Hasan Lakkis| The Daily Star
No Cabinet session has been scheduled for this week, and there is no indication that one will be held next week either. This state of affairs is likely to remain unchanged as long as the Cabinet’s constituent parties continue to stand their ground in a dispute centered on the demands of the Free Patriotic Movement and its allies.
The FPM has been insistent that security and military appointments and the Cabinet’s decision-making system must be discussed ahead of any other items on its agenda. The debate on this issue has paralyzed the government.
But FPM sources said a possible solution was in sight, and that it is not impossible for the Cabinet and Parliament to resume their work, but added that doing so would be difficult due to the intransigence of the other parties.
Coordination between the FPM and Hezbollah has intensified in preparation for a legislative session of Parliament, according to the sources, after Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah called on rival Christian parties to restore Parliament’s ability to legislate in a speech last Friday.
This could imply that a breakthrough on security appointments has been reached involving Brig. Gen. Shamel Roukoz, the head of the Army’s Commando Unit and FPM leader Michel Aoun’s son-in-law. Aoun has fervently advocated his candidacy for the position of Army commander.
But developments have arisen that could complicate the situation, particularly if there is no movement in the positions of Prime Minister Tammam Salam or Foreign Affairs Minister Gebran Bassil, who also hails from the FPM.
A heated argument broke out between the two during a Cabinet session last month.
Salam is expected to visit New York in September to deliver a speech before the United Nations General Assembly. FPM elections will also take place that month.
Neither the head of state nor the prime minister requires the permission of the Cabinet to participate in such events. However, the remaining members of the delegation on the trip need Cabinet approval. The government covers the expenses of the trip, and the delegation to the U.N. General Assembly is usually large, and can be away as long as a month.
Delegates’ trips are distributed over that period; some members will stay in New York for a week, while others may stay two weeks or more depending on their specialty and the work of the General Assembly’s committees.
The participation of the foreign affairs minister is considered vital, as he usually serves as the delegation’s deputy president if the delegation is headed by a president or prime minister.
The foreign minister is also typically responsible for forming the delegation, as it is usually constituted of diplomats from the Foreign Ministry, supplemented by outside specialists where necessary.
When the president or premier returns to Lebanon, the foreign minister leads the delegation in their absence, and the ministry’s general secretary or Lebanon’s Permanent Representative to the U.N. becomes the delegation’s deputy president. But given Lebanon’s current circumstances, many configurations are on the table.
Ministerial sources said that if the relationship between Salam and FPM ministers continues to deteriorate, and the FPM makes further criticisms of the prime minister, whether in the media or through further street demonstrations, it will become very difficult to include Bassil in the U.N. delegation.
The issue would be further complicated by the fact that a Cabinet session is normally required to approve members of the delegation to accompany Salam.
And there is another item that could exacerbate the dispute. During the tenure of former President Emile Lahoud, March 14 ministers asked to be informed of the content of Lahoud’s speech in advance. There is a possibility that FPM ministers may ask the same, arguing that during a presidential interregnum, the Cabinet assumes the powers of the presidency.
Though speculation continues over the makeup of Lebanon’s official delegation, the media delegation that will head to New York has already been assigned – it will exclude all local newspapers and feature only TV stations.
STL begins to hear telecoms expert witness testimony
BEIRUT: The Special Tribunal for Lebanon began hearing the testimony of the prosecution’s expert witness John Edward Philips Tuesday.
His testimony is set to span the next two weeks, with a defense cross-examination expected to start next Monday.
Philips is an expert in the area of cell-site analysis and will explain the technical aspects of the mobile communication network allegedly used in plotting the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. He is specialized in analyzing data generated by 2G GSM systems in the United Kingdom. Last month the STL heard evidence about how the prosecution assembled call sequence records.
The call sequence tables and data records show who the alleged suspects in the case were calling and from where, at given times. This data is an integral part of the prosecution’s case.
After Phillip’s testimony and cross-examination, the office of the prosecution is expected to call in three witnesses who will present evidence about the origin and nature of the phone network allegedly used to carry out the February 2005 operation that targeted Hariri’s convoy.
The prosecution says it is able to tie five Hezbollah members to a series of different telephone networks that were active at key times and places, corresponding to a calculated conspiracy to kill Hariri.
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