Ibrahim seeking agreement as Salam warns of unilateral steps
In an interview with Al Jamhouriyi newspaper, General Security Chief Major General Abbas Ibrahim claimed that the door was still open to a political solution to the major issues that have rendered the cabinet paralysed.
Ibrahim recently met with Free Patriotic Movement leader General Michel Aoun to discuss the cabinet paralysis and spoke positively about the possibility that a solution could be found.
Ibrahim denied that he had presented General Aoun with any specific plan but rather stated that the discussion focussed on “all ideas and possible solutions”.
Media reports suggest that the Chief of General Security Abbas Ibrahim has proposed a plan in which the major personal responsible for the main positions in the army and other security forces would have their retirement age raised from 60 to 63. It is suggested that this would apply to about 12 positions. The idea being that this would reduce tension in the country until a more permanent solution could be found.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Tammam Salam spoke with Al Saffir newspaper in relation to the cabinet crises claiming he didn’t call for a meeting this week in order to give consultation on finding a solution a chance to progress.
Salam suggested to the newspaper that his patience would not last much longer, implying unilateral steps that would involve decision making on the basis on a majority rather than unanimity amongst all cabinet ministers.
Salam claimed that the state would be destroyed if the presidential and cabinet impasse would not end any time soon.
Salam also suggested that he had advised visiting Iranian Foreign Minister, Javad Zarif on his recent visit to Lebanon that Iran could help Lebanon by “bringing a consensual president or else Lebanon would collapse and be destroyed”.
Salam and allied members of the Mustaqbal party are insisting on the election of what they term a “consensual” President, meaning a figurehead type President with no true political representation.
In recent media interviews, General Aoun suggested that he would be willing to consider a “consensual” President if the Speaker of Parliament and the Prime Minister were also occupied with “consensual” figures.
The main Christian political parties in meetings with the Maronite Patriarch agreed that only a strong and representative President should be elected.
Lebanon has been without a head of state since President Michel Suleiman’s term ended in May 2014 with rival lawmakers unable to vote due to lack of consensus.
Lebanon’s constitution allots certain state positions to different sects in the country. The Speaker of Parliament is a Shite position, The Prime Minister a Sunni position.
Naturally since the positions of Army Commander and President are reserved for Maronite Christians, it is expected that the Free Patriotic Movement, Lebanon’s second largest Political bloc and Largest Christian bloc by far, should have a say on the appointments to these positions.
There has not been a President of Lebanon elected with Christian political will since 1982. This has led to an imbalance in the political arena and a virtual exclusion of representative Christian candidates in key positions.
R.B 20/08/15