Hizbullah Urges Postponing Cabinet Session as 'Consultative Gathering' Rejects 'Paralyzing Govt.'
Hizbullah called Wednesday for postponing a controversial cabinet session scheduled for Thursday amid a declared boycott by its main Christian ally, the Free Patriotic Movement, as Christian ministers close to ex-president Michel Suleiman and the March 14 camp announced that they would attend the meeting.
“We call for postponing tomorrow's cabinet session,” MP Mohammed Raad, the head of Hizbullah's Loyalty to Resistance bloc, said in a statement.
“In light of our evaluation of the repercussions that could arise from the protest move that was announced yesterday by the Change and Reform bloc... and out of our keenness on the need for an atmosphere of positive partnership among all of the cabinet's components, especially during this period, we in Hizbullah call on Prime Minister Tammam Salam to postpone tomorrow's cabinet session,” said Raad.
Postponement “would allow further contacts and consultations among the government's various components in order to avoid some ambiguities and hurdles,” the lawmaker added.
Later on Wednesday, Hizbullah's State Minister for Parliament Affairs Mohammed Fneish visited Salam at the Grand Serail and announced that his party has not yet decided to boycott the cabinet session.
“We are trying to find exits that spare the country a confrontational situation and this is the Hizbullah stance that I have relayed to PM Salam,” said Fneish after the meeting.
“PM Salam said that he is in favor of holding the session and that he will be careful in overseeing it to prevent any decision that should not be taken in the absence of the ministers of the Change and Reform bloc,” the minister added.
March 8 ministerial sources had told An Nahar newspaper in remarks published Wednesday that Hizbullah's two ministers “will not boycott the session.”
Meanwhile, the ministers of the Consultative Gathering announced that they will attend the session, following talks at ex-president Suleiman's residence.
“They should not fabricate excuses to paralyze the cabinet's work,” Telecom Minister Butros Harb said after the meeting.
Sources close to Salam have said that the PM will not postpone the session despite the FPM's declared boycott.
In remarks to al-Joumhouria newspaper, the sources also rejected the FPM's claim that holding a cabinet session in the absence of the FPM and Kataeb Party ministers would be a violation of the 1943 National Pact, stressing that “all sects will be present and represented.”
The FPM's decision is linked to the thorny issue of military appointments.
Last week, Defense Minister Samir Moqbel postponed the retirement of Higher Defense Council chief Maj. Gen. Mohammed Kheir after no consensus was reached over three candidates that he had proposed, angering the FPM which says that it opposes term extensions for all senior officers.
The movement fears that the extension of Kheir's term could pave the way for a new extension of the tenure of Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji next month.
Qahwaji's retirement had been postponed in September 2013 and his term was instead extended for two years.
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