Miqati Prefers Extension on Vacuum, Says Lebanon's Interest Lies in Having Good Ties with Riyadh
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati has said he would prefer the extension of President Michel Suleiman's mandate if given the choice between it and vacuum in the country's top post.
“If the elections were not held, then I would support the extension of President Michel Suleiman's tenure which is a better option than having vacuum,” Miqati told As Safir newspaper in remarks published on Tuesday.
But the caretaker PM was optimistic that the presidential elections would be held when Suleiman's mandate expires in May next year.
“It would not be impossible to elect a new president and find the appropriate person for this post,” he said.
Asked about his relations with Saudi Arabia, Miqati said he didn't have personal ties with it.
While claiming he did not have a problem with Saudi officials and that he was keen on the best of ties with them, Miqati said he could not force them to have better relations with him at the personal level.
“Saudi Arabia has always stood by Lebanon which does not have any interest to have a negative stance from it,” he said.
Miqati also criticized the accusations made by some local parties against Riyadh. “It is neither responsible for bombings, nor it is arming fighters in the North.”
As Safir also asked him about his ties with Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Miqati denied that he has sent Assad a message, stressing he “has no ties” with him.
On the formation of the new cabinet and the conditions set by the rival parties, Miqati said: “Is Hizbullah going to respond if we tell it to withdraw from Syria?”
“Political pragmatism requires the formation of the government first,” he said.
The March 14 alliance and mainly al-Mustaqbal movement has conditioned the formation of an all-embracing cabinet on the withdrawal of Hizbullah members, who are fighting alongside Assad's troops, from Syria.
Miqati echoed remarks made by Speaker Nabih Berri that the 9-9-6 formula is in the interest of March 14.
The proposal lies in giving nine ministers to March 14, another nine to March 8 and six ministers to the centrists.
12 November 2013, 09:09
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If Mikati had any real concern for Lebanon he would reconvene the cabinet and take decisions on the oil and gas portfolio, the Israeli spying stations and other pressing issues.
But just like his treatment of Tripoli, Mikati plays politics instead of supporting the people of Lebanon. Mikati is a miserable political liar, a man of no conscience and only looks out for Mikati
12 November 2013, 10:51
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Do you Shias like any prime minister? I mean you hate Harriri, Miqati, Salam, etc. I think your problem is not and was never about the prime minister. I think your problem is with Sunnis. Bunch of sectarians..... the oil is a pressing issue? The spying stations are a pressing issue? But, your terrorist party's massacres in Syria are not a pressing issue huh? Your weapons and drug trade are not a pressing issue? Your control of the port and airport are not pressing issues?
Israel is at war with Lebanon and has every right to install whatever it sees fit to protect its borders and spy on its enemies. Who is stopping you and your glorious resistance from installing spying stations on Israel. I see, you only spy on your fellow lebanese and political opponents.
12 November 2013, 11:03
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The problem is M14 ... Let's see if Salam has the best interests of Lebanon at heart and installs a 9-9-6 cabinet that his overwhelming mandate would allow. Let's see how really independent Salam really is.
Both Hariri's and Mikati were and are shaking down Lebanon for their own profit. Rafik quadrupled his net worth as PM while he out Lebanon into deep debt. Same can be said for Saad and Mikati id running the country for his business interests.
12 November 2013, 11:07
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@McKini : talk to us about your speaker's fortune, Nabih Berri. How did he shake down Lebanon ?
Also talk to us about Hezbollah funding and the cost us real lebanese have to pay for your weapons of death !
The people you defend are in fact the scum of Lebanon and are no better than Hariri or Mikati.
At least they run businesses and employ thousands of Lebanese.
What does your Hezbollah do ? Show me how they benefit the Lebanese economy ? What jobs to they create ? How do they place Lebanon on the economical map ?
12 November 2013, 11:22
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@ FlameCatcher
Indeed most all of the government leadership are predatory warlords including Jumblatt. However they tend to balance each other out most of the time ...
The problem is that a government is needed now and there is no alternative to these crooks for the time being. Lebanon is falling to pieces. Business is crashing, sectarian tensions aflame while government can not act.
12 November 2013, 11:28
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Actually, there are alternatives but people don't believe in them or don't know about them.
These alternatives are "muted" by the current forces including Shiite, Sunni and Christian alternative entities. We don't hear about them because they have little if no access to media outlets. No funding and are not trusted because as new comers, they are unpredictable (which i completely understand).
However, I believe we need a major public uprising against the current M8 / M14 status quo and only then can new leaders emerge.
If we Lebanese do not act to break the status quo, we will keep voting for the same crooks and postpone the salvation of Lebanon to god knows when.
We cannot build our country when it's foundations are completely ruined. We need to rebuild the foundations and our current political leaders do not want to destroy this illusion they have built because it suits them !
12 November 2013, 11:04
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Indeed you have listed many pressing issues. However without a functioning cabinet and parliament there is no way to address these issues now is there?
12 November 2013, 11:10
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But we can address Oil and Gas ? With a M8 cabinet alone ?
I agree that both M8 and M14 are crooks but you cannot let crooks take control of our resources.
12 November 2013, 11:11
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... not pressing issues. Let's do them sequentially. We have plenty of time, actually, we have a lifetime. lachou el 7ashra? 3ala mehl. na2li na2li mshiti. wa2e3 fiki w ma bel yaddi 7ili. yalla, soff 7akeh ta ellak soff. Not pressing issues, huh! 20 years to get our democratic life back on track + 5 years to get Hezboalla and other entities out of Syria + 12 years to solve interior strife in Tripoli + Justice (blah blah blah) +... +... +... then, 45 years later, we can have these other not so pressing issues tackled. Why can't God send us millions of deep-thinking FlameCatchers? Why?
12 November 2013, 11:22
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@Forsimbio Aklamiz : you have the typical M8 rhetoric of exaggerating and blowing everything out of proportion to support your cause. Except it's complete nonsense.
If you keep voting for the same criminals, it will take 100 years to get lebanon back on track.
If you let M8 deal with Oil and Gas, you will end up with Iran sur Mer instead of Lebanon. Your oil revenues will be used to build a shiia empire instead of benefiting the Lebanese and your freedoms will be as protected as they are in Iran and Syria !
If we don't touch the oil, it will still be there in 100 years.
The situation with Israel can be solved politically including the distribution of oil fields. Do you want to go to war to solve this ? Because they won't let you dig !
And rushing to dig up the oil will not solve any of these problems !
Your incapable of thinking and jump to hastily like a teenager without any experience or patience.
12 November 2013, 11:30
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That's why I pray that God send us millions of deep thinking FlameCatchers. How about billions? Trillions? Out of proportion, huh! soff 7akeh ta ellak soff.
12 November 2013, 12:39
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@Forsimbio Aklamiz : You can pray all you want and say what you want. The only god is incapable of giving you is a brain to answer me back logically and persuasively instead of saying irrelevant and childish remarks.
Go play with your toy guns. Maybe one day, when you grow up, you will have the honor to fight and die in the name of the honorable "islamic resistance in Lebanon" in god knows what country for god knows what false cause you are incapable of understanding.
13 November 2013, 03:09
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Miqati is the worst Lebanese ever and one of the lowest of the lowest lives we have ever seen. Even a pimp has more dignity than this guy.
