Hajj Hassan Urges 'Some Parties' Not to 'Aggravate Crisis', Mustaqbal Not to 'Turn Its Back'

Industry Minister Hussein al-Hajj Hassan of Hizbullah has noted that “Lebanon has entered a new phase and a new course,” urging “some parties” not to “aggravate the crisis,” in an apparent reference to Hizbullah's ally the Free Patriotic Movement.

Hajj Hassan also called on al-Mustaqbal Movement not to “turn its back” to the other parties in the country.

The situation requires Mustaqbal to “liberate itself from the grip of the dominating Saudi decision that is vetoing solutions in the region, including in Lebanon,” the minister added.

“Lebanon needs real, purposeful, profound, constructive, responsible and honest dialogue, not dialogue aimed at passing time,” Hajj Hassan stressed.

“The dialogue that is being sponsored by Speaker Nabih Berri is one of the most important elements for Lebanon's salvation,” the minister added, hoping the suspended dialogue sessions will resume after “resolving the new crisis.”

“There are serious efforts by the keen parties in order to reach this result,” Hajj Hassan noted.

“We are witnessing a real crisis that erupted due to realistic reasons and legitimate demands from the Free Patriotic Movement and we hope the contacts and efforts will lead to exits and solutions in this regard,” the minister went on to say.

Hizbullah has recently showed solidarity with the FPM by boycotting a cabinet session that was held in the absence of the movement's ministers – Jebran Bassil and Elias Bou Saab.

The FPM, which has the biggest Christian bloc in parliament, has suspended its participation in cabinet sessions and national dialogue meetings over accusations that other parties in the country are not respecting the National Pact.

The 1943 National Pact is an unwritten agreement that set the foundations of modern Lebanon as a multi-confessional state based on Christian-Muslim partnership.

The FPM's boycott of cabinet meetings was initially linked to the thorny issue of military and security appointments. The movement has long voiced reservations over the government's decision-taking mechanism in the absence of a president.

Addressing Prime Minister Tammam Salam, FPM chief Jebran Bassil has recently warned that “the son of late PM Saeb Salam must pay great attention when he says that the government is respecting the National Pact when it convenes in the presence of ministers representing only six percent of a main component of the country (Christians).”

Bassil has also warned that the country might be soon plunged into a “political system crisis” if the other parties do not heed the FPM's demands regarding Muslim-Christian “partnership.”

The FPM has also announced that it will resort to street protests to press for its demands.

Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh has hit back at Bassil over the issue of Christian representation, saying Marada and the other Christian parties in the cabinet “represent a lot more than six percent.”