Bassil Calls for End of Presidential Stalemate, Says Security Situation Controlled

Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil expressed relief on Sunday over the security situation in Lebanon, urging political arch-foes to reach a settlement over the presidential crisis to end the deadlock.

“The presidential poll should be staged as soon as possible,” Bassil said in an interview with the pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat.

He warned of attempts to delay the parliamentary elections on the pretext of the failure to elect a new head of state.

“Extending the term of the parliament is a big hit for democracy in Lebanon,” the FM stressed.

He considered that parliamentary elections should be carried out according to a new electoral law.

Lebanon has been plunged into a leadership vacuum after Michel Suleiman's presidential term ended on May 25 with rival political blocs still divided over a new leader.

Over the past two months the parliament convened five times to try to elect a successor to Suleiman but failed during the last four sessions due to a lack of quorum.

In May 2013, the parliament voted to extend its own mandate for 17 months after the rival political parties failed to reach a new electoral law.

Around 100 MPs from all blocs, except the Change and Reform bloc, voted to extend parliament's term until November 20, 2014.

Bassil told the newspaper that the security situation in Lebanon is under control as “extremist organizations don't have a strong presence... They remain individual cases.”

“The Lebanese army also still has the necessary capabilities and belief in the state and an international cover is granted to Lebanon” to confront terrorism, the FM said.

Asked about the dissociation policy, the minister said that the “correct expression should be separating Lebanon from unuseful problems.”

The Baabda Declaration was unanimously adopted during a national dialogue session in June 2012. It calls for Lebanon to disassociate itself from regional crises, most notably the one in Syria.

“Lebanon's interests should be guaranteed... Any intervention in Syria will not be useful for Lebanon,” Bassil remarked.

He stressed that all Lebanese parties involved in Syria whether through politics, financial or military aid.

“Hizbullah publicly announced its intervention in Syria... however, its action didn't benefit Lebanon but it helped control the border, which stipulates the necessity of having a capable army,” Bassil told Asharq al-Awsat.

On U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's recent visit to Beirut, Bassil described the visit as a “message for stability in Lebanon and to support the cabinet.”

“We perceived the visit positively.”

Bassil had previously denied that he avoided to meet with Kerry during his visit to Beirut, saying he could not cancel his trip to China, which is a major investing country.

“We were informed about Kerry's visit only 48 hours before” his arrival to Lebanon, the FM said.

“I had a prior engagement in China for a specific conference and the date of my meeting with the Chinese foreign minister had already been set,” Bassil said.

The foreign minister attended the sixth ministerial meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum in Beijing, an event underscoring China's burgeoning ties with the region.

Kerry arrived in Lebanon on June 4 for a short visit where he met with Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Tammam Salam and Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi.

H.K.