Bassil Says LF Step Caused 'Fall of Taef, Turned it into Catastrophes': May 15 Is a Black Stain in History
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Caretaker Energy and Water Minister Jebran Bassil described on Thursday the date of May 15, 2013 as a black stain in history, accusing the Lebanese Forces of causing “the fall of the Taef Accord.“
“Twenty-four years after the Taef Accord's catastrophe, we had the chance to improve its implementation before it turns into several catastrophes, but today the Taef Accord has fallen and so did the political system created by Taef,” Bassil said at a press conference tackling the electoral law.
“Wednesday, May 15 resembles the year 1989 and people will realize that our choice is the right one.”
Bassil considered that the Orthodox Gathering's draft electoral law was a chance “to achieve equal power-sharing and proper representation.”
“It is the most constitutional and fair law. It enjoyed Christian consensus and the approval of Bkirki and high-ranking Christian leaders. It also enjoys the support of more than half of Muslims.”
But, at the moment of truth, they (the Lebanese Forces and al-Mustaqbal) announced another law and wasted the chance, Bassil commented.
He expressed that the hopes of Christians have been betrayed, adding that there is a “feeling of frustration.”
“Bkirki and the Phalange Party share our frustration,” he noted.
“We lost Christian unity. We temporarily lost 64 seats, and we lost a real chance to organize the Christian arena and end the dispersion caused by some parasites and feudal lords.”
The Free Patriotic Movement minister said that what happened was "a blow to Bkirki and people can interpret what happened and realize the amount of foreign pressure."
He accused the Lebanese Forces of “putting its private interest above the public interest by choosing March 14 instead of the country and by choosing al-Mustaqbal over Christians.”
“We, however, have won our dignity and we thank our allies, especially Hizbullah, and all Muslims who stood by us concerning our rights,” he remarked.
The Orthodox draft is still on the agenda, Bassil pointed out. “I ask every Christian to pray for its approval and light a candle."
"After the Orthodox law, our options are open.”
Speaker Nabih Berri postponed on Wednesday a parliamentary session that was set to discuss the so-called Orthodox Gathering proposal for lack of quorum, after Al-Mustaqbal and the LF struck a last-minute deal on the hybrid proposal which was also backed by Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat's National Struggle Front and March 14's independent Christian MPs.
The Orthodox draft that considers Lebanon a single district and stipulates that each sect elects its own MPs under on a proportional representation system, is strongly backed by Hizbullah and the FPM.
Meanwhile, the proposal of the March 14 alliance, excluding the Phalange party, calls for 54 MPs to be elected under the winner-takes-all system and 46 percent via the proportional representation system.
The country would be divided into six governorates.
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16 May 2013, 17:53
Bassil: What happened was a blow to Bkirki and people can interpret what happened and the amount of foreign pressure.
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16 May 2013, 17:49
Bassil: Bkirki did not ask Christians to submit an alternative to the Orthodox law.
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16 May 2013, 17:45
Bassil: The date of May 15, 2013 will remain a black stain in history and it resembles the year 1989 and people will realize that our choice is the right one.
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16 May 2013, 17:42
Bassil: Of course we're not with vacuum or with the extension of parliament's mandate and we will not back down from equal power-sharing.
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16 May 2013, 17:41
Bassil: The Orthodox law is still on the agenda and I ask every Christian to pray for its approval and light a candle. After the Orthodox law, our options are open.
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16 May 2013, 17:39
Bassil: We have won our dignity and we thank our allies, especially Hizbullah, and all Muslims who stood by us concerning our rights.
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16 May 2013, 17:38
Bassil: We lost Christian unity, we temporarily lost 64 seats, and we lost a real chance to organize the Christian arena and end the dispersion caused by some parasites and feudal lords.
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16 May 2013, 17:32
Bassil: The fragmentation of Mount Lebanon repeats the violations committed against Christians since 1990, because Shouf and Aley, whose population is 39% Christian, have become a single electorate and Jbeil, Kesrouan and Baabda have become a single electorate, the thing that brings back all the years of oppression, humiliation and elimination.
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16 May 2013, 17:29
Bassil: Scientifically speaking, the hybrid law is similar to the 1960 law in the calculation of votes and it would secure the election of 45 Christian MPs or 50 MPs according to their calculations, which means less than the seats that can be achieved through the Orthodox law or the medium-sizes districts.
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16 May 2013, 17:28
Bassil: They have put their private interest above the public interest by choosing March 14 instead of the country and by choosing al-Mustaqbal over Christians. At the moment of truth, they announced another law and wasted the chance.
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16 May 2013, 17:27
Bassil: The hopes of Christians have been betrayed and there is a feeling of frustration and Bkirki and the Phalange Party share our frustration.
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16 May 2013, 17:22
Bassil: When we felt that there is hesitation in the Christian stance, we said that we will suspend the Orthodox proposal until an alternative is proposed and we did not say that we will create an alternative that does not enjoy consensus. Then we launched all types of initiatives and we went to Maarab.
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16 May 2013, 17:20
Bassil: Everyone knows that we totally rejected to discuss any other law with our allies and we chose Christian unity and said that this strategic choice is more important than any ally or friend and more important than our agreement with Hizbullah.
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16 May 2013, 17:19
Bassil: We said that we should not waste this chance, so we committee the Christian agreement achieved in Bkirki. We proposed the Orthodox proposal as a draft law than can secure 64 out of 64 seats and the other proposal was proportional representation according to medium-sized electorates and we submitted it as a draft law.
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16 May 2013, 17:18
Bassil: There is a need for stability and there is the Orthodox proposal which is the most constitutional and fair law, and this draft law made it to parliament's general assembly as a sole item through the constitutional course.
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16 May 2013, 17:16
Bassil: The Orthodox law was a chance to achieve equal power-sharing and proper representation at least for one time and it enjoyed Christian consensus and the approval of Bkirki and high-ranking Christian leaders. It also enjoys the support of more than half of Muslims. There is a Muslim rift in the region that has prevented us from imposing an electoral law, and there is the Arab Spring and the fear for minorities. There is also a balance at the international level between the West and the BRICS which is based on backing minorities in Syria and Lebanon. There is also foreign pressure aimed at holding the elections.
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16 May 2013, 17:14
Bassil: Demography is Christians' main problem in Lebanon and when you put a majority in the face of a minority, there will be no real equal power-sharing.
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16 May 2013, 17:12
Bassil: The growth of the Muslim population is bigger and we're dealing with this fact which was forcibly created through harming our demographic situation and naturalization.
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16 May 2013, 17:10
Bassil: Prior to 2005, there was not a single Christian bloc, and the first time a Christian bloc was formed was in 2005 and it comprised 21 MPs and in 2009 it grew to 27 MPs.
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16 May 2013, 17:08
Bassil: The Christian situation was supposed to improve after toppling the Syrian hegemony, but the improvement was slow and the major shock did not happen.
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16 May 2013, 17:08
Caretaker Energy and Water Minister Jebran Bassil at a press conference on the electoral law: Twenty-four years after the Taef Accord's catastrophe, we had the chance to improve its implementation before it turns into several catastrophes, but today the Taef Accord has fallen and so did the political system created by Taef.
16 May 2013, 17:17
216
Le charlatan est au micro..... Il est grand temps qu'il se barre et qu'on saisise ses millions pour les réinjecter dans le budget de l'Etat.
16 May 2013, 18:23
28
Time to move to one person one vote and where all votes are equal. I am sick and tired of charlatons playing on the fear of people to impose a undemocratic and unequal system on us.
16 May 2013, 19:20
46
guys
try to keep the rhetoric down until tomorrow.
it looks like hizbushaitan and fpm are preparing for a new may 7 but on a larger scale this time.
they are desperate and cornered. all their schemes have been shown to all in the open, and expect what adwan is going to divulge soon if they try to increase their rhetoric.
we are at a crucial time, thus I urge all to keep the rhetoric down. they already lost and this is the first nail in their coffin.
the second one will be the day they will not be able t achieve the power division by 3.
16 May 2013, 20:15
29
What is shameful is fighting so hard for Christian unity by proposing the most divisive, sectarian, undemocratic electoral law in Lebanon's history.
I wish they fought this hard for Lebanese unity.
May a secular, liberal force emerge in Lebanon soon...
16 May 2013, 20:25
16
the shame lies in having all these discussions knowing fully well that the President was going to veto it.
16 May 2013, 17:24
110
I think people care more about getting some electricity right now so what about your promises of Electricity and your bright slogan "Lebanon On" ya amour entah...
16 May 2013, 17:25
113
Bassil: The Christian situation was supposed to improve after toppling the Syrian hegemony, but the improvement was slow and the major shock did not happen.
Is this midget for real???? So, why are you brown-nosing to the very same regime you claim usurped Christian rights? Are you not an ally of the Syrian regime? Were you not in Damascus not so long ago meeting with Assad with a big smile on your baby face?
16 May 2013, 18:27
15
The Lebanese situation did not improve because the state does not have sole power to impose law and order and because many believe that the state cannot protect them - whether from external enemies or internal rivals. Either we build a state with strong institutions (and that include military) or we will continue to muddle from crisis to crisis at best.
16 May 2013, 17:34
111
Underlying message: There is no way that a Muslim can adequately serve the needs of a Christian.
As if we need more sectarianism in the country..
16 May 2013, 17:37
110
The Constitution also calls for the abolishing of sectarianism...so by in this regard the Orthodox Law is unconstitutional.
16 May 2013, 17:43
17
does M8 care about what is constitutional or not as long as they care only for their interests.....
16 May 2013, 17:45
15
The LF and Kataeb, both M14 forces, loved the proposal. This is not about M8/M14 divide, it is about the sectarian rhetoric inherent in our political culture.
16 May 2013, 17:50
15
how come any lebanese politician does NOT want to enforce the constitution or TAEF for M14 as it is also stipulated in taef the end of sectarianism? .... it only proves that they work for THEIR interests and not for lebanon...
for me i will not vote till these crooks are manipulating people as i am not a sheep to follow those warlords...
16 May 2013, 20:13
51
do you think M14 care about Lebanon or it's people
If they did where is the leader of Mustaqbal, when his people need him?
why did PM designate go to SA before his appointment?
Why did Walid beg go see PRINCE bANDAR
off course they care
they care about their seats and pockets on the back of naïve Lebanese people
16 May 2013, 17:39
14
Stability isn't obtained through the division of the people, or through the explicit rhetoric of mistrusting one that is not from your sect. Stability isn't obtained by introducing a law that forces politicians to represent only one segment of the population.
16 May 2013, 17:47
14
"proper representation at least for one time" why only one time? why not for all the elections? if only one time then it is just a tantrum from FPM babies...
why not work on a permanent law that would ensure political stability? or you are just here to create division and chaos to serve the interests of bashar?
16 May 2013, 17:48
19
Stability isn't about Christian unity. It is about Lebanese unity.
16 May 2013, 17:52
13
i was talking about lebanese unity too! as long as lebanese qualify themselves according to the sect they belong too then this country is doomed....
religion is a personal thing no need to display it but which lebanese will do that? very few.....
16 May 2013, 18:17
13
Agreed, and this law isn't helping changing that mindset. It only makes it worst when we should be trying to improve our mentalities.
16 May 2013, 17:58
211
I swear I will vote for a Lebanese Jew if he or she is honest and serves the citizens needs...performance and integrity should be before creed...our loyalty should be to our country Lebanon and not our clans and sects...
16 May 2013, 20:47
23
Allouch: even for a Lebanese Jew? Are they subhuman or something? I always appreciate your comments but this one is shocking.... ;-/
16 May 2013, 22:36
04
benzona, I did not mean that the Jews are sub-human at all, actually I am very pro-secularism and in support of protecting Jewish heritage in Lebanon...all I meant to say is that all Lebanese citizens are equal regardless of creed...I did not mean to give out that impression...
17 May 2013, 00:11
14
Eh, el hamdillah, you have me reassured. I must say I was a little bit dismayed.
Then, you and I share the same goal. It's good!
16 May 2013, 18:41
15
More Aounist comedians. Bassil?? He is crying now that someone other than the FPM has betrayed the Christians of Lebanon? This guy and his family who have allied with Hezbollah, the Persian entity, that has stoked sectarian hatred in Syria that threatens to engulf all others, especially the Christians; the FPM that made Hezbollah viable in Lebanon after the Syrian military withdrawal, one of these is saying that someone ELSE has betrayed Lebanon and her Christian minority??!
Only someone with the same mental capacity as Gebran Bassil would even give such statements passing consideration.
16 May 2013, 18:42
14
His real problem is that he can see the end of his days as Energy Minister and all of the money that he could have stolen from the prospective leasing of Lebanon's oil and gas fields. This is where the great loss iss, not to Lebanon, but to the Bassil bank accounts.
16 May 2013, 18:42
15
His real problem is that he can see the end of his days as Energy Minister and all of the money that he could have stolen from the prospective leasing of Lebanon's oil and gas fields. This is where the great loss is, not to Lebanon, but to the Bassil bank accounts.
16 May 2013, 18:45
15
@gcbi. You are totally correct with your very simple statement. "Stability is not about Christian unity, but Lebanese unity". No truer statment has ever been written here.
16 May 2013, 19:54
15
and to think -ft called basil a technocrat..
maybe he should worry about doing his 'caretaker' job instead as he seems distracted or is he just incompetent..
17 May 2013, 02:02
14
Mr. Thief in law, let me ask you a simple question. If as you say that this is a black day in Christian unity, what is it that you are doing in this press conference? Are trying to pick up the pieces and unite them or cause more divisions? A loser in his own Christian district, shoved down our throats by the force of arms, a front man used by HA to bring down the leader of the largest Sunni block while on an official visit to America, couldn't you wait until the prime minister returned and at least honored the post that Saad represents. You are nothing but a sore excuse of a human being.
17 May 2013, 06:01
12
That is BS. There are Sunni, Shia and Druze that are elected by the votes of Christians and vica versa. The reason we see unbalance now is that the christian community is 37 percent of the population of lebanon. Numbers are brutally honest so for God sake either we cancel this stupid sectarianism so we can have real parties with real agendas or for God sake go make love to your wife and have children.
17 May 2013, 17:09
01
"The date of May 15, 2013 will remain a black stain in history and it resembles the year 1989 and people will realize that our choice is the right one."
what an arrogant child with a complex of superiority... as if their proposal was a historic proposal that would have changed the face of lebanon, nothing less! LOL...
and this typical FPM propaganda to refer to the civil war to attack their opponents... in the mind of his sheep they will think that they are allowed now to make war on the LF...
is this war they want? how can he compare a political event with battles of war from the past? isn t he crazy? comparing two different things is just a populist move always used by FPM to mark the minds of their sheep... let alone the use of syllogisms which aoun loves!
seems they are preparing their sheep for civil war....
17 May 2013, 17:13
01
"“Twenty-four years after the Taef Accord's catastrophe, we had the chance to improve its implementation before it turns into several catastrophes, but today the Taef Accord has fallen and so did the political system created by Taef,”"
the taef accord planned the end of sectarianism in politics.... and your law yes proves that you want to do the contrary than the spirit of taef... you are the one who wants it dead.
17 May 2013, 20:00
00
FT let me give it to you straight, Syria's Assad killed more Palastians than the Isralies while presumably fighting to librate Palastine, and Aoun wraght more distruction, death and divisions to the Christian community than any foe ever did, while presumably fighting for Christian rights. The FM today are a rag tag combination of losers gathered from pro Ba'ath supporters, pro SNP supporters, Syrian supports, thieves, cowards, and brainwashed idiots. And you my friend are a prime example of the latter.
