Date: Jan 25, 2018 Source: The Daily Star Lebanon: Berri dispels doubts over elections date Joseph Haboush| The Daily Star BEIRUT: As parliamentary elections inch closer, doubts over them taking place seem to wane, Speaker Nabih Berri indicated Wednesday. “The collective determination by the Lebanese affirms the need and duty for parliamentary elections to take place as scheduled and this has become a reality that can’t be doubted,” Berri was quoted as saying by visitors to his Ain al-Tineh residence. The speaker went on to say that the Lebanese are adamant that elections will take place on time “despite some opposition from abroad.” Although Berri did not elaborate on what he meant by this statement, LBCI quoted MPs as hinting that he had been referring to Saudi Arabia and the United States. During the weekly meeting with MPs, Berri said that the country has “literally” entered the electoral phase. He added: “Any talk of revisions [over the law] are now behind us ... and if we had gone to Parliament for any changes, this would have threatened the law.” Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk confirmed that his ministry was prepared for the elections “technically, logistically, and administratively” during a meeting with French Ambassador to Lebanon Bruno Foucher. Machnouk also called on Lebanese living abroad to head to the voting polls for the first time. The National News Agency quoted the minister as saying, “It’s an opportunity for the diaspora to make their voices heard and reaffirm their presence in the general life of Lebanese and the democratic process.” Separately, European Union Ambassador Christina Lassen led a delegation Wednesday to meet the president of the electoral supervisory committee Judge Nadim Abdel-Malek, to see the body’s new headquarters and discuss technical and logistical preparations. Abdel-Malek briefed Lassen on the work of the body, outlined by the new electoral law to oversee and monitor campaigning, spending and the conduct of the polling, and told the delegation that the committee would work with integrity, neutrality and independence. But Abdel-Malek said some things were still needed. “In order to be able to carry out the process of supervision and monitoring correctly, with credibility and efficiency, the committee is in need of technical [skills] and employees,” he said. Lassen responded by stating the EU’s position that elections should be held in a fair and timely manner. She also praised the role of the committee and the work achieved, stressing the need for transparency in the electoral process and preventing bribes. During the her tour of the body’s new headquarters, Lassen took note of the needs of the committee to keep up with the electoral process. In September, President Michel Aoun signed a Cabinet decree to officially appoint the 11 members of the electoral supervisory committee as per the new electoral law agreed by the major parties last summer after years of wrangling. Abdel-Malek was appointed president of the committee, while George Mourani was selected as vice-president, with nine members each chosen from a different organization. Aoun signed a decree Monday designating May 6 as Election Day. Meanwhile, the Progressive Socialist Party will not announce its candidates for May’s elections this weekend, a source close to the party confirmed Wednesday. The party was set to make the announcement this Sunday, but made a decision to hold off. This comes after MP Akram Chehayeb told reporters after meeting with Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea Tuesday that the PSP leader, MP Walid Jumblatt, was going to declare the candidates Sunday. “It was postponed ... to pursue additional political contacts,” the source said. Also, Wednesday Italy’s Ambassador to Lebanon Massimo Marotti discussed recent aid provided from Rome to Lebanon. Diplomatic sources told The Daily Star that Italy was pushing, with training provided by Italy to its UNIFIL contingent and expected funding, to build of a new dedicated Lebanese Army regiment for the country’s south that would go on patrol with peacekeepers. The sources added this would press Hezbollah to be less present in the region and help advance Lebanon toward a “neutral” position with respect to regional conflicts. “The stability of Lebanon is in the interest of all the countries that lie on the Mediterranean Sea,” Marotti told reporters. Lebanon recently boosted troop numbers in south Lebanon in line with U.N. resolution 1701 that brought an end to the 34-day Israel-Hezbollah war in 2006. The resolution also stipulated that only U.N. peacekeepers and the Lebanese Army could operate in the area from the Litani River to the Blue Line. – Additional reporting by Ghinwa Obeid and Chiara Clausi