Ibrahim Sticks to Initiative on Raising Retirement Age of Top Officers
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim has revealed that an initiative to raise the retirement age of senior army officers for three years aimed at ending a growing political crisis has not stopped.
Ibrahim told As Safir daily published on Monday that his contacts with all the Lebanese factions are ongoing.
The head of General Security also stressed that his initiative is well-studied, denying that it would put financial pressure on the treasury by keeping top officers in their posts.
“No one has the right to express his viewpoint on something which he does not know,” said Ibrahim about the critics of his plan.
But An Nahar newspaper said that Ibrahim's proposal would not see light.
Ain el-Tineh sources told the daily that Speaker Nabih Berri does not mind to discuss the amendment of the defense law to raise the retirement age of the top military brass.
But a decree to open an extraordinary parliamentary session still requires the signatures of the two ministers representing the Free Patriotic Movement and the other Christian ministers, said the sources.
The sources also told al-Akhbar newspaper that Ibrahim will not be able to move forward with his initiative and that al-Mustaqbal movement will not accept it, a stance that was made clear by the head of al-Mustaqbal bloc MP Fouad Saniora in remarks to As Safir on Monday.
But Free Patriotic movement sources said that Berri needs the initiative to meet his objective of opening an extraordinary legislative session.
Ibrahim made his initiative to resolve the controversy on the appointment of high-ranking military and security officials.
The FPM of Michel Aoun has rejected the extension of the terms of the top military and security brass because the lawmaker wants his son-in-law Brig. Gen. Chamel Roukoz, who is the Commando Regiment chief, to become army chief.
On Saturday, Aoun urged his supporters to get ready for street protests, few days after the cabinet failed to agree on the appointments, prompting Defense Minister Samir Moqbel to extend the terms of the army commander, the chief of staff and the secretary-general of the Higher Defense Council.
10 August 2015, 09:37
75
You, yourself need to retire for lack of minimum of "good sense"
10 August 2015, 11:15
74
hateful eyes so clear in the picture... can't believe m8 bombarded this sectarian corrupt individual to head of general security position. they really have no shame!
*courtesy of mowaten
10 August 2015, 13:07
74
Go ahead destroy the last institution standing in this country. Burden the treasury with more expenses so that aoun can claim he regained our Christian rights.
10 August 2015, 13:12
74
How can this guy raise the retirement age? Does he think he can act alone? A man like him has not even managed to get our prisoners in IS hands back, he now wants to toy with politics? What a lame attempt truly, just to save another lame guy like Roukoz and Aoun. Won't go past, the days of Hezbollah dominance over Lebanon is truly over.
10 August 2015, 13:18
73
phoenix; this was Aoun's initiative in the first place. I read it in Nahar newspaper today and I believe someone posted a link to the article.
10 August 2015, 13:37
74
Thanks Marcus. Aoun and his allies at Hezbollah HQ are desperate these days, trying to do all they can to wrench out one bit of gain. But sadly for him and them all at M8, things have changed and for them at least, for the worst. One must admit that the new Saudi policies have also changed, from passive to aggressive, very aggressive and very assertive, from Yemen, to Syria, Bahrain and Lebanon, the Saudis have decided to challenge Iranian policies head on. Analysts have long since predicted that after the US/Iran deal, things will change in the Middle East, here in Lebanon the changes have already started, and Aoun is prime target, he is on his way down faster than predicted.
10 August 2015, 13:48
75
(1). The saddest part of any person, no matter what trade he or she may belong to is this, when he starts losing his integrity, his dignity, his honor his self esteem and self respect. In the case of Aoun, ...I mean this man is hard to describe. Maybe years ago he might have been able to dupe people with his fake words and promises, maybe wearing that noble army uniform helped him as well, but today after his cloak of repeated falseness, of deceit, of fabrications of lies, of accusing people with his very own wrongs, all these combined and yet to think that he carries on as if people were that blind?
10 August 2015, 13:49
75
(2). OK, we all know that he lost all forms of dignity and respect, OK, we all know that he knows that we know, but now that he is politically bankrupt, now that he has lost much of the broad support and goodwill he once enjoyed, how on earth can he dare to continue, especially now that he is past 80? The FPM is now in vegetative state, Hezbollah is but a shadow of its former self, all I know is that Aoun is a professional Saboteur by excellence, a job he won't quit till he dies. Personally I hope he dies soon, he will rest, and Lebanon will rest, at long last, and this after 4 decades of Aoun's destructive sabotage. Believe me, the day Aoun dies will be the day Lebanon will recover from its ashes, Aoun is paid to keep us in perpetual decay.
10 August 2015, 15:50
73
الموسوي: لولا المقاومة لكان لبنان شبيه بالعراق أو سوريا
if it were not for the 'resistance' Lebanon would have been like Switzerland or Monaco.
10 August 2015, 20:30
42
Actually Shias are great, as are members of any other sect I suppose except when they, as Michel Aoun claimed is the case of General Security chief, steal a Christian post and the self proclaimed defender of Christian rights and demented hypocrite supports the daylight robbery.
