Aoun: Miqati Believes He Can Only Get Stronger by Covering Up Violations
Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Najib Miqati of “breaking the laws and covering up major violations.”
OGERO chief “Abdul Monem Youssef is being treated as a saint because we do not want to upset the premier. It seems that the premier believes he can only get stronger through breaking the laws and covering up major violations,” Aoun said.
“Covering up for major violations has become part of the Lebanese state’s routine,” he lamented.
“We have a feeling that the government does not want to finalize the (2012 draft) state budget … We reiterate that the draft state budget contains faults,” Aoun told reporters after the weekly meeting of the Change and Reform parliamentary bloc.
Commenting on a statement issued by U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Maura Connelly after visiting him on Monday, Aoun said: “Yes, she told us that in a respectful manner and we replied in the same manner. We are with the tribunal and justice and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon will continue its work even if we halted the funding.”
“The U.N. secretary general would provide the funds,” Aoun noted.
“We are against funding because it is unjustifiable and unconstitutional. I’m not against funding but there’s a constitution that we should respect. Parliament’s approval is mandatory to refer a case to an international court,” he explained.
Aoun added: “We’re not obstructing the judiciary’s work for them to accuse us of confronting the international community. The international community is rather confronting us. We don’t understand this arbitrary action, and this is what I told Ambassador Connelly.”
Asked about the issue of Hizbullah’s controversial attempt to install a private telecom network in the town of Tarshish, the FPM leader said “Hizbullah’s telecom network has always been there and it had led to the May 7 incidents.”
“I believe there’s nothing new in Tarshish. It is illegal for anyone to install anything on the public network but do u know that Solidere has been using the state-owned network since 25 years.”
“This is a resistance movement that cannot communicate via ‘whistling and carrier pigeons’ and it requires a freedom of movement and communication,” Aoun stressed.
On the other hand, he denied that the FPM’s relation with Hizbullah has “grown cold,” warning that “corruption will harm the Resistance should the country continue in this manner.”
Aoun also launched a tirade against Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat.
“Since the formation of the first government comprising Jumblat, they have given us a ‘good example’ about the distribution of compensations to the displaced people and the running of the state’s affairs.”
“We are using a calm rhetoric to preserve national unity, but it’s unacceptable that we be accused of their deeds,” Aoun added.
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