Miqati Decides to Resign: Suleiman Suspended Request to Consult with National Dialogue Members
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Prime Minister Najib Miqati revealed on Saturday that he has taken the decision to “no longer hang on to the premiership,” urging the formation of a national unity government.
He said: “I suspended my decision to resign at President Michel Suleiman's request.”
He made his statements after an extraordinary cabinet session held at the Baabda Palace in wake of the assassination of Internal Security Forces Intelligence Bureau chief Brigadier General Wissam al-Hasan on Friday.
The premier explained that Suleiman requested a timeframe for him to consult with members of the national dialogue table over his decision not to remain in the premiership.
Miqati told reporters: “The request for a timeframe stems from a realization that Lebanon is facing a plan to create strife in the country.”
“This is a national issue and we are keen on an preserving the nation. We do not want to leave Lebanon in a vacuum,” he declared.
“Those who have placed personal gain over national interests have met a bad fate, such as exile or assassination,” he added.
“I call on the politicians to unite, set their differences aside, and make the formation of a new government an easy task,” demanded the premier.
On Hasan's murder, he revealed that cabinet decided to refer the case to the judicial council.
He also demanded that the Telecommunications Minister hand over the telecom data in the case, dating back to September 19, to the investigation.
“I do not want to jump to conclusions in the case, but we cannot separate Hasan's murder to that of the arrest of former Minister Michel Samaha,” Miqati noted.
Samaha was arrested in August on charges of forming a criminal gang on Lebanon aimed at carrying out attacks in the country at Syria's behest.
Hasan played a key role in making the discovery.
“I have never felt that Hasan was aligned with any political camp,” added the premier.
“I stress that the investigations must take their course until the truth is revealed,” said Miqati.
Earlier and at the start of the extraordinary cabinet session, Suleiman urged all sides in Lebanon to exercise restraint in the wake of Hasan's assassination.
He said that he will resume contacts with the members of the national dialogue in order to hold a session as soon as possible.
The president called on the security agencies to unite and cooperate in order to protect Lebanon from any threat.
Suleiman said of Hasan: “He played a major role in uncovering espionage and terrorist cells since 2006.”
“He also played a role in uncovering a crime that was directed against the whole of Lebanon and its unity,” he stated indirectly referring to Hasan's discovery Samaha's plot.
The next national dialogue session is scheduled for November 12.
Hasan was killed on Friday in a car bomb in the Ashrafiyeh district in Beirut.
Conflicting reports emerged over the number of dead in the blast with some sides putting the figure at three and others at eight.
At least a hundred people were wounded in the explosion.
Hasan was close to former Prime Minister Saad Hariri and hostile to the regime in Syria. He had been tipped to take over as ISF head at the end of this year.
The ISF played a central role in the arrest in August of Samaha, who has close links to Damascus and was charged with planning attacks in Lebanon and transporting explosives in collaboration with Syrian security chief Maj. Gen. Ali Mamlouk.
Hasan also played a central role in the investigation in Rafik Hariri's murder in February 2005, as well as uncovering Israeli espionage networks and terrorist cells in Lebanon.
20 October 2012, 15:16
00
it is very dangerous for the country if mikati DONT RESIGN IMMEDIATELY.HIS resignation now, will absorb the civil war and will defend the unity of the army,general kahwaji was excellent yesterday in his words as a truly responsible head of the army,god protect him.
20 October 2012, 15:13
00
have you seen the members of this cabinet nothing extraordinary about it.
20 October 2012, 15:26
16
Good... now the next step is too throw the Syrian Agent out..and if anyone wants to follow him to Syria, you have Lebanon's blessing...
20 October 2012, 15:28
14
lol, @Galiboun... your comment speaks for itself..how petty are you?
20 October 2012, 15:36
09
Miqati did well. It's his first good decision since he got the premiership.
20 October 2012, 15:37
00
Syrias agents are plentiful starting with Aoun. Christians must clean house and choose Country over Iranian money.
20 October 2012, 15:49
15
a little bit of decency in your comments sir and avoid false accusations like cannot communicate unless on coke. What a level.
20 October 2012, 16:01
00
Who is going do a better job? Harari can't step foot in Lebanon without an American/Israeli invasion . The guy who wrotethat March 8 are bad and March 14 are no better was correct. Your situation is hopeless. Civil War is at the doorstep and it is what you deserve. Meanwhile Israel moves to take your energy and you do nothing but bitch,bitch,bitch.
20 October 2012, 16:32
03
This is the right thing to do. As a prime minister you either stand up and say no matter who did this we will chase them to the gates of hell and bring them to justice, or if you have an idea who did it and you can't do anything about it, the appropriate thing to do is to resign. The streets are boiling and don't expect people to be slaughtered and expect them to watch silently. Self defense is a sacred human right. Hats off to you Mr Prime Minister. Ever since the Hizbullah drone you have been taking remarkable positions, and this one is very remarkable. God bless you.
20 October 2012, 16:45
24
Guys,
do not mind galiboun, ft and their likes. they are still drunk from all the champagne they drank yesterday celebrating Wisam Al Hassan's murdor.
they woke up today to the news they are no more in the cabinet, and at least they will no more have a say in the upcoming one, so what do you expect from such filth? comments like the above.
20 October 2012, 17:14
00
why do they allow comments on this page , it sickens me to see the level you people communicate with each other with . what sickens me more is the lack of constructive judgements . when will you stop talking politics & build a civil state . when will you stop following people and clans instead of evaluating what is been done . ( & i can see the cheap comments & insults coming up )
20 October 2012, 17:45
01
Great Achiever and very decent indeed, kello adrab min ba3do, same face same shit.
20 October 2012, 17:46
00
the name of tamam salam as primeminister is on circulation in saoudi coridors
20 October 2012, 18:46
21
Guys, think abt it Hezbollah/Bashar has the power to kill anyone it wants, whenever it wants.. So does this mean that next time they will want the m14 gvt to resign, they'll plant a bomb, kill a m14 figure (or m8 if it increases their chances of success), and ask for the gvt to resign? All that of course with the cover of michel aoun and FT who will be barking abt it??
Not so sure abt the Mikati resignation.. I am not sure that if m14 were in the gvt, they would have been able to stop the crime.
Hasan, Lebanon RIP!
20 October 2012, 18:59
00
I like the way you think obviously M14 and the obviously coward who benefited by getting 70% vote in 2005 murdered those killed on February 14 2005, you are a genius dammi here I'll let you suck my dick.
20 October 2012, 19:30
13
what a stupid comment, as stupid as you i guess.... happy those with simple minds for heaven awaits them....
20 October 2012, 19:38
12
We all love to blame others for Lebanon's problems. We the Lebanese are the problem. It's not Iran, Saudi Arabia, Israel, the USA, turkey, Syria or any other so called "Arab" country... It is the Lebanese!
A fake country. The people are loyal to sects and foreigners. The Sunni, Arab, Saudi illusions. Shiite, Iran and allawite Syria. The Druze are with anyone who is most powerfull. Christains (Maronites) who are responsible for the republic, are only concerned with their own power struggle in their illusions of regaining their power. The orthodox christains don't care as long as every sect elects their own.
This is why we are the play ground for regional and international battles! Maybe Syria killed him, maybe Israel did it to create strife, maybe hezbollah cause of those " security leaks". At the end of the day, it doesn't matter. Lebanese did it to themselves! 8 other innocent people died don't forget!
20 October 2012, 19:54
00
March 14, you are bala akhle2 of the highest degree. I do not care about Miqati. But how dare you blame Miqati for the killing of al-Hassan? Is he the one who should have protected him or Wissam al-Hassan and Ashraf Rifi should have been the ones to protect all of us? This is one reason why you deserve no respect whatsoever. I do not recall you holding them and Saniora responsible for the killings that took place when Saniora was PM. Remind me if you could! fi3lan enkon sha3b bala akhle2 wa bala mokh. Really, you are just as bad as your foes. BALA AKHLE2. ste7o wa rou7o ekhtefo. DISGUSTING.
20 October 2012, 19:56
00
dami, please go change Your nickname to "DUMMY" cos basically that's what You are and You guys should be a bit with class and stop replying this useless FlameBlower Son of a DishWasher... Can't You see the low level he is at and the need for attention he keeps seeking? Let it Go!
20 October 2012, 20:11
00
dummy ????
let us do it you way mate.
So m14 killed wissam so that the gvt resign right?
who killed pierre,antoine ghanem,Samir asir,ido?who killed gibran tueni?
harriri?who has tried to kill hamade?may Chidiac?m14 tried to kill em all right?
who killed thousands of lebanese during 30 yrs of occupation???
Is it M14 who kidnapped lebanese citizens and threw them in Syrian jails?
khaye do you have any dignity????el 3ama shi byehboul?
i do understand and respect anyone who disagree with M14,but i cannot believe anyone who support such traitors called M8.
Wlak what about the lebanese ppl like you and me ya dami?
They do deserve a bit of respect dont you think so?
20 October 2012, 20:14
00
for the idiot Flamethrower and others on this discussion Israel can bomb Lebanon out of existence, not HA or others can stop it; the only thing that holding them back is politics. when every person in Lebanon have the interest of the country in their hearts ahead of any thing else whether religion or political associations to other countries then there will be peace in Lebanon. by the way I don't like Israel the Palestinian or Syrian. I only love Lebanon.
20 October 2012, 20:56
23
No body ever asked Israel to carpet bomb the south on these threads? Give me a break man!
20 October 2012, 20:58
02
Hizbcocaine will not let a new gov't form if he resigns. They will take advantage of the situation. Their guns are pointed internally at everyone's heads.
20 October 2012, 21:34
00
Lebanon is a democracy by name only. Anyone who really believes its a democracy is dreaming. Lebanon is nothing more thana place where a collection of non-national slaves to other countries confront each other daily. Lebanon will only survive as a true democracy when the players really confess their allegiance to Lebanon first. The problem in that what I know and see is that muslims in general are beholden first to their religion than their country of origin. So when Iran proclaims itself the Shiites religious center than the Shiites are going to be committed to Iran first. Same goes for Sunnis with Saudi Arabia. So you can see where unless the lebanese society changes into a nonsecterian society and governement Lebanon will never ever become a democracy or for that metter a true civilized society..
20 October 2012, 22:59
22
Mikati. Please stay. Your government is not perfect. (Mansour stinks particularly). But it is better than no government. Those M14 demonstrators dont know what the alternative to your gouvernment is.
21 October 2012, 01:40
11
lebanon_first the alternative is to get all your syrian dogs out of lebanon and throw them into the civil war in syria,with GODS blessings goes on for another 100 years.
Long Live The Syrian Civil War
21 October 2012, 10:06
10
Sure this is the best arguement you can bring to the table? like m14 killed the other m14 figures to pressure the government. like m14 killed Gebran Tueine and Gemayel, and and. thise killings putt a hell of a lot of pressure on m8 didn't they. Miqati is honourable enough to realise he is better off disassociating himself from the rubbish that is the lebanese politics he may just know the truth. as PM he had a lot of running battles with the likes of Imbassil and co so that he could impliment changes the right way not as the others pleased and for that he will be remembered. he was elected by m8 but had his own views often conflicting the current government which meant their lackey was not going to allow a free for all governement as hard as they tried.
21 October 2012, 10:07
10
Clean? What about withholding the good old "data"? Isn't that what lead the the recent attack? Or was it the fact that hizb 'alla' controls the airport security? So he releases the "data" and resigns... anything but clean...
