Naharnet

Berri from Iran: My Proposal on Officers Decree Benefits Everyone

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri arrived Monday in Tehran to take part in a conference for the Parliamentary Union of the OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation) Member States.

“I congratulate the supreme guide (Ali Khamenei), the Iranian people and the Iranian shura council on their victory against the sedition,” Berri said upon his arrival, referring to the latest wave of protests in Iran.

“I also congratulate the Iranian diplomacy regarding the nuclear deal, despite the United States' intransigence, rabble-rousing and madness,” the Speaker added.

Asked about the row with President Michel Aoun over a disputed decree granting one-year's seniority to a number of officers, Berri said: “I have made a suggestion which I believe is beneficial for everyone and for Lebanon.”

“It does not harm anyone, it does not give dominance to anyone and I hope it will be accepted,” the Speaker added.

“Should it be declined, I believe that there will be difficulties,” Berri warned.

According to media reports, Berri’s suggestion calls for merging the disputed seniority decree with the officer promotions decree and for Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil’s signature on the unified decree.

The Aoun-Berri spat broke out after the president and the premier signed the disputed decree without sending it to Khalil. Berri and Khalil have insisted that the decree should have also carried the finance minister's signature.

Aoun and his aides have argued that the decree did not require Khalil's signature because it did not entail any “financial burden,” a point Berri and officials close to him have argued against

Ain el-Tineh sources have meanwhile warned that the decree would tip sectarian balance in favor of Christians in the army's highest echelons.

The officers in question were undergoing their first year of officer training at the Military Academy when Syrian forces ousted Aoun’s military government from Baabda in 1990. They were suspended by the pro-Damascus authorities until 1993 before they resumed their officer training course as second-year cadets.

Source: Naharnet


Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. https://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/240893