Berri to Propose Solutions to Prevent Aggravation of Political Crisis

The upcoming week will witness attempts to address the latest deterioration of the country's political crisis that was triggered by the Free Patriotic Movement's boycott of Thursday's cabinet session and all eyes will turn to Speaker Nabih Berri who will deliver a key speech on Wednesday, a media report said on Sunday.

Berri's speech in commemoration of the 38th anniversary of the disappearance of Imam Moussa al-Sadr and his two companions will carry the speaker's “vision regarding the growing local crises and the threats that they pose to the country should they protract any longer,” An Nahar newspaper reported.

Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and the MPs of Hizbullah, MP Michel Aoun's Change and Reform bloc and some of their allies have been boycotting the parliament's electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum.

Al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri, who is close to Saudi Arabia, launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah.

Hariri's move prompted Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea to endorse the nomination of Aoun, his long-time Christian rival.

The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid argue that he is more eligible than Franjieh to become president due to the size of his parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian community.

The FPM's latest boycott of the cabinet is linked to the thorny issue of military and security appointments.

Defense Minister Samir Moqbel has recently postponed the retirement of Higher Defense Council chief Maj. Gen. Mohammed Kheir after no consensus was reached over three candidates that he had proposed, angering the FPM which says that it opposes term extensions for all senior officers.

The movement fears that the extension of Kheir's term could pave the way for a new extension of the tenure of Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji next month.

Qahwaji's retirement had been postponed in September 2013 and his term was instead extended for two years.