Fatfat Slams Berri over Orthodox Gathering, Says he Backed Down on Promises

Al-Mustaqbal MP Ahmed Fatfat criticized on Thursday Speaker Nabih Berri, accusing him of backing down on his promises to the parliamentary bloc by prompting the joint parliamentary committees to vote on the so-called Orthodox Gathering electoral draft-law.

“I am convinced that Berri's endeavors weren't (innocent), he had plans to push forward the adoption of the proposal,” Fatfat said in comments published in As Safir newspaper.

The proposal was approved by the joint parliamentary committees on Tuesday despite the objection of the opposition al-Mustaqbal bloc, the centrist National Struggle Front, and March 14 opposition’s Christian independent MPs.

He revealed that Berri had set eight sessions for the joint parliamentary committees to discuss all the proposed draft-laws. However, the speaker ended discussions in three sessions.

According to An Nahar newspaper, head of al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc MP Fouad Saniora contacted on Wednesday President Michel Suleiman, Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat, Prime Minister Najib Miqati, Ministers Mohammed al-Safadi and Ahmed Karami, MP Butros Harb and other officials.

Saniora stressed in telephone conversations with the figures that his bloc completely rejected the Orthodox Gathering proposal.

“It is a proposal to incite sectarian division,” the daily quoted Saniora as saying.

For his part, lawmaker Assem Araji told Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) that the draft-law transforms the country into sectarian cantons.

“We can't resolve a mistake by committing a bigger mistake,” Araji said, hinting that the 1960 electoral law based on the winner-takes-all system should be canceled by the adoption of a more moderate law, other than the Orthodox Gathering proposal.