Report: Divisions Emerge between Aoun, Hizbullah over Extension of Qahwaji's Term
Divisions have emerged between Hizbullah and the Free Patriotic Movement over the extension of the term of Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji, reported the daily An Nahar on Saturday.
It said that while FPM leader MP Michel Aoun had voiced his rejection to the extension, Hizbullah had never made such a position.
Observers told the daily that the division between the allies has prompted the FPM to urge Speaker Nabih Berri to discourage Hizbullah from advocating the extension.
General Security chief Abbas Ibrahim reportedly joined these efforts in order to allow the FPM and Hizbullah to resolve this dispute ahead of the parliament session that is scheduled for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.
Disputes have emerged however between Berri and caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati over the nature of the session, with the former demanding that it tackle various draft laws and the latter demanding that it only tackle the extension of the term of various security officials, including Qahwaji.
This dispute is threatening the postponement of the session.
Aoun had declared on Friday that he opposes extending the tenure of the army commander, rejecting what he called “selectivity” in putting draft laws on parliament's agenda.
He stressed that extending Qahwaji's term would be illegal and not an appropriate way to “reward” the army after the Abra battle in the southern city of Sidon on Sunday and Monday.
“Urgent draft laws were disregarded and not put on the agenda of parliament's session, although they have the priority,” Aoun said after an extraordinary meeting for the Change and Reform bloc.
He wondered: “Why should the parliament usurp the cabinet's powers in appointing the army commander?”
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