Bou Saab Says Bloc's Threats are Serious Shall Discussions on Military Appointments Fail

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Education Minister Elias Bou Saab assured to Speaker Nabih Berri during a meeting in Ain el-Tineh that the Change and Reform bloc is serious with regard to the decisions it threatened to take should the thorny issue of military and security appointments fail to reach a solution, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Wednesday.

Ministers of the Change and Reform bloc and their Tashnaq Party ally boycotted the cabinet meeting last weekو protesting the government’s failure to include the military appointments issue on the agenda.

On Tuesday, the bloc led by MP Michel Aoun announced that it will file an appeal against the decrees that the cabinet issued during its session on Thursday.

It also threatened to boycott a national dialogue session scheduled for September 5.

Bou Saab expressed hopes that the stances of political parties taking part in the national dialogue sessions “crystallize during the meeting,” as he pointed out to the need to have all parties present during the government meeting for the "cabinet to be operational."

“Assuming we were absent from the cabinet meeting, the government will not be able to function normally,” Bou Saab told Berri.

The Bloc said that the cabinet meeting in the absence of its ministers “marginalizes a major Christian component,” and said that the “meeting does not conform with the National Pact.”

The bloc's boycott of the cabinet session was linked to the thorny issue of security and military 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.

Comments 3
Thumb shab 31 August 2016, 20:53

threats threats threats

Thumb shab 31 August 2016, 20:53

threats threats threats

Missing humble 01 September 2016, 01:58

Fed up with these corrupt people.