Aoun: My Proposals Don't Require Constitutional Amendment, Confidence Must be Withdrawn from Moqbel

W460

Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Michel Aoun noted Tuesday that the initiative he recently launched to resolve the presidential crisis does not involve any “constitutional amendment,” as he reiterated his call for withdrawing confidence from the defense minister over the security appointments controversy.

"My presidential proposals do not require any constitutional amendment ... Ask the people what they want," said Aoun in an interview on OTV.

Aoun has recently blamed the current political crisis on “the limitation of the presidential powers” after the Taef Accord and “the lack of participation by all the Lebanese factions” in the country's political life.

He called for choosing one of four solutions: a two-phased election of the president by the people, a popular referendum that is binding for parliament, a parliamentary vote for the “two most representative Maronite MPs”, or holding parliamentary polls based on a new and balanced electoral law before organizing the presidential vote.

“I ranked first in recent polls about the presidency,” Aoun told OTV on Tuesday.

“I think I have failed to become a consensual candidate,” he said, in response to a question, noting that the other camp “did not have the intention to reach a consensual candidate.”

“I am trying to make a reformist achievement and this is why I'm being fought,” Aoun pointed out.

Asked about the tour that his Change and Reform bloc had recently carried out to explore the stances of political forces on his presidential initiative, Aoun said “some parliamentary blocs have approved of our proposal on limiting the presidential elections to the two strongest candidates.”

“But the presence of the third candidate (MP) Henri Helou has rendered this proposal infeasible,” he added.

Helou has been nominated by Progressive Socalist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat, who describes his parliamentary bloc as centrist.

Dismissing accusations that his camp is seeking a so-called “constituent assembly,” Aoun said “those who lie in politics can accuse others of what they want.”

“This is what's happening in the issue of the constituent assembly,” he added.

“What did they rely on to accuse me of abandoning equal (Christian-Muslim) power-sharing? We're currently practicing six-party power-sharing due to the unjust electoral law,” Aoun lamented.

Asked about the FPM's ongoing talks with its Christian rival, the Lebanese Forces, Aoun noted that the so-called declaration of intent paper that the two parties are preparing is “almost ready.”

“Political changes will not affect it,” he said.

Turning to the issue of the appointments of top security chiefs, Aoun stressed that he is not trying to “impose anything on anyone.”

“The Constitution distributed authorities among the sects and we have the right to name Christian officials,” he underlined.

“I don't have a problem with (Army Commander) General (Jean) Qahwaji, but why should we keep a civil servant in his post in an illegitimate manner?” Aoun pointed out.

As for his dispute with Defense Minister Samir Moqbel, the FPM chief said that “the defense minister is 'unique.'”

“He is entrusted with implementing the law not with doing what he wants. If he does not want to implement the law, confidence must be withdrawn from him,” said Aoun.

On Monday, Moqbel dismissed Aoun's call for withdrawing confidence from him. “I did not hear him and I don't care about that,” Moqbel said.

The dispute erupted between the two men after Moqbel recently extended the term of the head of the Higher Defense Council, Maj. Gen. Mohammed Khair.

The military positions in Lebanon are suffering as a result of the months-long presidential vacuum in light of the parliament's failure to elect a successor for Michel Suleiman. The vacuum also threatens the position of Internal Security Forces chief Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Basbous who is set to retire in June.

The tenure of Army chief Qahwaji is set to end in September. His term was extended for two years in September 2013.

“I told (al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad) Hariri that (Commando Regiment commander) Shamel Roukoz is my candidate (for the army chief post) and he proposed Samir Shehadeh and Imad Othman” for the command of the ISF, Aoun revealed.

“Hariri accepted the proposal and we both agreed to inform our allies,” he noted.

As for the situation in the northeastern border town of Arsal, Aoun pointed out that “the responsibility falls on the entire government to know what is going on in Arsal.”

“The battle is on our border and there are thousands of militants and their numbers are increasing,” he warned.

“What will the army do in Arsal's outskirts? We want to know. Will it allow the militants to continue occupying the land in Arsal? Arsal is not insulated because wounded fighters are moving across the border. Yesterday a member of al-Nusra (Front) was abducted from the town,” said Aoun.

“We will talk about the mistakes of the Lebanese army command at the appropriate time and many mistakes that were committed last time (in Arsal) have not been corrected,” he went on to say.

“Everyone is counting on the army so when will it launch a military battle that honors it? The Lebanese army is currently incapable to repel the extremists' attacks and it might receive the weapons after the end of the war in the Middle East,” Aoun noted.

Aoun's ally Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has warned that Hizbullah would intervene militarily in Arsal's outskirts to oust the militants of the Islamic State and al-Nusra Front if the Lebanese state fails to do so.

Y.R.

Timeline
  • 26 May 2015, 23:05

    Aoun: Everyone is counting on the army so when will it launch a military battle that honors it? The Lebanese army is currently incapable to repel the extremists' attacks and it might receive the weapons after the end of the war in the Middle East.

  • 26 May 2015, 23:01

    Aoun: We will talk about the mistakes of the Lebanese army command at the appropriate time and many mistakes that were committed last time (in Arsal) have not been corrected.

  • 26 May 2015, 22:58

    Aoun: What will the army do in Arsal's outskirts? We want to know. Will it allow the militants to continue occupying the land in Arsal? Arsal is not insulated because wounded fighters are moving across the border. Yesterday a member of al-Nusra was abducted from the town.

  • 26 May 2015, 22:55

    Aoun: The responsibility falls on the entire government to know what is going on in Arsal. The battle is on our border and there are thousands of militants and their numbers are increasing.

  • 26 May 2015, 22:30

    Aoun: Hariri accepted the proposal and we both agreed to inform our allies. The meeting was also attended by Nader Hariri, Hani Hammoud, Ghattas Khoury and Jebran Bassil.

  • 26 May 2015, 22:28

    Aoun: I told Hariri that Shamel Roukoz is my candidate and he proposed Samir Shehadeh and Imad Othman for the ISF.

  • 26 May 2015, 22:26

    Aoun: I don't have a problem with General Qahwaji, but why should we keep a civil servant in his post in an illegitimate manner?

  • 26 May 2015, 22:25

    Aoun: The defense minister is “unique”. He is entrusted with implementing the law not with doing what he wants. If he does not want to implement the law, confidence must be withdrawn from him.

  • 26 May 2015, 22:22

    Aoun: Why should I accept the presence of an illegitimate army commander?

  • 26 May 2015, 22:20

    Aoun: What did they rely on to accuse me of abandoning equal power-sharing? We're currently practicing six-party power-sharing due to the unjust electoral law.

  • 26 May 2015, 22:19

    Aoun: Those who lie in politics can accuse others of what they want and this is what's happening in the issue of the constituent assembly.

  • 26 May 2015, 22:18

    Aoun: I'm not trying to impose anything on anyone and the right imposes itself. The Constitution distributed authorities among the sects and we have the right to name Christian officials.

  • 26 May 2015, 22:05

    Aoun: The declaration of intent with the LF is almost ready and political changes will not affect it.

  • 26 May 2015, 22:03

    Aoun: Some parliamentary blocs have approved of our proposal on limiting the presidential elections to the two strongest candidates, but the presence of the third candidate Henri Helou has rendered this proposal infeasible.

  • 26 May 2015, 21:46

    Aoun: Ask the people what they want.

  • 26 May 2015, 21:44

    Aoun: My presidential proposals do not require any constitutional amendment.

  • 26 May 2015, 21:42

    Aoun: I am trying to make a reformist achievement and this is why I'm being fought.

  • 26 May 2015, 21:38

    Aoun: I sent Ban Ki-moon a letter about the STL and we're willing to pass its funding but in a legitimate manner and not through coercion, as it has committed several violations.

  • 26 May 2015, 21:33

    Aoun: I did not talk with Hariri about the presidential issue during the February 18 dinner. We rather discussed the appointments.

  • 26 May 2015, 21:22

    Aoun: I think I have failed to become a consensual candidate.

  • 26 May 2015, 21:21

    Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun in an interview on OTV: I ranked first in recent polls about the presidency.

Comments 11
Thumb ex-fpm 26 May 2015, 21:50

ever the victim, ever the reformist, ever the noble one, ever misunderstood, ever working not for himself but for others. What a lunatic psychopath !

Thumb barry_white 26 May 2015, 22:13

i cannot explain how i come to be the first on an article featuring the person i hate the most... can anybody explain it to me, m14ers? plzz?

Thumb canadianpaul 26 May 2015, 23:32

Aoun:معركتي الآن بلا سقف فإما أن أستشهد في المعركة أي أن أخسر أو أن أربح في المعركة

Does this really require comment? Seriously, even his lackeys will probably shut up. Or not :)

Missing humble 27 May 2015, 00:42

Look at his eyes...

Missing humble 27 May 2015, 00:44

Caporal is a mentally ill person. It is not acceptable to have a president who is neurasthenic.

Missing humble 27 May 2015, 00:45

Caporal is a mentally ill person. It is not acceptable to have a president who is neurasthenic.

Missing jayjay 27 May 2015, 07:43

Am sorry to say that christians have become a minority IN Lebanon...im a christian but as millions of other lebanese christians i left lebanon and hope to never go back (unless its for a 2 week vacation to reminisce on the good old times!)
that being said, if Aoun wants a president to be elected by the people, then all lebanese expats have the right to vote..ALL not just the mostly poor/ gullible / easy to manipulate (and bribe) lebanese living in Lebanon.. Will these polls show Aoun as the favorite? i dont believe so, and thats why there was never a real push for expats to vote!

Missing humble 27 May 2015, 10:31

This man is really mentally ill. This is a fact. He has severe neurasthenic crisis and is in need of psychiatric support.
We will see in the coming days more and more psycho problems.
Poor man and poor Lebanon...

Thumb -phoenix1 27 May 2015, 13:22

The only agenda Michel Claoun has is to deepen the hole of Lebanon further. He does not see nor realize the apparent dangers that are lurking over our heads, nor does he wish to appraise them, the Claoun has only one aim, make every Lebanese kneel till we accept his monarchy a style that should remind us of the then self styled emperor Jean-Bédel Bokassa of the C.A.R (Central African Republic). Aoun the claoun is a saboteur, an arriviste and as long as he has been promised the holy grail by Hezbollah, he shall see NO limits to his blatant acts of sabotage.

Thumb sophia_angle 27 May 2015, 14:04

'ma m3a2adkon gheir el General' :) he is the only person who can make a country for the people not on the people as those murderers mafia lords who robbed & sold the land for decades!!! May God grant him good health so he crushes the hearts of all haters n evil souls. Amen :)

Thumb -phoenix1 27 May 2015, 14:32

Canada, that's because he has to show solidarity with a culture that doesn't shave, remember, the paycheck at the end of the month must be worth it.