Geagea Urges Suleiman, Salam to End Their 'Harmful, Unjustified' Wait
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Monday voiced dismay that President Michel Suleiman and Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam have not formed a new cabinet until the moment, revealing that he is not a candidate for the presidency – “for now.”
“I don't know what President Suleiman and PM-designate Salam are waiting for (concerning the formation of the cabinet), especially recently, since the stances of all parties have become well-known,” Geagea said during an interview on MTV.
“The hesitation of Suleiman and Salam has become harmful,” he added.
Asked whether their wait had to do with regional developments, Geagea said: “We cannot wait for the outcome of the rapprochement between the U.S. and Iran.”
“Even if the United States and Iran reach an agreement, what would that change in Lebanon? It will not change anything,” he noted.
“Suleiman is the country's president and Salam is the PM-designate ... and they must shoulder their responsibilities,” Geagea urged.
He called on Suleiman and Salam to “form the cabinet they want,” noting that the parties would decide later whether to grant it their vote of confidence or not.
“I believe that a neutral cabinet would win a vote of confidence,” added Geagea.
Asked about Hizbullah's response should Suleiman and Salam form a cabinet not enjoying its approval, Geagea said: “We must not always contemplate over Hizbullah's possible reaction before making any move, as that would bestow legitimacy on its behavior. The president has the constitutional right to form a cabinet.”
“Suleiman and Salam are giving so much importance to (Progressive Socialist Party chief MP Walid) Jumblat's stance and they must meet and decide what they want, and accordingly, Jumblat and others would build their stances,” Geagea pointed out.
He added: “We have agreed in the March 14 coalition to approach President Suleiman and PM-designate Salam with the aim of forming a cabinet as soon as possible, and if they don't respond, they would be impeding the democratic system.”
“In my opinion, which is not binding, a cabinet that can work at the moment is neither a March 8 cabinet nor a March 14 cabinet, but rather a neutral cabinet,” said Geagea.
Separately, the LF leader said that “extending the mandate of the president is an exception and this exception happened during the hegemony era.”
“President Suleiman has personally told me that he does not intend to extend his mandate ... On May 25, a new president must be in the Baabda Palace,” Geagea stressed.
“Every parliamentary bloc has the duty of going to the session of electing the president or else it would be committing high treason,” he added.
“For now, I don't consider myself to be a candidate for the presidency, but I might become a candidate at any certain time and I will not shy away if I find it necessary to be a candidate,” Geagea said.
Source: Naharnet
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