Cabinet's Fate Unclear as Rival Sides Remain Deadlocked on Resistance Clause

The March 8 and 14 alliances were on Monday still split over the resistance clause of the policy statement of Prime Minister Tammam Salam's government, putting its fate at risk as the constitution’s one-month deadline for a ministerial committee to agree on a blueprint expires on March 17.

Al-Mustaqbal MP Jean Oghassabian told Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) that the March 14 alliance can't accept the adoption of the resistance clause without putting it under the authority of the state.

“We stress onto the right of Lebanon as a state and not the right of the Lebanese to resist Israel,” he said.

But the Hizbullah-led March 8 camp is hoping that the seven-member committee tasked with drafting the policy statement, which is scheduled to hold its tenth meeting on Tuesday, would adopt wordings backed by the council of Arab foreign ministers.

The closing statement of the foreign ministers' meeting held in Cairo on Sunday stated "the right of Lebanon and the Lebanese to liberate and recover the Shebaa Farms, the Kfarshouba Hills and the Lebanese part of the Ghajar village, and to resist any Israeli aggression or occupation through the legitimate means."

The clause by proposed by Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil.

The disagreement between the rival parties on the resistance clause comes amid a warning by Speaker Nabih Berri that the cabinet would be considered resigned if it fails to agree on the blueprint by March 17.

Berri said last week that President Michel Suleiman would be compelled to call for binding parliamentary consultations to name a new prime minister after that date.

Salam has an option to call for a cabinet session to vote on the policy statement to avoid turning his government into a caretaker status.

But centrist ministers told al-Akhbar newspaper that the prime minister would not resort to such an option.

“He won't take any non-consensual move,” the ministers, who were not named, said.

Al-Joumhouria daily quoted officials close to Salam as saying that he was giving the committee until Tuesday to agree on the resistance clause.

The officials, however, refused to give details on whether there were still obstacles in the negotiations on the policy statement.