Report: Jumblat Launches Initiative to Avoid Policy Statement Deadlock
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat has launched an initiative to help the rival parties overcome their differences on the new cabinet's policy statement, As Safir daily reported on Tuesday.
Jumblat, who is a centrist, is planning to advise both the March 8 and March 14 alliances to avoid wordings that include the “defense strategy,” the “people-army-resistance” formula or the “Baabda Declaration,” the newspaper said.
The PSP chief wants to limit the policy statement to the new government's short mission to prepare for the presidential elections given that President Michel Suleiman's term ends in May and that all parties agree to avoid a vacuum in the top post.
“We overcame the most difficult” stage, “meaning the formation of the cabinet, and we don't see any need that we reach a deadlock here,” As Safir quoted officials close to Jumblat as saying.
The daily also said that Salam welcomed Jumblat's proposal after talks with his envoy Minister Wael Abou Faour.
The ministerial committee tasked with drafting the policy statement was formed on Tuesday during the first meeting of the new cabinet.
The committee, which will meet on Wednesday, has one month to complete its work and transfer the statement to parliament which has the task of giving its vote of confidence to the government.
Several March 14 alliance officials have called for a statement that is based on the Baabda Declaration. But Hizbullah has remained silent, leaving the discussions to the committee, As Safir said.
Hizbullah and Speaker Nabih Berri, who is the head of the Amal movement allied with it, have in the past stressed that the statement should be based on the “army-people-resistance” formula as with previous governments.
18 February 2014, 08:01
208
In any normal country, defending a country is an exclusive responsibility of the armed forces. That is what they get paid to do. That is what they enlisted to do. In Lebanon, the terror party wants to insert the resistance in the policy statement to give their sectarian activities legitimacy. Ain't going to happen anymore!
18 February 2014, 10:45
196
exactly popeye, in any country its Army + People = Resistance
NOT People + Army + Resistance... this implies an additional element i.e. an illegal militia (hizbshytan) Hizbshytan represents some but certainly not the majority of the lebanese...
therefor the resistance's vote of confidence by the lebanese is LOW.
and who ever wants to dispute this (FT and MotoMouth) OK no problem, lets have a referendum guys and will see the Total Populace Vote of Confidence!!!
18 February 2014, 08:19
617
never really liked the guy but he is making an effort to achieve something productive so more power to him.
18 February 2014, 08:49
194
“Baabda Declaration” should be the most important part, since supposedly they already agreed on it. Now they should all be held accountable to it with out exception and they all should agree on the LAF controlling the entire border.
18 February 2014, 13:46
10
comet of the day goes to.... ibnharethreik.
statement sad but true.
18 February 2014, 15:16
181
This should be a 24 hour deal and then everyone moves to attending to people's business............... oh wait, this is Lebanon where one camp wants Sovereignty and the other wants resistance.
18 February 2014, 19:00
172
unfortunately i don't think they can....both parties do not trust each other and hence they need to secure that the other is not going to do anything without them being able to oversee or control!!! Maskhara hal balad!!! they all need to go ....
18 February 2014, 19:41
60
they all need to go? where? when? and by who????? they will be there for the foreseeable future. As you said, unfortunately.
18 February 2014, 19:52
182
go as in replaced...toppled ...we need less politics and more efficient gvt to work towards lebanon and the people...we are becoming like egypt...people graduate and cannot find work u have engineers and lawyers working as math or language teachers or even worse cab drivers....not acceptable ...
18 February 2014, 20:35
00
Jumblat as usual, playing here and there, and back again. I wonder what the proud druze community think of him, i mean , after all they are one of the two sects with christians who gave Lebanon his independance from ottomans and others. They are know unfortunately only sitting aside, leaving their warlord decide their fate by forgetting principles of patriotism and jumping from one bed to another
