Stay tuned for the results of the presidential foreign movement after the holidays
The file of the return of the displaced is reeling despite the assurances of the United Nations… and for fear of an explosion of the crisis – Paula Murad
It has become a foregone conclusion that the cabinet session, which caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati called for today, Monday, will take place, despite all the Aounist threat and intimidation, after the Maronite Patriarch Beshara Al-Rahi secured the Christian cover for it, and Hezbollah decided not to bow to the will of the head of the Free Patriotic Movement, Gebran Bassil, to boycott it. The session he considers unconstitutional, although the constitution is clear and explicit and speaks of the permissibility of holding sessions for the caretaker government in cases of necessity, unless Basil does not consider that securing the necessary funds to buy medicines for cancer patients is an emergency!
Presidential new
The head of the “Free Patriot”, who has practically become cornered and engaged in confrontation alone in this file, will be satisfied with verbal escalation because he is fully aware that the call of his supporters to resort to the street to confront the convening of a similar session of the government, will not receive an echo and response and will inevitably turn against him.
Basil’s embarrassment will not be limited to his unjustified hardline position on the government, as the embarrassment has reached its extent with the presidential file, in light of “Al Diyar” information that, like the rest of the forces that are still elected with white papers and exit the session with the end of the first round, they are seriously considering the possibility of not securing a quorum until For the first session of any new session called for by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, pending the crystallization of the results of the external movement that affects the capitals concerned with the Lebanese presidential file, most notably Paris, the Vatican, Doha, Washington and Riyadh. Sources familiar with the file suggested that these results would not crystallize before the holidays and the end of the Qatar World Cup, given that there is a key role played by Doha in light of the lack of clarity in the Saudi position.
Security fear
At this time, political sources fear that the phase separating the maturity of the Lebanese presidential recipe abroad will witness a security shake-up that will favor one presidential candidate over another, pointing out in an interview with Al-Diyar that any security event, regardless of its size, will serve the army commander, General Joseph Aoun, presidentially. .
There is fear of security developments at the gates of the camps for the displaced Syrians, especially after they were considered, a few days ago, by the Director General of Public Security, Major General Abbas Ibrahim, as “time bombs” that could explode.
It is noteworthy here that the official in charge of refugee affairs at the United Nations, Filippo Grandi, had presented to the officials he met during the past week the process of returning the displaced, and talked about the contribution of the United Nations, by overcoming the obstacles that still exist on more than one level, and impede the voluntary return of the displaced. To Syria, foremost of which is the issue of international humanitarian and financial support for families in Lebanon, and a pledge to continue this support in the event that they move to Syria.
The shepherd covers my watch
Returning to the upcoming government session today, it seemed remarkable that the Maronite Patriarch Beshara Al-Rahi secured the Christian cover for today’s cabinet session, and considered in his Sunday sermon that “the caretaker government is the caretaker government of the people, not the government of the agendas of political parties and blocs,” wishing the prime minister President Najib Mikati, “who has always distanced himself from sharp divisions, should rectify matters as he prepares in principle to hold a meeting next Monday,” considering that “the country is indispensable for opening sectarian disputes, creating new problems, exposing security to vibration, conflicting institutions, and disagreement.” On the powers ».
Thus, the shepherd did not meet the Aoun-Bassil duo, considering that what Mikati is doing constitutes a violation of the constitution and an attack on the powers of the first presidency, and therefore the Christians. The patriarch was not the first to leave the Free Patriotic Party in the middle of the road in this battle, as did his ally Hezbollah, whose position sources told Al Diyar that “his two ministers will participate in the session, given that approving the necessary appropriations for cancer medicines is more than necessary. They will withdraw and refuse to discuss any item they consider non-emergency. The sources ruled out that this would lead to a rift in the Hezbollah-Free Patriotic relationship, and it is likely that this would be what the media office of Mikati issued yesterday, a statement in which he made it clear that the prime minister “contacted the Maronite patriarch on Saturday to consult on the situation and explain to him the circumstances that necessitated the call for a council session.” Ministers,” stressing that “in his invitation to the government meeting, he takes into account the patriarch’s concerns and position, and will certainly seek to keep the government away from influences from here and there in order to preserve its independence as an executive authority, even if only to conduct business, as the patriarch called for, in his sermon today, so it was necessary Clarification.
In turn, and as expected, the position of the former President of the Republic, Michel Aoun, was consistent with that of Bassil, so he considered in a statement issued by his office that “the caretaker prime minister revealed once again, through his invitation to hold a government session tomorrow, Monday, the real reasons that made him abstain, For five consecutive months, from forming the government that he was assigned to form, which is the attempt to monopolize power and impose his will on the Lebanese, contrary to the provisions of the constitution, customs, and the charter.
Awda differentiation from sponsor
It was remarkable that the difference between the position of the shepherd and the position of the Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Beirut and its dependencies, Archbishop Elias Odeh, said in his Sunday sermon, “Instead of holding a session for the caretaker government, and with the need to deal with the necessary matters, isn’t it more useful to rush to elect a president and run people’s affairs?”
Ministers boycott
Yesterday evening, Ministers Abdullah Bou Habib, Henry Khoury, Maurice Selim, Amin Salam, Hector Hajjar, Walid Fayyad, Walid Nassar, George Boushikian and Issam Sharafeddine called on President Najib Mikati to withdraw his invitation to the cabinet session. They announced a boycott of today’s ministerial session.