Bassil Rejects 'March 14's Second Mountain War', Proposes Electing Short-Term Parliament

Caretaker Energy Minister Jebran Bassil slammed on Thursday the distribution of electoral districts in the hybrid draft law proposed by the March 14 coalition, calling it a “second Mountain War.”

"The proposal submitted by the Lebanese Forces and al-Mustaqbal blocs is a political Mountain War if we examine the divisions of the electoral districts they suggested,” Bassil stated in a press conference he held at his residence in al-Metn's Rabieh's neighborhood.

His comments referred to the 1982-1983 war in Mount Lebanon when a large number of Christians fled their villages and sought refuge in other Lebanese regions.

LF leader Samir Geagea announced on Wednesday that his party will vote for the hybrid draft electoral law proposed by al-Mustaqbal, the LF and the Progressive Socialist Party in any plenary parliamentary session, adding that he became convinced that the Orthodox Gathering's proposal "has no hope to pass."

Geagea explained his decision, saying that the the Orthodox draft “would be a leap into the unknown and that it would pose a threat to the Lebanese formula, although it would lead to the election of 64 MPs by Christians.”

He stressed: “How can we lose a country for the sake of winning 64 MPs?”

Bassil responded to Geagea's comments: “Lebanon is useless if equal power-sharing is not guaranteed.”

He elaborated: “(Marada Movement leader MP) Suleiman Franjieh was sure from the beginning that the LF will not go with the Orthodox Gathering's draft electoral law to the end.”

"But we are still committed to it and we urge MPs to vote for the proposal.”

The caretaker minister called on the lawmakers to vote on an electoral law at the parliament.

"Extending the parliament’s term for an additional two years is not acceptable,” he stressed. “President Michel Suleiman's experience in the past few years was not encouraging to extend his term.”

Bassil noted: “Any short-term extension must be accompanied with canceling the 1960's electoral law and adopting a new one.”

"Why don't we elect a parliament for a short-term, for one or two years, based on the 1960's law?” Bassil proposed. “This would show that we did not agree to fully adopt this law.”

Commenting on Hizbullah's participation in Syria's war, Bassil said: “Although we do not approve of this, but we can say that Hizbullah has transferred the battle to Syria whereas (Imam of Bilal bin Rabah mosque Sheikh Ahmed) al-Asir and his allies have moved it to Lebanon.”

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights revealed on Thursday that 104 Hizbullah members had been killed in Syria since last autumn, but a party spokesman denied the figures.

"There have been 57 killed and 18 others who have died of their wounds since the start of its participation in the war in Syria," the source close to Hizbullah told Agence France Presse.

Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said 104 Hizbullah fighters had been killed in all in fighting in central Homs province, which borders Lebanon, and around a revered Shiite pilgrimage site just south of Damascus.