Reports: Assad Regime Informs Lebanese Allies Need to Block Presidential Elections
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
The regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad informed its allies in Lebanon the need to prevent any attempts to stage the presidential elections in the country, the Saudi Okaz newspaper reported on Wednesday.
The newspaper quoted sources close to the regime as saying that “carrying out the presidential elections in Lebanon should be linked to the run for presidency in the neighboring country.”
According to the sources, a high-ranking Syrian official informed the head of a Lebanese party, which was kept anonymous, the necessity to “prevent staging the presidential elections in Lebanon ahead of the Syria.”
Earlier this month, Assad voiced hope that the next Lebanese president would support the resistance axis.
“We are interested in... what the upcoming Lebanese President could offer the axis of the resistance, which is the basic criterion for us,” Assad said.
President Michel Suleiman's six-year tenure ends in May 2014, but the constitutional period to elect a new head of state begins on March 25, two months prior to the expiration of Suleiman’s mandate.
On Tuesday, Suleiman denied reports saying that Iran will agree to extend his term in return to Assad's term extension.
“The presidential elections will be staged on time despite what some sides assume,” the president noted.
26 March 2014, 09:57
511
Wishing the same for Assad and all his cronies... and realatives...
26 March 2014, 09:59
712
Hopefully, they won't succeed and a new prez will be chosen and would be staunchly anti Assad regime...
26 March 2014, 10:00
38
I don't know if this story is accurate, given the source. But there's something most Lebanese don't realize about themselves and their relations with Syria:
If the Lebanese people were unified, and had a strong state and rule of law (strong economy, army comes with this), then WE would be the ones giving the Syrians orders, and meddling in their affairs, not the other way around. Who are they to tell us what to do? The Lebanese nation deserves better than to be servants to an inferior nation.
26 March 2014, 10:05
59
There is no reason to doubt the authenticity of this report. Syria represented by the criminal regime of the Assad clan have blocked every democratic process in Lebanon. Assad has followers in Lebanon that implement his orders to the letter. This time around will be no different..
26 March 2014, 11:01
34
sources of this OKAZ paper? Not everything on print is true, and certainly not when it is printed in Arab 'Press'.
26 March 2014, 11:55
49
Waynkon ya M8 to block the Presidential elections ?
Still taking orders from Assad !
It's time to clean Lebanon from the traitors and collaborators that is Hezbollah, Berri, Aoun and all their GHANAM !
Where are you Mowaten, FT, Southern to defend Assad and his ORDER to block the elections ?
26 March 2014, 12:38
47
Whether this report is true or false, it's no secret that Assad will go to all extremes to handicap Lebanon in order for Hezbollah to continue their illegal warfare and act without any accountability !
Therefore, irrespective of this report, the fact that Assad does not want the elections to go forward is true !
26 March 2014, 12:11
74
Where id Naharnet come up with this report ... ???
I see propaganda written all over this disclosure ...
Got any sources for this piece ???
26 March 2014, 12:22
57
You don't need any sources to know this is true. Assad aims to block the entire democratic "Schedule".
He succeeded in blocking paliamentary elections. (With Aoun blaming M14 when Hezbollah was the first to oppose them).
He succeeded in delaying the formation of governement
He will succeed in delaying or blocking the presidential elections and I will tell you why :
Because his dogs in Lebanon answer to him ! Aoun, Nasrallah, Berri will now do everything in their power to obstruct the democratic process again and again while appearing to play the game and blaming the other side !
26 March 2014, 12:25
64
LOL ! It was M14 that blocked elections and boycotted parliament before and after ... Even when M14 came around Geagea was still obstructing the formation of a government.
26 March 2014, 12:36
55
That's what Aoun told you. But he also told you Hezbollah was avoiding elections : http://www.yalibnan.com/2012/10/12/aoun-confirmed-that-hezbollah-avoiding-2013-elections/
Hezbollah was the first to object to elections. Don't get too excited !
26 March 2014, 12:51
74
@ FlameCatcher
The M14 50 district election scheme was the ruse to delay the elections. Aoun had to retreat from his earlier stance that there would be no elections without a new electorial law ... and called for elections after all but too late ...
The fact of the matter is that is has been Geagea that has been sabotaging any compromise between M14 and M8 as we have seen over these last weeks ... Geagea has a nerve just running for president after his obstruction of the current Salam Government.
26 March 2014, 12:54
54
wouldn't waste your breath FC.. some people refuse to see the forest from the trees..
26 March 2014, 13:03
54
mckini, man you cannot be serious..almost funny if you weren't so serious..obstructing the formation lol. lf agenda was clear without room for mis-interpretation..we wil not participate with hezb given there lies deception and broken promises. they need to come prepared to give a little to get a little. We will not participate in the formation and our M14 allies are free to choose their own agenda. we will not obstruct the governments work. how can they obstruct?? still seeing the trees aren't you..
26 March 2014, 13:15
53
@ forces
If Geagea is taking the high moral ground then why is he running for the Salam government presidency after he obstructed the formation.
If Geagea is so adamant against HA in government then why is he running for a government that has HA?
Hariri finally split with Geagea ... Geagea had no choice in the matter ... he was abandoned and now Hariri no longer needs him.
26 March 2014, 13:37
43
If Geagea is taking the high moral ground then why is he running for the Salam government presidency after he obstructed the formation. DID Not Participate is unlike obstruction. it is Salam's interim government tasked with ensuring the election of the president. The president candidancy doesn't have to be within government, I am not sure that can be from government.
If Geagea is so adamant against HA in government then why is he running for a government that has HA? HA is a cancer in Lebanon, Geagea like all of us has a right to disagree and argue his case, hence did not participate in forming an Interim government.He also did not obstruct it's formation. like any cancer sadly we must learn to live with it. HA has a democratic right same as LF to be in government. They however have ZERO right same as LF to bear arms outside the states authority, and this is geagea's argument.
26 March 2014, 13:48
53
@ forces
Geagea has every right to take any position he wants. The Geagea record shows that he would be poison for Lebanon as president. He won't compromise because of his hatreds which he calls morals ...
26 March 2014, 13:57
44
@Mckinl : The Aoun position shows he would be poison for Lebanon as president. The man without any integrity switching positions more than Jumblat. Partnering with his former enemies he accused of murder. Same enemies that forced him to abandon and flee Lebanon. Same enemies that beat up aounies demanding sovereignty and freedom...
Aoun has nothing to teach about democracy, freedom, presidency, integrity, sovereignty, democracy...
His only fuel is his ego and if he becomes president, this will be the end of the republic of Lebanon.
26 March 2014, 14:05
53
@ FlameCatcher
Lebanon has no desirable candidate for president ... Aoun is just the least worst. Aoun will get things done unlike obstructionist Geagea.
Personally I would prefer Bassil but he may be too inexperenced. He did a great job at the Energy ministry despite being blocked at just about every turn.
It is past time for the gangsters that were involved in the Civil War to be put out to pasture ... Lebanon needs new leadership desperately ...
26 March 2014, 14:20
44
@Mckinl : "Personally I would prefer Bassil but he may be too inexperenced. He did a great job at the Energy ministry despite being blocked at just about every turn"
Oh please, let's settle for Aoun if Bassil is your best choice.
Bassil did a lousy job ! The only thing he accomplished at the Energy ministry is postponing the problem for future ministers to handle while pissing away money on power boats which are nothing but temporary solutions serving no long term goal. This money should have been invested in new powerplants instead and more specifically in clean energy solutions.
Bassil failed at the telecom ministry boasting achievements which were actually projects started long before his term.
Bassil is still doing a lousy job at the foreign ministry failing to file complaints at the UNSC for Syria's daily breaches of our sovereignty.
26 March 2014, 14:32
52
Wrong, wrong, wrong ...
Bassil has proven himself in ministerial assignments ... In telecom he implemented reforms and improvements of his own and those that had languished under previous ministers.
At the Energy Ministry Bassil had everything ready to go as far as the oil and gas leases and will have Lebanon with 24/7 electricity by next year ...
You my friend are blind if you can't see that Bassil is ready for even bigger roles ...
26 March 2014, 17:32
23
I respecfully disagree with all the achievements you mention. If anyone should take credit, it's the employees of the ministry who have implented measures taken by Bassil's predecessors (those take years to accomplish).
Regarding the energy portfolio, it's a total flop throwing money away and postponing the electricity problem for future ministers to solve.
Oil and Gas is a stunt to drive away attention from Hezbollah's war in Syria and the democratic schedule which was postponed. No one is against Oil and Gas but no way in hell to rush this !
The only bigger role Bassil is ready for it maybe to replace Aoun at the failed Tayyar party but this is as far as he will get in life.
26 March 2014, 12:14
146
There is only one party, namely one politician, that wants to stop the presidential elections ... That is the same party and the same man that have been obstructing Lebanon's progress from the beginning ... the LF and Samir Geagea ...
26 March 2014, 12:51
711
mckini clearly you are new to Lebanese politics and appears you were also an ostrich in a past life. like it or clearly not Geagea is a bigger man then you or uncle michou or cousin hassouni will ever be. typical school boy mentality I'm loosing the fight so I will blame someone else. and by fight I mean the moral one, that thing you wish you had....no sorry the other thing :)
26 March 2014, 13:06
115
@ forces
Geagea's plan was for Lebanon to fail prompting the intervention of the IMF and the imposition of austerity while placing Geagea in charge much as they have done in the Ukraine and every other regime change operation ...
As president would once again obstruct any meaningful action while claiming moral ground. Geagea wants it his way or no way. Geagea would see the destruction of Lebanon as he believes he would be the only person to put Lebanon back together again. The man is insane not to mention a psychopath ...
26 March 2014, 13:27
46
@mckini sorry bud I don't subscribe to conspiracy theories. I call it as it happens, I choose sides on what I see then if I am wrong, I have no one to blame. at present Geagea is the best man for the job. there are better but they are not in the picture at the moment. the rest is he said ,she said without any proof.
26 March 2014, 13:37
73
@ forces
In what way is Samir Geagea qualified to be president? Geagea has shown himself to be impossible to compromise with. How will Geagea's obstructionism not hurt the new government in daily operations and the parliamentary elections to follow?
26 March 2014, 13:51
36
@mckini
Geagea unlike most other candidates that may be out there is better qualified and is deemed sufficiently influencial with the international community to be an effective president. It is my opinion Lebanon right now needs some one who is uncompromising in his views not unlike Sleiman and we see how effective he has been of late in this approach, long term Lebanon I have always argued we need new blood but in this difficult times we need stern leadership. that is only my view..
26 March 2014, 13:56
74
@ forces
Like Suleiman? Suleiman has been a miserable failure. Both Tripoli and the eastern border are a mess because of Suleiman's incompetence.
But you are correct ... Geagea would be like Suleiman in one respect ... that is that nothing would get done although for different reasons.
26 March 2014, 14:13
45
mckini then my friend this is where agree to disagree. it is difficult to be effective when you have the likes of HA undermining the government's diss-association policy as a result as you have rightly pointed out the eastern border is a mess. together with the political cover afforded to those insects in Tripoli kind of makes it difficult to be effective. hence Suleiman has been openly critical of late.
26 March 2014, 14:37
63
@ forces
Suleiman has his chance to assert his power and time after time differed to the old cronyism.
Suleiman was a failure ... Instead of a leader he became a befuddled old man looking for approval in all the wrong places.
26 March 2014, 13:14
42
I just hope this long neck gets a heart attack tomorrow. Lebanon will only have peace if this Syrian regime is gone. Obama will disappear in few years and the republican president will definitely eliminate this regime if it still exist because Obama is a wimp.
26 March 2014, 14:16
33
This murderer still wants to interfere in Lebanon after all the killings he has done in Lebanon and the war in Syria . If any lebanese stands with what he says or supports this move then he would be a dirty traitor .
26 March 2014, 14:30
45
The only reason M8 are bending over is to take more ordUres from ASSad !
26 March 2014, 14:48
35
No I don't have leaders. I have opinions, I have beliefs and I have fears.
M8 coallition, Hassan Nasrallah and his LIE of Hezbollah. Aoun and his arrogant egocentric powerplay to become president. Those are the biggest threats to Lebanon.
M14 are too weak to be a threat but are currently the best option to salvage Lebanon's economy.
M8 has no plans for that. They have 0 propositions to drive growth, create jobs, bring back tourists and investors, stop the fleeing of youth... nill !
The world is not black and white. 0 and 1s. If it were, you'd be the 0 :)
Meanwhile, follow your shepherds and go fight in Syria if you truly believe in the lies of Hassan Kezballah !
26 March 2014, 15:19
34
You're right Purr : the world that General Aoun depicts for you (AKA the ILLUSION) is based on believing the words of thieves, crooks, criminals, assassins and terrorists such as Bashar, Hassan Nasrallah, Berri n their 40 thieves !
27 March 2014, 04:34
10
Sad but true. However, you have got to admit for a moment there we were a nation to be proud of. We have it in us deep down somewhere.
27 March 2014, 14:32
10
Either Geagea for president or a Qomm/Dahieh like entity.
Medieval Totalitarianism/Theocracy may suit (some) Shia or Alawi minds but definitely not Lebanese.
Either Geagea or Qomm/Dahieh
