Mashnouq: Regional Cover Protecting Lebanon Starting to Diminish, Communication Won't Stop

Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq warned Tuesday that the “regional cover” that “protected Lebanon in the past four years” has started to “diminish,” as he reassured that a “communication” momentum triggered by ex-PM Saad Hariri's latest initiative “will not stop.”

“The regional situation is much worse than we were estimating,” Mashnouq said after a greetings visit to Maronite Archbishop of Beirut Boulos Matar in Ashrafieh.

He reassured however that “ex-PM Saad Hariri's presidential initiative is aimed at stabilizing the political system and electing a president and the communication drive will not stop.”

Warning that “the regional cover that protected Lebanon in the past four years from all the surrounding blazes has started to diminish,” Mashnouq called on the political forces to “perform their duties and pay attention to the domestic situation amid the ongoing tragedies in the region.”

“We are certainly in a crisis now and I don't know how much it will last, and there is no doubt that MP Mohammed Raad's statement yesterday does not contribute to facilitating dialogue,” he added.

“This issue is being discussed by the Mustaqbal bloc and leadership with ex-PM Saad Hariri, because dialogue requires foundations that were not present at all in Raad's remarks,” Mashnouq went on to say.

He pointed out, however, that Hariri “will not stop his efforts that are aimed at protecting the Lebanese order and stability.”

“The main condition for this stability is electing a president, that's why the communication drive will continue,” Mashnouq added.

Raad had waged a blistering attack on Hariri on Monday without naming him, saying “those who are suffering from bankruptcy in their exile must not find a place to return to in Lebanon in order to rob the country once again.”

He also fired at Hariri's presidential initiative that involves nominating MP Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency, noting that “the issue is not about a person whom we would give the presidential post to without him having any powers to rule the country with.”

“All of the powers would be usurped by the person who is entrusted with preserving the interests of this kingdom or that state,” Raad added, referring to Hariri and Saudi Arabia.

The latest remarks come amid a war of words between Hizbullah and al-Mustaqbal linked to the Saudi-Iranian row that was triggered by Riyadh's execution of senior Shiite dissident Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr.

Y.R.