Berri: Electing President Must be a Priority, Taef Needs to be Implemented Not Manipulated
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Speaker Nabih Berri on Sunday stressed that putting an end to the presidential void must be a “priority,” noting that the Taef Accord should be “implemented” rather than “manipulated.”
“The election of a new president should be a priority because the confidence of citizens and the world in Lebanon would erode should we continue our failure to elect a president,” said Berri in a televised speech marking the 36th anniversary of the disappearance of revered Shiite cleric Imam Moussa al-Sadr, the founder of the AMAL Movement that the speaker heads.
“A new chapter can start with the election of a new president ... The election of a president would open the door to parliamentary elections and launch a political process that is needed in the confrontation against the transnational terrorism,” Berri added.
He called on the Lebanese to close ranks in order to “put an end to strife and divisions.”
“Now is the time to transit to a real state and to devise a roadmap to implement the Taef Accord instead of manipulating it. It's time to stop the policy of paralyzing the state by a certain institution at the expense of another institution,” the speaker added.
Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May due to the sharp political rift between the rival March 8 and March 14 camps.
The March 14 alliance has endorsed Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea as its candidate while Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Michel Aoun -- who has not officially nominated himself -- has repeatedly said that he would run in the elections as a "consensual candidate."
Recently, Aoun's Change and Reform parliamentary bloc submitted a controversial draft law proposing the election of a president directly by the people as a way out of the deadlock.
Berri noted that diversity and national unity are a “necessity” in order to confront terrorism, “the same as they were a weapon in the confrontation against the Israeli aggression.”
“The fight against terrorism needs national mobilization and a culture combating fanaticism and terrorism,” he said.
“Confronting terrorism is not the responsibility of Sunnis, confronting aggression is not the responsibility of Shiites and confronting the displacement of minorities is not the responsibility of Christians. Everyone must shoulder the responsibility," Berri urged.
He slammed what he called the "horrible international silence in the face of terrorism," warning that "it will lead to tragedies."
"Terrorism is threatening Lebanon, the Gulf, Jordan and Syria and the movement of militants and arms through some countries' airports must stop," Berri underlined.
He said resolutions are needed to support the sovereignty of some countries and their people and territorial integrity.
"The weapons of the Lebanese army must be boosted through the first Saudi donation and the second one must be utilized in order to give the army modern arms," Berri added.
"Lebanon is bigger than any plot and there is no need to fear for it," he reassured.
Saudi Arabia has recently pledged $1 billion in military assistance to the poorly-equipped Lebanese army after it fought a deadly battle against jihadist militants in and around the Bekaa border town of Arsal in early August.
On al-Sadr's case, Berri said a Lebanese ambassador was delegated to Libya following the ouster of Moammar Gadhafi's regime but stressed that "there won't be any normalization with Libya before it cooperates with us in the case."
"We call on the media to closely follow up on the case and we stress that this is an Arab, Islamic and humanitarian issue. There is no room for private interests or bargaining," Berri said.
He pointed out that a memorandum of understanding was signed with Libya and "it most importantly contained the Libyan side's acknowledgement that the abduction crime took place in Libya and that the story of traveling to Italy is a fabrication."
“The MoU also contained a Libyan pledge to open the doors of cooperation and take all measures needed to inspect likely locations” where al-Sadr or his remains could be present, the speaker said.
“But unfortunately the situation collapsed in Libya,” he lamented.
“We mulled alternative plans and we won't stand idly by,” Berri vowed, noting that Lebanon's Judicial Council is also still looking into “parts of the case.”
He said that a personal lawsuit has been filed “against new defendants belonging to the Gadhafi regime.”
In 1978, al-Sadr was invited to Tripoli by Gadhafi and was trying to negotiate an end to the Lebanese 1975-1990 civil war.
But his visit to Tripoli along with two aides took a sour turn after he got into a heated argument with Gadhafi who ordered that the three men be "taken away," according to an indictment against the slain Libyan leader issued by Lebanese authorities.
Gadhafi’s regime had stated that the three left Tripoli for Italy, which after conducting an investigation into the case denied the claims.
In 2004, the passports of Sadr and his companion Sheikh Mohammed Yacoub were found in a hotel in Rome.
In August 2008, Lebanon issued arrest warrants against Gadhafi and some of his aides, accusing them of kidnapping Sadr and his companions.
Y.R.
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31 August 2014, 20:32
Berri on Palestine: Our bet is on the unity of the Palestinians so that we can confront the fragmentation that is being plotted for the region.
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31 August 2014, 20:31
Berri on Syria: The fight against terrorism requires a unified stance and there can only be a political solution.
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31 August 2014, 20:29
Berri: Lebanon is bigger than any plot and there is no need to fear for it.
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31 August 2014, 20:28
Berri: Now is the time to transit to a real state and to devise a roadmap to implement the Taef Accord instead of manipulating it. It's time to stop the policy of paralyzing the state by a certain institution at the expense of another institution.
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31 August 2014, 20:22
Berri: Resolutions are needed to support the sovereignty of some countries and their people and territorial integrity. The weapons of the Lebanese army must be boosted through the first Saudi donation and the second one must be utilized in order to give the army modern arms.
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31 August 2014, 20:21
Berri: Terrorism is threatening Lebanon, the Gulf, Jordan and Syria and the movement of militants and arms through some countries' airports must stop.
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31 August 2014, 20:21
Berri: This horrible international silence in the face of terrorism will lead to tragedies.
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31 August 2014, 20:20
Berri: Confronting terrorism is not the responsibility of Sunnis, confronting aggression is not the responsibility of Shiites and confronting the displacement of minorities is not the responsibility of Christians. Everyone must shoulder the responsibility.
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31 August 2014, 20:19
Berri: Diversity and national unity are a necessity in order to confront terrorism, the same as they were a weapon in the confrontation against the Israeli aggression. The fight against terrorism needs national mobilization and a culture combating fanaticism and terrorism.
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31 August 2014, 20:18
Berri: Let us close ranks in order to put an end to strife and divisions.
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31 August 2014, 20:18
Berri: A new chapter can start with the election of a new president ... The election of a president would open the door to parliamentary elections and launch a political process that is needed in the confrontation against the transnational terrorism.
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31 August 2014, 20:17
Berri: The election of a new president should be a priority because the confidence of citizens and the world in Lebanon would erode should we continue our failure to elect a president.
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31 August 2014, 20:16
Berri: Ever since I assumed the leadership of parliament and the AMAL Movement, I have been following up in the case, in the media as well as diplomatically and politically.
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31 August 2014, 20:15
Berri: I salute the Higher Islamic Shiite Council and the lawyers of the imam's family.
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31 August 2014, 20:14
Berri: I salute the Lebanese media outlets and Iran, which is following up on the case.
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31 August 2014, 20:13
Berri: A personal lawsuit has been filed against new defendants belonging to the Gadhafi regime.
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31 August 2014, 20:13
Berri: The Judicial Council is still looking into part of the case.
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31 August 2014, 20:12
Berri: We mulled alternative plans and we won't stand idly by.
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31 August 2014, 20:12
Berri: The MoU also contained a Libyan pledge to open the doors of cooperation and take all measures needed to inspect likely locations and speed up the steps, but unfortunately the situation collapsed in Libya.
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31 August 2014, 20:11
Berri: A memorandum of understanding was signed and it most importantly contained the Libyan side's acknowledgement that the abduction crime took place in Libya and that the story of traveling to Italy is a fabrication.
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31 August 2014, 20:11
Berri: Our cause is a just cause and the committee visited Libya following the fall of the tyrant. Meetings were held with figures that possess information but we must note that we are making a state-to-state approach.
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31 August 2014, 20:10
Berri: A committee was formed and it spared no effort, basing its work on several principles, topped by pressing for the liberation of the imam and his two companions. An ambassador was delegated to Libya but there won't be any normalization with Libya before it cooperates with us in the case. We call on the media to closely follow up on the case and we stress that this is an Arab, Islamic and humanitarian issue. There is no room for private interests or bargaining.
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31 August 2014, 20:08
Berri addressing the Lebanese: I stand on the podium of loyalty to Imam al-Sadr to reveal to you details related to his disappearance.
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31 August 2014, 20:08
Berri addressing al-Sadr: You have the letters of Palestine and its historic plight that triumphed in Gaza.
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31 August 2014, 20:06
Berri: You started confronting Israel's state terrorism, calling for resistance to deter the aggression against the country and the society. You called for ending injustice and for dialogue.
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31 August 2014, 20:05
Speaker Nabih Berri in a speech marking the 36th anniversary of Imam Moussa al-Sadr's disappearance: Our story with you started with the story of marginalization, monopolization and the deprivation of the South, Akkar, Bekaa, Dinniyeh, the mountains of Keserwan and Jbeil and the suburbs of cities. It is the story of the aggression that keeps targeting the South. It has been our story since decades.
31 August 2014, 20:19
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you've taken over the whole country and you still talk about deprivation!
01 September 2014, 08:17
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سياسي منافس ام رئيس مكروه
لا ادري ماذا ينتظر الجنرال لتسهيل انتخاب ديمقراطي لرئيس الجمهورية في أحلك ايام الوطن
هل يفضل ان يفرض ذاته ( اذا استطاع). كرئيس مكروه من أكثرية المسيحيين والسنة وفئة لا باس بها من الشيعة ام ان يكون منافسا ذو وزن سياسي يساهم مع الآخرين ولو من باب المنافسة السياسية بالنهوض بالبلد من هذه الحالة المتردية الى الأفضل
في كل بلد ديمقراطي الموالات والمعارضة لهما نفس الفضل والقيمة من ضمن منافسة سياسية نزيهة
لم كل هذا التعطيل من جنرال يعرف الديمقراطية جيدا
ويبقى التطبيق
01 September 2014, 12:30
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During Nabih Berri speech, the savage amal followers for firing shots in the air. A boy of 2 years old received a direct wound in his stomach yesterday and now is in intensive care in the AUH. We are living with primitives.
