Aoun: Extending Army Chief Term a Political Deal, We'll Boycott Monday Session over Agenda
Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun said Sunday a possible extension of Army chief General Jean Qahwaji's term would be “a political and not a military deal,” noting that Monday's legislative session is legitimate although the Change and Reform bloc will boycott it over its “agenda.”
“Tomorrow's parliamentary session is legitimate,” Aoun said during an interview on al-Jadeed television.
“My political stance is boycotting the session for reasons related to its agenda, such as extending the term of the army commander and other items,” he added.
“Extending the army commander's mandate would be a political and not a military deal, as competence is the most important thing in the army,” Aoun said.
He added that in the wake of the army's sacrifices during the latest deadly battle in Sidon's Abra, the military institution can be “rewarded through being fair in the new wage scale."
"The army can be rewarded through preventing the interference of politicians in it, through putting the right man in the right position and through lifting the immunity of MPs and newspapers which attack it everyday," Aoun added.
“Why can't we elect an army commander out of 1,500 officers?” he wondered.
Aoun asked: “How can we disarm the resistance while the army is not well-equipped?”
Asked if he was rejecting the extension of Qahwaji's term because he wanted his son-in-law to become the new army chief, Aoun said: “Brig. Gen. Chamel Roukoz has a CV and they would review it should they decide to appoint him as army commander and this has nothing to do with him being my son-in-law.”
“I have not nominated anyone for the post of army commander and the cabinet must convene and names would be raised around the table,” Aoun added.
A three-day parliamentary session set by Speaker Nabih Berri on Monday will likely fail to convene over the boycott of March 14 alliance blocs in addition to an inclination by the Change and Reform bloc not to attend.
An al-Mustaqbal bloc source told An Nahar daily published Sunday that its lawmakers will not participate in the session in compatibility with the rest of the March 14 members.
The Lebanese Forces has considered as unlawful the parliament meetings outside its ordinary sessions. Independent Christian lawmakers led by Batroun MP Butros Harb also rejected the agenda put forward for the session.
The session has several draft-laws on its agenda, including the extension of the term of Qahwaji, who turns 60 this September, by raising the retirement age.
The major argument made by the March 14 alliance along with Premier Najib Miqati against the session is that parliament can’t convene in the presence of a caretaking cabinet although Berri claimed on Saturday that there was ample evidence of the legislature convening in the past under a resigned government.
The latest example is the extension of parliament’s term under the resigned cabinet of Miqati, Berri said.
The 128-member parliament convenes twice a year in two ordinary sessions -- the first starts mid-march until the end of May and the second from the middle of October through the end of December.
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