Abu Faour Blasts Bassil, Accuses Him of 'Attack on Taef Accord'

Industry Minister Wael Abu Faour of the Progressive Socialist Party on Monday launched a blistering verbal attack on Free Patriotic Movement chief and Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil, as a war of words between the two parties escalated further.

“Minister Jebran Bassil should stop the heresy and he must lessen his hegemony over the country,” Abu Faour said at a joint press conference with outgoing minister Hussein al-Hajj Hassan that followed a handover ceremony at the industry ministry.

Referring to Cabinet's first session, which was held on Saturday, the minister said it was the “first time ever” that copies of the Document of National Accord (Taef Accord) were not distributed to the attending ministers.

“If we want to live with the same historical concerns and malice towards the Taef Accord, then things will not be fixed in the country,” Abu Faour added, in a jab at the FPM.

The minister also noted that Bassil named three representatives to the panel tasked with drafting the Cabinet's policy statement whereas the other parties named one representative each.

“The attack against the Taef Accord is obvious and the vengeance against the Taef Accord is flagrant. That was primarily manifested in the rule that Minister Bassil tried to introduce and was rejected by us and today we are rejecting it again. That rule was that every four or five MPs are entitled to name a minister. Where did this heresy come from?” Abu Faour added.

“All political parties and forces should be equal in the Council of Ministers, or else this political system will not run in a proper way,” the minister warned.