Fate of National Dialogue Hangs in Balance
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
The fate of a new round of national dialogue was unclear on Tuesday, two days ahead of the all-party talks set to be held at Baabda palace, over the insistence of the March 14 opposition officials to boycott the meeting.
An Nahar newspaper quoted presidential sources as saying that President Michel Suleiman hasn't yet taken the decision to postpone the dialogue but could announce the postponement on Wednesday when the March 14 alliance members make a clear announcement on their decision.
An Nahar said some of those members will hold bilateral talks with Suleiman if he insisted on not postponing the session to stress their previous stance from Hizbullah's arms.
The opposition announced in October its decision not to sit at the dialogue table with Hizbullah and boycotted all parliamentary activity after it blamed Prime Minister Najib Miqati's government on the assassination of Internal Security Forces Intelligence Branch chief Wissam al-Hasan in a car bomb blast in Beirut's Ashrafiyeh district.
March 14 also called for the resignation of the cabinet and the formation of a neutral salvation government.
But Suleiman insisted on calling for the all-party talks and bringing rival factions together as a starting point for the discussion of the government crisis.
Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat, a centrist, echoed similar views on Monday, saying at a press conference that dialogue is the only means to resolve the crisis sparked by al-Hasan's killing.
March 14 leadership sources told An Nahar, however, that if held, the new round of dialogue would be similar to its predecessors.
“The decisions taken during previous sessions in the past six years haven't been implemented,” they said.
The sources added that the government crisis can’t be solved at the dialogue table. Instead the officials should hold bilateral talks and make behind-the-scenes negotiations.
Suleiman indirectly slammed both the Hizbullah-led March 8 majority and the March 14 opposition on Monday for “setting preconditions” for attending the new round of talks and engaging in “counter-accusations.”
“Democracy is not founded on boycott. It’s true that boycott is a democratic right but it is not the basis of democratic work. On the contrary, democracy requires sitting together and voicing one’s opinion,” he said at a joint news conference with his Armenian counterpart.
27 November 2012, 08:26
36
they already sat together... and they all voiced their opinions... and nothing changed.. so why exactly are we going to get together and voice them again???
27 November 2012, 13:08
02
one of the few times i agree with you and laud you on blaming both sides for once... that is the message i have been trying to get across for ages. nobody is working on improving anything in Lebanon for the Lebanese.. it seems we elect officials to concentrate on foreign policy more than the internal situation, while at this time we need to improve the life of the average citizen and provide him with basic needs like food, water, jobs...
the only one i feel understands this is our president.. the only one trying to actually bring change to this God-forsaken country is him.. Allah yi7mee because anytime someone works for a better Lebanon they get assassinated.
27 November 2012, 13:12
02
no one should be ready for a confrontation between one people.. but it seems like you are the type that flexes other peoples muscles... what? you think if it is a confrontation it will be a walk in the park for ANY side?? the civil war we passed through will look like a cat fight compared to what would happen... areas are alot more entangled, with no clear definition between areas and territories.. so you are suggesting leaving the country as it is as long as we are sitting at the same table and nothing changes? either way, confrontation or no confrontation, things do not look good for HA weapons..
27 November 2012, 08:48
34
Can murderers, suspects, foul players be part of any dialogue? In most civilised countries they would be under house arrest to say the least and not calling the political shots ! The Lebanese political dictionary should be reviewed accordingly : Dialogue = blackmail, national unity = smokeless civil war , Hizbollah = terrorist organisation, or, synomym, pasdaran military division.
27 November 2012, 09:53
35
Dialogue for what when nasrallah and his cronies bombard us every day with what is allowed and what is not?
they know we reject their so called resistance, and their Iranian affiliation.
they know we reject their thug activities, stealing, killings, murdering, land stealing,....
so what is there to discuss?
let them back f the Lebanese people, and since they are Iranians, let them go back there, and let us Lebanese live in peace, whether Muslims or Christians.
27 November 2012, 11:40
26
I will reply you this once only:
- we reject the military activities in the north and the south, period.no one from m14 accepts them.
- we are Lebanese and Arabs as per our constitution, and not Persians. thus affiliating with Arab countries is normal and according to our constitution, unlike association with iran.
- as for Israel, they are our enemy, and unless you consider them as your friend stop thing about this: it does not sell anymore.
- the US: it is a normal country that is a superpower, and we have an interest, whether economical or social to be associated with it.
hizbushaitan is trying to change the identity of Lebanon, doing all the things I said above, and they are traitor executing the orders of their Iranian masters.
27 November 2012, 11:47
25
why discuss with traitors after they overthrew the previous cabinet, killing leaders, attempting to kill leaders,...? why doesn't hizbushaitan deliver suspects requested for questioning by the Lebanese judiciary? why has the thugs responsible for attacking Al Jadeed TV been released? why is there still no decision by the judge in the case of Samaha?
and to your information, hizbushaitan has 3000 militiamen in the vicinity of Damascus, and within the next few days the battle will start in force there, and we will start seeing plenty of coffins coming from there...
27 November 2012, 13:17
22
b3eed min hon il war ya FT.. but refer to above... no one can win this civil war... it would only bring more destruction and death, not to mention deepen the division between the Lebanese. weapons can easily be brought into the country in such quantity for both sides it would dwarf the existing arsenal of HA... and dont forget the syrians.. whoever is in charge there (assad or fsa takeover or internal coup or whoever), you know both sides will have some on their sides..
27 November 2012, 12:36
25
the1phoenix
you are correct in your comment, and it is primarily the people who are paying the price.
however, we are at a juncture where m8 has to back down and make a public announcement that should be major so that m14 accepts to come back at the table, they need to admit how wrong they have been at least. they made us reach this situation by their attitude and their deeds.
what is there that we can offer yet? we have done it all! no more.
either we are all at the same level in this country or not. the finger that was threatening us should be broken otherwise we can not be equals.
27 November 2012, 16:56
13
agree with your comments.
yes during the past civil war we were all well off than now :) then again, we had over 100K dead and even more crippled, so the end result is not a positive one, especially if we take into account the result of the civil war.
in a civil war no one wins, rather we all loose.
what can be said to hizbushaitan to understand that? they need to stop relying on their weapons and sit down on the table as equals.
27 November 2012, 20:49
12
Sooo someone remind me....why are we voting for these politicians again?
27 November 2012, 20:49
12
If the allegiances of these politicians serve foreign interests, why are we voting for them? Why not vote for somebody else? Or is that not an option to you guys?
Shameful.
27 November 2012, 20:49
12
If the allegiances of these politicians serve foreign interests, why are we voting for them? Why not vote for somebody else? Or is that not an option to you guys?
Shameful.
27 November 2012, 21:02
12
M8 view of a dialogue : " we dialogue only if you accept our terms"
27 November 2012, 21:27
31
Isn't M14 doing the same thing by setting preconditions to dialogue? Let's not be too biased here..
27 November 2012, 21:34
13
what preconditions? dialogue is talking about everything, especially about the problems dividing the nation! M8 does not want to talk about hezbi weapons... isn t that the main precondition? ....
27 November 2012, 21:37
13
any way this dialogue is the biggest farce ever.... as NO politician really cares about developing the country if it does not match his interests first. NO one has the sense of public service, they all want to fill in their bank accounts , their dream of power, their family businesses... citizens only have the crumbs if any left...
tfeh at all of them.
