Hizbullah, Amal 'Won't Return to Cabinet' if Bitar Row Not Resolved

Hizbullah and the Amal Movement refuse to put behind their backs the reasons that led to their boycott of Cabinet sessions, sources from the two parties said.

“The exit is present in a number of solution ideas that had been proposed by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, before he reiterated them in his talks with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi, who agreed to them and endorsed them,” the sources told al-Joumhouria newspaper in remarks published Thursday.

The sources stressed that the proposed solutions “do not aim to topple (Beirut port blast investigator) Judge (Tarek) Bitar, despite the major reservations over his performance and over his failure to abide by the legal and constitutional norms.”

They rather seek to “separate between the judicial investigation into the port blast and the trial of presidents and ministers, while the investigative judge would remain in his position, practicing his jurisdiction over matters that concern him,” the sources added.

The sources also noted that “this proposal, which would have resolved the problem of Cabinet sessions’ interruption, had been accepted by all parties, before being suddenly halted for unknown reasons.”

Moreover, the sources emphasized that Hizbullah and Amal “will never accept being subject to selectivity, politicization or premeditated injustice.”

“This is a red line to us, which must be known by those playing with us this dangerous game,” the sources warned.

They added: “We are keen on the judiciary more than its own officials and we, more than anyone else, want the unveiling of the full truth of the Beirut port explosion, not the concealment of this truth.”