Lebanon's Cardinal Sfeir Slams Political Bickering
Mar 04, 2006
As the date of Lebanon's national dialogue approaches, it was uncertain Sunday whether a Cabinet session would be held this week, despite a promise by Premier Fouad Siniora to hold a Cabinet meeting before the date of the dialogue, March 2.
(Daily Star, 2-26-2006) BEIRUT -- Siniora's promise came as Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir chastised the country's politicians, asking them to use a more moderate tone in their "political bickering" over the need to topple the country's president.
The country's tense situation led the prelate to criticize political figures in his Sunday Mass, saying "some are discourteous and harsh and others are irrational and sarcastic."
Sfeir stressed the need for politicians to be "rational
and calm" when conveying their messages.
Indirectly criticizing President Emile Lahoud, who last week accused France and President Jacques Chirac of plotting to oust him and interfering in Lebanon, the prelate said: "we should rather work on strengthening constitutional bodies in the country, but this can occur without insulting each other and without some insulting friendly countries that are trying to help Lebanon emerge from this state."
"But the current situation in Lebanon doesn't show that we are people who are aware and who are able to tackle issues in a serious and wise way," he said.
On Saturday, following a visit to the vice president of the Higher Shiite Council Sheikh Abdel-Amir Qabalan, Siniora said everyone in the country knows public institutions should continue their work, "which is why work in Cabinet should continue."
"We have to keep in mind the interests of people ... In the next couple of days I will make all the necessary consultations and I am sure a Cabinet session will be held next week before the national dialogue starts," Siniora said.
Last week's Cabinet session was canceled because it did not have the necessary quorum, after the March 14 Forces ministers boycotted it for being held at the Baabda Presidential Palace, and declared they would not attend any session in Baabda as long as President Emile Lahoud resides there. Their position stemmed from their fresh campaign to oust Lahoud.
However, the position of the March 14 Forces' ministers was not clear on whether they will boycott another Cabinet session headed by Lahoud, but held someplace other than Baabda.
Contacted by The Daily Star, Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel said he would attend a Cabinet meeting, even if headed by Lahoud, as long
as it is not in Baabda.
"The Cabinet's work should go on, we don't want to paralyze public institutions," he said, and added the reason they refused to go to Baabda was "moral." "It represents our refusal to go to Baabda Palace as long as it is unconstitutionally occupied by Lahoud," he said.
However, acting Interior Minister Ahmad Fatfat said a decision had not been taken yet over whether to attend a session headed by Lahoud or not. http://www.dailystar.com.lb
"We will discuss this issue this week," he told The Daily Star.
The momentum to oust Lahoud has been growing recently, with March 14 Forces initiating several petitions asking Lahoud to step down, and waving the option of resorting to public demonstrations in the face of Lahoud to force him to resign.
Their threats, however, had been faced by a staunch opposition from Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun, who advised Lahoud to remain in power.
Aoun, who recently struck a political alliance with Hizbullah, warned the anti-Syrian forces of resorting to the street.
"If they think they can topple Lahoud by sending public protests to Baabda Presidential Palace, they should know that we can send protests to the Grand Serail," Aoun said, in a hint that the pro-Syrian forces in the country could push the premier to resignation.
Meanwhile, Al-Hayat newspaper reported Sunday that leaders of the anti-Syria coalition are trying to work out a deal with the main Shiite parties to agree on removing Lahoud from office in return for leaving the issue of Hizbullah's disarmament to dialogue.
According to the newspaper, Hariri would take charge of convincing Hizbullah and Speaker Nabih Berri's Amal Movement to approve a formula that would secure an end to Lahoud's term.
But talking to The Daily Star, Hizbullah MP Mohammad Raad denied the party was approached with such an offer, stressing at the same time that the idea was not "tolerable."
"The issue of maintaining the resistance's arms is not about to be traded with other demands by anyone," Raad said. "They either believe keeping Hizbullah's arms is a necessity to protect Lebanon, or they think we should disarm, and they have to explain why and then we will talk about it," he added. "But we will not accept such formulas."
Raad also said that discussing the issue of toppling Lahoud does not concern Hizbullah at the moment.
"We have other priorities, namely the issue of UN Resolution 1559, and we will discuss this during next week's national dialogue," he said.
The country's national dialogue, sponsored by Berri, is expected to begin next Thursday. Berri has already sent a delegation from his Amal Movement to invite political leaders to take part in the dialogue, which is expected to discuss three main issues, UN Resolution 1559, investigations in the murder of former Premier Rafik Hariri and Syrian-Lebanese relations.
The dialogue was also welcomed by UN special envoy Terje Roed-Larsen, who told Berri that he supported the national dialogue as a way to accomplish the disbanding of Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias in accordance with the 2004 UN resolution.
According to the UN Web site, Larsen, who is Secretary General Kofi Annan's special envoy for the implementation of Resolution 1559, talked to Berri Thursday over the phone, and conveyed Annan's views in that regard.
Lebanon's Cardinal Sfeir Slams Political Bickering