Official: Qahwaji Had No Political Intention in his Mediation Effort

Army chief Gen. Jean Qahwaji had no personal interest or intentions when he sought to mediate to solve the interior ministry deadlock, a military official told As Safir newspaper.

Sources close to the cabinet formation process have said that Qahwaji has proposed Brig. Paul Matar as a possible consensus candidate for the interior ministry portfolio.

The official said that political leaderships have urged the army commander to solve the impasse. “Qahwaji responded based upon this wish and insistence, and out of his feeling for national responsibility.”

The army chief’s initiative also came out of fear that the political vacuum was negatively affecting the country’s institutions, including the military, the official told As Safir.

“This role has no other intentions either on the personal level or at the level of the military institution, particularly that the army leadership under direct instructions from Gen. Qahwaji has distanced itself from the political bickering,” the official said.

The army chief’s instruction to top officers to stay away from political disputes and remain at a single distance from all Lebanese is a clear sign that Qahwaji has no political intentions, he added.