Contacts Ongoing to Urge Phalange Party to Withhold Resignation

Contact are ongoing to convince the Phalange Party to withhold its threat to resign from Premier Tammam Salam's government over the new Cabinet's policy statement as it is impeding the agreement between the political arch-foes.

According to An Nahar newspaper published on Sunday, the cabinet will receive a total of 110 lawmakers out of 128 ill grant Salam's government the vote of confidence despite the Lebanese Forces parliamentary bloc's decision to withhold it and the forced absence of Head of al-Mustaqbal Movement MP Saad Hariri and his bloc's lawmaker MP Oqab Saqr from the parliamentary session.

Al-Mustaqbal newspaper predicted that the cabinet would receive 113 votes of confidence despite the Phalange party's threat.

The Phalange party warned following a grueling late meeting on Saturday that its ministers in Prime Minister Salam's government will resign before a parliamentary vote of confidence if the policy statement wasn't amended.

Sources told An Nahar newspaper that contacts are ongoing with the Phalange Party to urge it not to topple the shaky political agreement and to continue its participation in Salam's cabinet.

The sources pointed out that Western ambassadors also intervened to convince the Phalange Party to voice its agreement on the new policy statement.

The cabinet's policy statement was adopted by the cabinet late Friday after almost one month of discussions and a deadlock on the resistance clause.

The three Phalange ministers - Ramzi Greij, Sejaan Qazzi and Alain Hakim – and Minister Ashraf Rifi, who represents al-Mustaqbal movement in the cabinet have voiced reservations over the contentious issue of the resistance and the role of the state in confronting Israel.

"By the virtue of the state's responsibility to preserve Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity, the government stresses the state's duty and efforts to liberate the Shebaa Farms, the Kfarshouba Hills and the occupied part of Ghajar (village) through all legitimate means, while stressing the right of Lebanese citizens to resist Israeli occupation, repel its aggressions and regain the occupied land,” the policy statement read.

Speaker Nabih Berri had called parliament to convene on March 19 and 20 to discuss the statement and later subject cabinet to a vote of confidence.