Kanaan: No Veto on Giving LF 'Sovereign Portfolio'
The Free Patriotic Movement-led Strong Lebanon bloc announced Tuesday that it does not have a “veto” on allocating a so-called sovereign ministerial portfolio to the Lebanese Forces.
The four portfolios labeled in Lebanon as sovereign are defense, foreign affairs, finance and interior.
Speaking after the bloc's weekly meeting, MP Ibrahim Kanaan added that “the Strong Lebanon bloc is not forming the government and does not want a role in the formation process.”
Rejecting accusations that the bloc is obstructing the process, Kanaan said: “Constitutionally, this is the responsibility of the prime minister-designate and the president.”
Turning to the issue of giving one of the three Druze seats to MP Talal Arslan, Kanaan added: “We have explained our vision for the electoral equation that gave us four MPs in Chouf and Aley and we are demanding that that be respected.”
“We are not inventing rules and we are demanding equality among everyone under the same constitutional rule,” the lawmaker went on to say.
17 July 2018, 23:13
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The FPM's in major turmoil. The Bassilists hate the Roukosists and vice versa. Kanaan, unlike Bassil, insists on respecting his own pledge and signature with the LF but does not have the heart to stand up to Bassil. Everyone at the FPM's waiting for GMA to be no more for the war within the Movement to begin. Bassil is still very unpopular. Which is why he's taking advantage of his father-in-law's still immense clout to consolidate as much of power withing the party as he can to try and fend off the eminent revolt. His escalating fights with Berri, Jumblat, LF, even Hariri and his latest overtures towards the Syrian regime are nothing but attempts to look tough and presidential by a desperate man. His accomplishments so far are beyond his own wildest dreams. He's hoping to become the Syrian-Iranian camp's designated presidential candidate. But Nasrallah already has one ready ahead of him in the form of Frangieh. Remember Sleiman Jr was "one of his two eyes" the other one being Aoun.
19 July 2018, 19:44
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As the famous US governor of a southern state said in the fifties, "Segregation yesterday, segregation today, and segregation forever." In fact, though, George Wallace changed his mind about that.
