Nasrallah's Political Aide Urges Govt. to Assume Responsibility throughout Lebanon
Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s political aide Hussein Khalil stressed on Thursday that the strong sectarian rhetoric must end if officials want to find a radical solution for the local crises and security breaches.
“What is happening in the country is the result of the sectarian flaring… which has negative repercussions on the country’s stability and the civil peace,” Khalil said in an interview with al-Liwaa newspaper.
He confirmed that Hizbullah doesn’t have any information about the developments in Tripoli nor about the arrest of Shadi al-Mawlawi other than what the security authorities have obtained.
Clashes erupted over the weekend in the northern city of Tripoli between the two rival neighborhoods of Sunni Bab al-Tabbaneh and Alawite Jabal Mohsen after the General Security Department arrested al-Mawlawi on charges of belonging to a terrorist group.
Khalil called on the government to assume its responsibilities throughout Lebanon not only in Tripoli.
Concerning the performance of the cabinet, the Hizbullah official criticized the standstill, calling on its members to break the impasse in the country.
Khalil held President Michel Suleiman and Prime Minister Najib Miqati responsible for the lingering extra-budgetary spending crisis, urging them to find a legal solution.
Suleiman has continuously expressed his refusal to sign a $5.9 billion extra-budgetary spending bill over constitutional violations as it includes irregularities that should be settled by the parliament through the adoption of the reservations expressed by the legislature’s spending and budget committee.
But Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun accused him of forcing the government to violate the constitution by spending illegally in an attempt to appease the March 14 opposition in its demands to find a comprehensive solution to the extra-budgetary spending made since 2005, the last time Lebanon had an official state budget.
Khalil pointed out to al-Liwaa that Aoun is a close ally and he represents the majority of Christians.
Asked about the relations between Hizbullah and the premier, he noted that contacts are ongoing.
“We named Miqati for the premiership and we’re holding onto our decision,” Khalil told the daily.
Concerning the relations with Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat, he confirmed that there are consultative meetings between the two sides.
Sharp difference emerged after Interior Minister Marwan Charbel had proposed recently an electoral law based on proportional representation to be adopted in the 2013 parliamentary polls.
The proposition had sparked controversy among the rival political parties, as Jumblat rejected the proposal, while the March 8 forces have voiced their support for it.
Khalil reiterated that proportional representation is the most adequate, as it reveals the real weight of every party in the country.
However, he stated that the party isn’t holding on to its decision and is open to all suggestions.
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