FRI 29 - 3 - 2024
 
Date: Aug 25, 2011
Source: The Daily Star
Lebanon's Arabic press digest - Aug. 25, 2011

Following are summaries of some of the main stories in a selection of Lebanese newspapers Thursday. The Daily Star cannot vouch for the accuracy of these reports.


Al-Liwaa: Mikati to Saudi Arabia … Jumblatt awaits appointment … Cabinet meeting collapses
FPM ministers attack Aridi … Aoun surprised by Jumblatt’s stance


President Michel Sleiman and Prime Minister Najib Mikati have resorted to the [buying] time game in an effort to contain the political-ministerial clash within the government coalition, particularly the one between MPs Michel Aoun and Walid Jumblatt who – each due to personal considerations – have chose “dignity” over the government’s interests or even government’s survival.


According to information, Aoun woke up early [Wednesday] to the news of Jumblatt’s stance: “I don’t care if the government stayed or not,” a quote interpreted by Aoun as a direct response after the Free Patriotic Movement leader threatened with an equation “either electricity or dignity” which translates to quitting Cabinet if government fails to endorse a controversial electricity bill submitted by Energy Minister Jibran Bassil.
Bassil will hold a news conference before midday Thursday to continue defending his electricity plan and hinting at an electricity crisis.


FPM officials quoted Aoun as expressing resentment and said he was following up on events minute by minute - sideline talks that took place Wednesday prior to the 10-minute Cabinet meeting – to establish one point: the [electricity] plan did not collapse but needs more time, prompting Cabinet to postpone the meeting until Sept. 7.
Mikati was hopeful that the coming two weeks would guarantee understanding on the sticking points, particularly with regards to managing spending which starts with a $1.2 billion fund.


Information made available to Al-Liwaa said tension mounted between Aoun’s team and that of Jumblatt with one side arguing over the issue of unchecked spending (over LL500 billion) at the Public Works Ministry and the other about the electricity plan which is required to go under the supervision of regulatory bodies.


Al-Mustaqbal: March 14 calls on the government to go
“Son-in-law” [Bassil] plan: Aoun defeated and Hezbollah kept him in government


Free Patriotic Movement leader Gen. Michel Aoun was politically defeated Wednesday when Cabinet failed to endorse the electricity bill despite threats to withdraw his ministers from the government if it did not approve the draft law.


This came as Progressive Socialist Party ministers held onto their stance, rejecting Bassil’s terms, particularly following Aoun’s remarks Tuesday which prompted the real head of the government, “Hezbollah,” to pressure Aoun to back down on his intention to withdraw his ministers from the Cabinet after failing to convince Public Works Minister Ghazi Aridi to soften his stance and allow the bill to pass at Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting.


Sources that have closely followed up on negotiations that took place in the past few days summed up the political situation: the new majority [March 8 alliance] cannot take any decision without MP Walid Jumblatt’s approval.
Sleiman and Mikati met privately with Aridi prior to Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting in an effort to make him soften his stance. When they failed, they held separate talks with ministers Bassil and Mohammad Fneish urging them to accept postponement of Cabinet to give more time to resolve the issue. The ministers had to accept for fear that the dispute would move to Parliament and therefore the bill would not pass should the PSP lawmakers decide to vote against it.


Finance Minister Mohammad Safadi, according to sources, informed Cabinet ministers upon arrival at Baabda Palace Wednesday that he too does not approve the electricity bill for a lack of money in the treasury.
The collapse of the Cabinet meeting coincided with the collapse of a legislative session in the absence of March 8 ministers. Politicians told Al-Mustaqbal that the government is surely headed toward paralysis as the electricity issue, which is “Aoun’s wealth reservoir,” is important for Aoun to start his own fund to provide money for the 2013 parliamentary elections.


The March 14 coalition, for its part, strongly rejected the way Hezbollah chose to deal with the indictment issued by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in the 2005 assassination of statesman Rafik Hariri.
It condemned Hezbollah’s insistence on sanctifying Hezbollah suspects as an excuse for not handing them over.


Ad-Diyar: Aoun’s electricity bill collapsed
Aoun to hold news conference Monday, resignations Sept. 7 if bill not approved


Aoun’s electricity bill has collapsed and, far from rejoicing, we remind [the public] that Aoun had said “either approval or dignity.” But approval did not take place and, therefore, resignation is the only thing left.
Today, the country began the Eid al-Fitr holiday until Sept. 7, the date for a Cabinet meeting, as Mikati left for Mecca to perform Umrah and Bassil will hold a news conference Thursday. But no matter what the outcome of the news conference, the electricity bill failed to give Bassil any power over spending outside the framework of a regulatory body.
Bassil’s independent budget has collapsed, which was confirmed by Mikati who will not approve any bill that allows ministers to spend money without supervision.


A senior FPM official told Ad-Diyar that Mikati takes a compromise approach in dealing with many vital issues. The official, however, feared such an approach would undermine the FPM’s political standing.
He also said Jumblatt cannot go on “practicing a double standard.”


Meanwhile, well-informed PSP sources said what happened Wednesday was only a “rehearsal” for the issues to come – public appointments and resignations of members of the Internal Security Forces.
The sources said the PSP would not just approve on everything but will consider each issue separately.



 
Readers Comments (0)
Add your comment

Enter the security code below*

 Can't read this? Try Another.
 
Related News
Long-term recovery for Beirut hampered by lack of govt involvement
Lebanon to hold parliamentary by-elections by end of March
ISG urges Lebanese leaders to form govt, implement reforms
Lebanon: Sectarian tensions rise over forensic audit, election law proposals
Lebanon: Adib faces Christian representation problem in Cabinet bid
Related Articles
The smart mini-revolution to reopen Lebanon’s schools
Breaking the cycle: Proposing a new 'model'
The boat of death and the ‘Hunger Games’
Toward women-centered response to Beirut blast
Lebanon access to clean drinking water: A missing agenda
Copyright 2024 . All rights reserved