Salam Rejects Mechanism-Elections Link as Gemayel Says he'll Visit him at Appropriate Time

Prime Minister Tammam Salam accused some members of the cabinet of paralyzing the government for linking its work with the presidential elections despite their insistence that their aim is to back the PM.

“Some of them linked the cabinet work with the presidential elections. So we reached a state of paralysis,” Salam told As Safir daily published on Friday.

“The two issues are not linked,” he stressed.

Salam was referring to a grouping led by former President Michel Suleiman, which has so far met twice in less than a week to reject an amendment to the decision-making mechanism that the PM is proposing.

On Wednesday, Suleiman and seven cabinet ministers met at Kataeb Party leader Amin Gemayel's residence in Sin el-Fil.

They said the government must continue to run the affairs of the people and the state until a new president is elected.

The grouping fears that giving the cabinet more authorities in the absence of a head of state would erode the country's top Christian post.

“After the meeting, they said they backed the prime minister. So how are they interpreting such support?” Salam wondered.

His criticism drew a retort from Gemayel, who told al-Liwaa newspaper, that the grouping was not paralyzing the cabinet.

“The ball is neither in our court nor in the court of the premier,” he said.

“Everyone now knows who is putting obstacles to the (government's) work,” the former president said.

Gemayel stressed that he would visit Salam at the appropriate time.

Earlier in the week, the Kataeb leader failed to meet with the prime minister after he suffered from spinal disc pain.

The differences between cabinet ministers on the amendment of the mechanism prompted Salam to suspend sessions in the past two weeks until the ministers reach an agreement on the formula, which he wants it to be based on article 65 of the constitution.

The article's clause five says: “The legal quorum for a council meeting shall be a two-thirds majority of its members. It shall make its decisions by consensus. If that is not possible, it makes its decisions by vote of the majority of attending members. Basic issues shall require the approval of two thirds of the members of the government named in the decree of its formation.”

The current mechanism, which was adopted after the cabinet assumed the responsibilities of the president in accordance with the constitution, states that ministers should give unanimous support to the government's decisions.

Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Salim Hoss backed on Friday Salam in his efforts to change the formula, telling a press conference that he holds onto the Taef Accord and article 65 of the Constitution.

Hoss warned that Lebanon will be engulfed in the region's flames if the political leaders do not reach consensus.

G.K.

H.K.