Berri to Suleiman: No Change in Power-Sharing Under Any Circumstance
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Speaker Nabih Berri has stressed that power-sharing between Christians and Muslims in Lebanon would not change under any circumstance, An Nahar daily reported on Tuesday.
“There is no going back from the concept of power-sharing,” Berri reportedly said during the national dialogue session in response to a recent warning made by President Michel Suleiman.
Suleiman said during a speech on Sunday that “the procrastination in the election of a new president poses a threat to the Lebanese entity and opens the door for dangerous scenarios.”
“Don't drag the country and its citizens into a constituent assembly that would topple the Taef Accord and equal power-sharing,” Suleiman told the Lebanese.
But Berri, a Shiite Muslim, was quick to respond to Suleiman during Monday's all-party talks, saying he was speaking on behalf of Shiites, Sunnis and Druze.
The speaker denied rumors that a senate cannot be formed before the election of a non-sectarian national assembly.
“On the contrary, there is a possibility to form this senate in accordance with the Orthodox Gathering electoral draft-law in parallel with the election of a parliament based on proportional representation and the consideration of Lebanon a single district,” he said.
Differences between the March 8 and 14 alliances have so far prevented the election of a new president, leading to fears of vacuum in the country's top Christian post.
Suleiman will leave Baabda Palace on May 25.
06 May 2014, 08:28
34
ayya senate wa ayya ballout. what do we need all corrupt politicians for? all we need is a max of 50 MPs for the whole country!
06 May 2014, 12:17
21
Berri : it is not up to you to decide whether or not changing power sharing is a possibility or not ! In fact, your role is to shut up and let the MPs decide !
06 May 2014, 15:33
12
since when Berri the palestinians' killer is speaking in the name of sunnis ? Christians have the right to have their president so stop blocking his election...
06 May 2014, 16:15
11
Yes, Christians have the right to have their president, cedre. Of course, like when we go to the US State Department to make the case for the Lebanese, the State Department official used to always ask, "Which Lebanese?" Why?, because every advocacy group that went to the State Department had their own set of Lebanese.
So when you say the Christians have the right to their President, which Christians? LF Christians, Aouni? Gemayel Christians? Frangieh Christians? Which ones? Its a question because they are not together. There is no Christian consensus.
06 May 2014, 16:18
10
Beiruti, alas, as true as your words are, they also serve as a very sober reminder.
06 May 2014, 16:18
02
And the Christian Presidency is not like the Shia Speakership or the Sunni PM. The Christian Presidency is more of a consensus of all of the confessional groups, its what holds the country together. The other symbol of national unity is the Maronite Patriarchate. Even Jumblatt refers to the Maronite Patriarch as "My Patriarch", not because he has converted, but because the Maronite Patriarchate, in addition to being the Spiritual leader of Maronites in Lebanon and around the world, is a national symbol for Lebanese Unity. So we need agreement among ourselves to present a candidate to the country at large of a unifying Christian candidate for the office, if the President will be "Made in Lebanon"
