Deal on Appointment of Roukoz between Mustaqbal, FPM Uncertain

Conflicting reports emerged on Monday whether Mustaqbal Movement leader and ex-Prime Minister Saad Hariri agreed on the appointment of Commando Regiment chief Brig. Gen. Chamel Roukoz, Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun's son-in-law, as army chief.

Sources close to the FPM denied in comments published in As Safir newspaper that Hariri informed Aoun his consent on the appointment of Roukoz as military chief in return for the appointment of head of the Internal Security Force Information Branch Imad Othman as ISF chief.

Al-Akhbar newspaper reported that Hariri is expected to settle this week the fate of such a deal.

According to the daily, the adviser of al-Mustaqbal movement leader, Nader al-Hariri, is expected to meet with FPM Minister Jebran Bassil in the upcoming few days to inform him of the final decision regarding the matter.

On Sunday, Ad Diyar newspaper reported that the deal comes within a package that would compel Aoun to abandon his presidential aspirations.

The FPM chief has previously rejected any attempts to extend the terms of high-ranking security officials.

Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah reportedly informed Aoun during their meeting last week that he will support the appointment of Roukoz as army chief.

In February, Aoun had withdrawn confidence from Defense Minister Samir Moqbel over the extension of the term of the head of the Higher Defense Council, Maj. Gen. Mohammed Khair.

The FPM described Moqbel's extension decision as “illegal,” arguing that the defense minister's jurisdiction states that he can extend the terms under the authority of a president.

Media reports had said that Aoun's main objective is to receive political consensus on the appointment of Roukoz as army chief as part of a package for the appointment of other top security officers.

Roukoz's tenure ends in October while the term of army commander Gen. Jean Qahwaji expires at the end of September.

Despite the reports about his insistence to have his son-in-law as army chief, Aoun denied that he had made such a proposal.

The military posts in Lebanon are suffering as the result of the months-long presidential vacuum in light of the parliament's failure to elect a successor for Michel Suleiman whose tenure ended in May last year. The vacuum also threatens the ISF as chief Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Basbous is set to retire in June.

H.K.

G.K.