Hizbullah 'Won't Abandon' FPM as Cabinet Faces Survival Test

Hizbullah has not taken a final stance on the issue of attending the cabinet's next session although sources close to the March 8 camp have said that the party will not “abandon” its ally the Free Patriotic Movement, which has openly declared a boycott of cabinet and national dialogue sessions, a media report said on Tuesday.

Quoting ministerial sources, An Nahar newspaper said Prime Minister Tammam Salam is “weighing his options” regarding the cabinet's fate in light of what happened in Monday's dialogue session.

“Contacts are underway with a number of ministers, especially Hizbullah's two ministers, to explore their stances on attending Thursday's ordinary cabinet session, knowing that Social Affairs Minister Rashid Derbas said yesterday that the cabinet session will be held on Thursday even in the absence of FPM's two ministers,” An Nahar added.

And as the daily said “Hizbullah has not yet taken a final stance on the cabinet's next session and whether it would sign the decrees or not,” senior March 8 sources said “the party will not abandon its ally, although it supports the extension of Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji's term amid the complicated situations in Lebanon and the region.”

The FPM's latest boycott of cabinet meetings was linked to the thorny issue of military and security appointments and the government's decision-taking mechanism in the absence of a president.

The defense minister 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.

On Friday, FPM chief Jebran Bassil announced that the FPM wants to “destroy” what he called the “corrupt structure” that ruled the country between 1990 and 2005.

“Today, the FPM is the guardian of the National Pact. We should understand our role and realize that we are regaining power for all people and we are not shy about that... It is unacceptable for any of the Lebanese to undermine the National Pact, which is the basis of coexistence,” the FPM chief warned.

Addressing Salam, Bassil said “the son of late PM Saeb Salam must pay great attention when he says that the government is respecting the National Pact when it convenes in the presence of ministers representing only six percent of a main component of the country (Christians).”

Bassil has also warned that the country might be soon plunged into a “political system crisis” if the other parties do not heed the FPM's demands regarding Muslim-Christian “partnership.”