Nasrallah Says Fulfilling Bassil's Request on Govt. but Can’t be 'Referee'
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Friday thanked Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil for the “confidence” that he placed in him in his latest remarks, but he noted that he cannot act as a “referee” in the cabinet formation process.
“We have started to fulfill the request of Minister Bassil,” said Nasrallah in televised address dedicated to the domestic developments, referring to Bassil’s request that he step in as a “friend” and “referee” to resolve the disagreements related to the new cabinet.
“We have proposed new ideas that can satisfy President (Michel) Aoun and PM-designate (Saad) Hariri,” Nasrallah added.
“All efforts in the country must come together to form a government and to pull the country out of this dilemma,” he went on to say, reassuring that Hizbullah will “exert utmost effort regarding the government's formation.”
Noting that President Aoun should be a “partner” in the government's formation, Nasrallah added that he agrees that no party should have a one-third-plus-one share.
Also commenting on Bassil’s latest remarks, Nasrallah said being a “referee” requires the “acceptance of both parties,” adding that this is not on the table at the moment and that he does not intend to get involved in such a matter.
Commenting on remarks by some parties, Nasrallah said he did not “think for a moment” that Bassil sought to drive a wedge between Hizbullah and the Amal Movement in his latest speech.
“It is normal to seek the help of a friend,” he said, referring to Bassil’s request.
“Minister Bassil did not say that he entrusts me with the rights of Christians,” he added.
Also referring to remarks by Bassil, Nasrallah said: “We never called for tripartite power-sharing and we never mentioned it. It was proposed to us but we rejected it.”
Separately, Nasrallah said that if the Lebanese state “fails to cover the fuel shortage,” Hizbullah will “resort to Iran.”
“We have accomplished all the administrative and logistic preparations for importing gasoline and fuel from Iran to Lebanon and this promise is still ongoing. The issue only requires a movement permission,” he added.
As for the issue of the subsidization of essential goods, Nasrallah said “all those who were in the previous governments must be part of a committee that should be formed to discuss the issue of ending subsidization.”
Source: Naharnet
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