagea had mentioned the four names during a visit to Bkirki to see the Maronite patriarch, Cardinal Nasrallah Butros Sfeir.

    Asked if Aoun had put his own name forward as a candidate, Berri said: "We've always said that Aoun is a very serious candidate for the presidency, but other names were put forward as well."

    Asked if the next session would deal with the subject of border demarcation and the Shebaa Farms again - a source of much disagreement between Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt and Hizbullah's secretary general, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, - the speaker tried to change the subject. "Does it look like we're playing here?" he asked. This decision has been taken." Asked whose version - Nasrallah's or Jumblatt's - had been agreed upon, Berri was non-committal. "Go back and re-read exactly what I announced after the last session," he said. "We won't be discussing that again."
    Link


    Syria-Lebanon-Iran
    Nassib Lahoud signs petition to oust Emile
    2006-03-06
    Democratic Renewal Party leader Nassib Lahoud signed the national petition Sunday that was initiated by the March 14 Forces as a campaign to oust President Emile Lahoud. Lahoud signed the public petition in the presence of the representatives of the various parties making up the anti-Syrian March 14 Forces. The March 14 Forces are hoping to secure more than one million signatures for the petition, now one week old. Lahoud said changing the president is "fundamental for salvaging the country."

    Lahoud, who said he would be willing to run for president if the March 14 Forces pick him, said that the current national dialogue would not be wrapped up soon but "will take its time since what is needed is an equation for a new national consensus based on the convictions that will hopefully make Lebanon prosperous." He believed that change in the presidency "has become a very urgent demand and the dialogue itself proves how a president who is a capable authority is needed to draft a national accord that the Lebanese people need."
    Link



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