March 14 Petition to Urge Berri for Session to Extend Terms of Rifi, Qahwaji

The March 14 alliance is seeking signatures on a parliamentary petition to urge Speaker Nabih Berri to call for an urgent session to discuss and approve a draft-law that extends the retirement age of officers in leadership posts in security agencies amid a strong opposition by the Free Patriotic movement.

According to As Safir newspaper published on Wednesday, the opposition is pressing the extension of Internal Security Forces chief Maj. Gen. Ashraf Rifi and Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji to safeguard the country.

Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat told the newspaper that he signed the petition, voicing his support to it.

The Druze leader said that the security situation is critical, calling on officials not to leave the posts of Qahwaji and Rifi vacant.

Al-Mustaqbal MP Ammar Houri told AS Safir newspaper that the petition will be handed over to Berri soon.

“The parliamentary session that the speaker will call for will only be to approve the urgent draft-law,” Houri said.

The tenure of Qahwaji and Rifi ends on April 1.

Houri pointed out that the petition is to safeguard the country from the impact of vacant posts of head of security agencies during the “critical” situation in the country.

“We need to take preventive measures as the cabinet is weaker and incapable of approving simple appointments,” Houri said.

For his part, Change and Reform bloc MP Alain Aoun, who is loyal to Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun, rejected the extension proposal.

“It's the governments duty to appoint the successors of the security agencies leaders,” the MP stated.

However, the lawmaker said that his bloc is ready to cooperate with the March 14 coalition to discuss the draft-law if the session included an article to tackle the Orthodox Gathering electoral law.

Houri described Aoun's proposal as an attempt to obstruct their draft-law.

“Our stance from the Orthodox proposal is known.... We shouldn't mix the two matters on the account of security threats,” the MP said.

Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc MP Ziad al-Qaderi proposed recently an urgent draft-law to modify the retirement age of officers in leadership posts in the army, the Internal Security Forces and other security agencies.

According to the proposal, the age of retirement for Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji will increase to 63 years, while officers with Maj. General rank would be referred to retirement on the age of 62.

An agreement is needed between the March 8 majority coalition and the March 14 opposition over the extension proposal as it requires the cabinet to refer a bill to parliament for approval or an urgent draft-law proposed by at least 10 lawmakers to adopt it by an absolute majority.