Kassar 'Permanent' Candidate to Premiership, Says Consensus Important

إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية W460

Head of the Economic Committees Adnan Kassar said on Sunday that he is a “permanent” candidate to the premiership, considering that he is able to take the country to safety.

“Whenever the country enters political vacuum, parties propose my name to the premiership as they have confidence that I can guarantee the country's safety,” Kassar said in an interview with the Saudi Okaz newspaper.

The former minister said that he would accept the post if all the Lebanese parties agree on the matter.

Media reports said that consultations to form a new government are expected to kick off after the Easter holidays.

“I am not seeking to become a Prime Minister but I will not evade any national consensus over my candidacy,” Kassar said.

He stressed that he rejects any condition imposed on him to assume the tasks of the prime minister.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati announced his resignation on Friday night in light of the cabinet's failure to approve the decisions to form of an authority to oversee the parliamentary elections and extend the term of Internal Security Forces chief Ashraf Rifi.

He said that all political powers “must assume their responsibilities in order to steer Lebanon away from the unknown.”

Reactions to Miqati's step were mixed with some sides calling for the formation of a salvation government and others condemning his step at such a critical time in the region and ahead of the parliamentary elections, which are scheduled for June 9.

Kassar told the newspaper that the current political situation will not be rectified unless a national salvation government is formed.

He hailed the efforts exerted by Miqati to safeguard the country.

“Lebanon can not endure any political void,” Kassar added.

He considered the the economy situation is stable despite the resignation of the government.

Comments 19
Thumb mckinl 24 March 2013, 10:19

Yeah ... let a banker run Lebanon? ... What Lebanon needs is a public central bank not bankers running the show.

With a public central bank the proceeds of money creation an the prerogative of loaning money would benefit the public.

We saw what the bankers did to Greece and Italy when their governments put them in office ... the looting of the nation!

If Lebanon really wants a banker to run the country why not just hire someone from Goldman Sachs and get it over quickly ???

Thumb geha 24 March 2013, 16:45

guys, you need to understand that m8 likes only people like saad from saida. only someone who will execute their orders is to their liking.
they cannot realize that the sunnis have a right to choose who represents them :) they prefer illiterate who execute orders.

Thumb mckinl 24 March 2013, 10:45

Kassar will first and foremost take care of the bankers even at the expense of the Lebanese people ...

We have seen this time after time in the EU ... Greece, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Ireland ...

What is needed is a Prime Minister that will spread the pain fairly not coddle the wealthy ...

Thumb lebanon_first 24 March 2013, 11:17

if you do not coddle the wealthy, the wealthy will put their money outside Lebanon, and there will be less opportunities for our people, and more misery and islamism.
Opposite. you have to coddle the wealthy. Wealthy-haters got france into a mess it cannot extricate itself from.
While successful countries like singapore, dubai, the US, the UK are thriving because of their coddling the wealthy.
The wealthy who are investing and risking their money in lebanon and spending in lebanon are creating job opportunities, and moving the economy. They should be cherished. The communist nasserist wealthy-hating attitude is very unlebanese and will lead to nothing but misery... look at history.

Thumb lebanon_first 24 March 2013, 11:34

Of course we need talent... which we got a lot of. And we need capitalists. whether u like it or not, no country in history ever thrived without being capitalistic.
I personally hate lebanese bankers because they make money without making any effort. But I am not talking about bankers. I am talking about wealthy capitalists, investors. These should be cherished.

Thumb mckinl 24 March 2013, 11:51

@ lebanon_first

Lots of countries are prosperous without crony capitalism ... The old empires of Egypt, Mesopotamia, India and China were prosperous without capitalism.

Bankers have one allegiance above all others: Private Banking. They will not give up their monopoly without a tremendous fight.

Putting a banker in as Prime Minister guarantees that when push comes to shove the banksters get saved and the people get screwed.

The only country so far that has put the banksters in their place is Iceland. After a few terrible years they are growing.

The countries that let the banks handle the financial crisis are looking at a decade or more of pain and paralysis.

Thumb lebanon_first 24 March 2013, 14:01

Slash. You did not read my post. I was saying that Kassar is a good choice. I know of him, and I know his business capacities go well beyond Fransabank. I think he is a successful businessman who would bring good management confidence to the business community of wealthy people who mckinl wants to bash.

Thumb lebanon_first 24 March 2013, 14:40

Ladies and Gentlemen, this conversation gave the opportunity to introduce "fvckuall" (with a V) of the lebanese communist party, a hater of everything prosperous, who has a very special vision for Lebanon. He even wants to change the mercantile nature of the Lebanese and turn them into commies.

The poor chap is confused between the complicated concepts of banking, interest, judaism, free masonry, and hence throws all these words he barely understands in sentences and types them out. This is good because it helps him vent his bottled up frustrations.

Missing moonsear 24 March 2013, 12:00

Great, we get to have our own Berlusconi

Thumb jabal10452 24 March 2013, 18:22

Mazboot! Plus he is not exactly from the street. He has plenty of qualifications.

Thumb lebanon_first 24 March 2013, 13:03

i have to agree on that, Berri is THE most corrupt politician.... But weirdly enough, I am starting to appreciate him on some occasions. He is a factor of stability.

Default-user-icon HH (Guest) 24 March 2013, 16:25

I see absolutely no need for any kind of vulgar addressing. The idea that we need to coddle the wealthy is absurd, it assumes there is an unchangeable status quo and wealth is non-redistributable. There is a big difference between a sustainable prosperous economy relying on local production of goods and services and false economy like the one on wall street which continuously degrades the situation of the poor (all around the world and the US) while giving more fake profit to the rich. Capitalism just like communism is used in political rhetoric but is not what we can describe the global economy as which is more of a corporate hegemony. Lebanon first the only reason why seemingly prosperous countries are capitalist is because it so happens they have for the last few centuries hogged global wealth while claiming they advocate free economic policies, don't confuse the two.

Thumb lebanon_first 24 March 2013, 16:40

just curious, V. what province of somalia u come from?

Thumb jabal10452 24 March 2013, 18:24

Tide won't do. Prozac will. Lets start an on-line petition to raise funds and get him a prescription.

Missing lebcan 24 March 2013, 18:47

I worked for this guy... Him!!! becoming PM!!! .... Were Screwed...

Thumb jabal10452 24 March 2013, 19:07

@Lebcan Why is that? What did he do?

Missing lebcan 25 March 2013, 05:37

he's a thief

Thumb lebanon_first 24 March 2013, 19:28

funny

Thumb freelebanon 24 March 2013, 20:38

Wasn't *