Aoun Meets Kataeb Delegation, Talks Focus on Citizenship Decree

President Michel Aoun held talks on Tuesday with Kataeb delegation, led by its chief MP Sami Gemayel, where talks focused on the controversial citizenship decree and the general situation in the country, the National News Agency reported.

“We wish the flaws in the citizenship decree are corrected, the ball is in his (Aoun) court now. We don’t think the President is responsible for these flaws,” said Gemayel from Baabda.

He said the party chose not appeal the decree before the State Shura Council because “appeals in this file do not have guaranteed results.”

“The easiest way for us is to speak with Aoun to achieve what we want and eliminate some (non-deserving) names while at the same time maintaining the powers of the President,” said Gemayel.

Early in June, Lebanon revealed the names of hundreds of people including an Iraqi vice-president to receive Lebanese nationality under a controversial presidential decree.

Kataeb expressed its reservations, noting that some 85 names included in the decree are “non-deserving” and do not meet conditions stipulated in the Constitution. However, they affirmed the President’s right to sign decrees granting Lebanese nationality to foreigners.

Foreigners can only be naturalised by presidential decree, signed by the prime minister and interior minister.

Lebanon’s interior ministry published the list after reports of the May 11 decree emerged in June and the names of wealthy Syrians close to the Damascus regime were leaked to the media.

Critics slammed the secrecy of the decree in a country where thousands of people born to Lebanese mothers but foreign fathers remain unable to acquire citizenship.

Kataeb had planned to appeal the decree before the Shura Council, but instead saw it better to ask Aoun to withdraw the citizenship from 85 individuals who have proven “non-eligible.”