Gemayel Brushes Off Aoun's Proposal as 'Elimination War, Dangerous Scheme'
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Kataeb Party leader Amin Gemayel on Thursday rejected a proposal by Free Patriotic Movement chief Michel Aoun on limiting the presidential battle to himself and Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, describing it as a “war of elimination” against democracy.
“General Aoun's proposal is a 'war of elimination' that is aimed at getting rid of everyone,” Gemayel said during an interview on LBCI television.
"This is very dangerous," he added.
“Should we reduce all the Lebanese to two candidates? I refuse that such an approach be imposed on the Lebanese because such an approach would abolish all politics,” Gemayel said.
On Wednesday, Aoun announced his willingness to attend a parliamentary session aimed at electing a new president if political forces pledge to limit the voting process to him and Geagea.
“I'm willing to go to parliament if I receive pledges that the electoral battle will be limited to me and Geagea,” said Aoun during an interview on MTV.
But Gemayel slammed Aoun's suggestion as an attempt to “abolish democracy.”
“Impeding the process of electing a new president is a heresy,” he added.
“The approach of (limiting electoral competition to) Aoun and Geagea is not on the table and we in March 14 have done everything in our capacity to secure the election of a president but all our initiatives were met with rejection,” Gemayel noted.
The parliament on Wednesday failed for the sixteenth time to elect a president due to a lack of quorum as Geagea reiterated his accusation that Aoun's Change and Reform bloc is obstructing the polls.
The first session was held on April 23 but none of the candidates received the sufficient amount of votes to be elected president.
Hizbullah and Aoun's bloc have been boycotting electoral sessions due to a disagreement with the March 14 camp over a compromise presidential candidate. Geagea has accused them of adopting such measures in order to blackmail political blocs into electing Aoun as president.
Gemayel noted that his candidacy was mentioned during the Bkirki Maronite meetings, adding that he believes that “the next president must immunize the domestic scene and hold talks with the foreign forces.”
“Domestically, my concern is focused on uniting the Lebanese and the foreign policy must be based on neutrality,” he added.
“The parliamentary situation has proved that none of the candidates can garner the majority of votes and I told (al-Mustaqbal movement leader MP Saad) Hariri that we have no choice but to overcome this obstacle,” Gemayel said.
Commenting on efforts by Speaker Nabih Berri and Druze leader MP Walid Jumblat to launch dialogue between the rival parties, Gemayel said: “Nowadays, there are dialogue efforts and we must reach a solution with any candidate, be it me or anyone else.”
As for the controversial extension of parliament's term, Gemayel described it as “an erroneous course and an eschewal of duties.”
“We're willing to go to parliamentary polls if the Constitutional Council reverses the extension law and we believe that the circumstances are appropriate for holding elections,” he added.
Y.R.
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20 November 2014, 23:03
Gemayel: The March 14 coalition will continue and we're all committed to the country's sovereignty and the STL.
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20 November 2014, 22:59
Gemayel on Riyadh's call for labeling Hizbullah as terrorist: We believe that Saudi Arabia is free to take the decisions it wants but we're aware of the sensitivity of the situation in Lebanon and we cannot eliminate an essential component of the Lebanese society.
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20 November 2014, 22:57
Gemayel: Any armed force other than the army is against the requirements of national sovereignty, but the issue of Hizbullah's arms can only be addressed through dialogue, and what ex-PM Hariri has proposed is in line with this approach. From the very beginning, we have supported dialogue, which was opposed by al-Mustaqbal and the LF. We took part in dialogue and the Baabda Declaration was endorsed and everyone is praising it nowadays, even the LF. We have no choice but dialogue and it is the only way to resolve disputes.
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20 November 2014, 22:35
Gemayel: How can a country be stable with the presence of two armies on its soil? Can we disarm Hizbullah through force at the moment? This is impossible.
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20 November 2014, 22:29
Gemayel: We're willing to go to parliamentary polls if the Constitutional Council reverses the extension law and we believe that the circumstances are appropriate for holding elections.
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20 November 2014, 22:29
Gemayel: The extension (of parliament's term) is an erroneous course and an eschewal of duties.
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20 November 2014, 22:27
Gemayel: When Hizbullah clings to General Aoun and General Aoun has no chances, this means that the party does not want the presidency. Hizbullah has self-sufficiency and authority over Lebanese territory, that's why it's not in a hurry.
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20 November 2014, 22:26
Gemayel: I have not sensed that March 8 is willing to give up General Aoun's candidacy at the moment.
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20 November 2014, 22:26
Gemayel: The approach of (limiting electoral competition to) Aoun and Geagea is not on the table and we in March 14 have done everything in our capacity to secure the election of a president but all our initiatives were met with rejection.
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20 November 2014, 22:22
Gemayel: During its official meeting, March 14 said it had several candidates if Geagea's nomination was unacceptable, but they didn't officially nominate me because the situation in parliament has not changed.
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20 November 2014, 22:21
Gemayel: Geagea himself said he is seeking a solution and he had agreed to the March 14 initiative.
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20 November 2014, 22:19
Gemayel: The parliamentary situation has proved that none of the candidates can garner the majority of votes and I told Hariri that we have no choice but to overcome this obstacle. Nowadays, there are dialogue efforts and we must reach a solution with any candidate, be it me or anyone else.
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20 November 2014, 22:17
Gemayel: Domestically, my concern is focused on uniting the Lebanese and the foreign policy must be based on neutrality.
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20 November 2014, 22:16
Gemayel: My candidacy was mentioned in Bkirki and I believe that the next president must immunize the domestic scene and hold talks with the foreign forces.
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20 November 2014, 22:16
Gemayel: Impeding the process of electing a new president is a heresy.
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20 November 2014, 22:14
Gemayel: How can we abolish democracy? We would be dminishing democracy through such an approach.
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20 November 2014, 22:13
Gemayel: Should we reduce all the Lebanese to two candidates? I refuse that such an approach be imposed on the Lebanese because such an approach would abolish all politics.
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20 November 2014, 22:12
Gemayel: General Aoun's proposal is a new "war of elimination" that is aimed at getting rid of everyone.
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20 November 2014, 22:11
Gemayel: I wish General Aoun would leave Pierre Gemayel to his family and let him spare us inappropriate remarks.
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20 November 2014, 21:50
Kataeb Party chief Amin Gemayel in an interview on LBCI: We went through difficult situations and our house suffered a lot but we grew stronger and we won't surrender.
20 November 2014, 22:11
53
There is an interesting phenomena here that I cannot help but notice and that I'm sure many of you have as well, when the so called flame thrower is away most other M8 spammers are also away. Following his first post there is a deluge of them posting like their life depended on it. I wonder if they are all bused in like little mentally handicapped children going to the lollipop factory or do they pile into one clown car and come over together, the contents of most of their posts suggests the later. Or just maybe the spam squad are really just the Johnny punch-card AKA flame thrower.
20 November 2014, 22:59
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Gemayel: When Hizbullah clings to General Aoun and General Aoun has no chances, this means that the party does not want the presidency. Hizbullah has self-sufficiency and authority over Lebanese territory, that's why it's not in a hurry.
--Exactly. Finally someone says it the way it is...
20 November 2014, 23:00
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Gemayel: I wish General Aoun would leave Pierre Gemayel to his family and let him spare us inappropriate remarks.
--Lmaooooooo calling out the senile lunatic attaboy
20 November 2014, 23:01
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Gemayel: How can a country be stable with the presence of two armies on its soil? Can we disarm Hizbullah through force at the moment? This is impossible.
--Again, saying it the way it is.
20 November 2014, 23:02
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Gemayel: We're willing to go to parliamentary polls if the Constitutional Council reverses the extension law and we believe that the circumstances are appropriate for holding elections.
--Spare us the nonsense Amin. Elect a president then hold the polls.
21 November 2014, 01:09
65
Whether you like it or not a Caporal....not even caporal...a traitor and agent to'syria and iran..
21 November 2014, 05:52
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Ya gotta give it to the little guy he's really committed to the role of the Portuguese visitor with a computer missing an English spell checker. Seriously, almost all of the mistakes he pretends to be making will auto correct unless one wants to make them deliberately.
21 November 2014, 20:58
00
Results of a political contest are governed by the process that produces the result. The electors for the presidency are Members of Parliament. Most of the members were elected because they were on the ticket of Hariri, Hezbollah or Jumblatt. Each of these three have foreign patrons to whom they must answer for their votes in Parliament. If the outside patrons are at odds, then there is no election.
For this election, to solve the problem, the outside patrons must agree on a candidate.
For future elections, the people should not elect Members to Parliament who have outside patrons, but who are, instead, beholding only to the people who elect them.
