Suleiman Denies Attempt to Extend his Tenure or Block Qahwaji’s Possible Candidacy

President Michel Suleiman denied that he asked for the amendment of the age of retirement for the army commander to prevent him from announcing his candidacy for the presidency.

In an interview published in An Nahar newspaper on Saturday, Suleiman said: “If army chief Gen. Jean Qahwaji retires about nine months before the end of the president’s term, is it permissible to appoint a new army leader?”

“The retirement age in a lot of countries is no less than 62 years,” he said, stressing his belief that this should also be applied in Lebanon for Brig. Gens and army personnel with higher ranks.

The president also denied that he was seeking to extend his tenure or announcing his candidacy for a second term in office. “Forget about the extension for the presidency or for parliament or any other institution.”

“We want to consolidate our democratic system that is based on the rotation of power no matter what the circumstances are,” he stressed.

Asked about the appointments of civil servants to posts in state institutions, Suleiman reiterated that he holds onto the adoption of a mechanism approved by the government of ex-PM Saad Hariri.

However, he lamented that some cabinet ministers were not approving the mechanism.

Suleiman also denied that his last meeting with Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun in the presence of Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi at Baabda palace did not focus on the Higher Judicial Council.

“We discussed the need to speed up the appointments process” in general, Suleiman said.

Suleiman and Aoun have been at loggerheads on the person who will lead the HJC as each is holding onto his own candidate.

“I agreed on the mechanism with Aoun who did not show any objection,” he said.

On his stance from the Syrian crisis, the president said: “All the Syrian people want democracy, whether those who participated in the referendum (on a new constitution) or those who boycotted it.”

“It is up to them to decide on how to implement it in the right way,” he told An Nahar.

Suleiman reiterated that Lebanon would continue to hold onto its stance of not interfering in Syria’s affairs “so that it doesn’t pour fuel on the fire as long as it can’t douse it.”