Report: Hizbullah, Amal Refusing to Give Airport Security Chief Post to a Christian
The cabinet has frozen a decision to appoint a new airport security chief for unknown reasons, pan-Arab daily al-Hayat said Monday, hinting that foreign parties prevented the nomination of a Christian Brig. Gen. from Koura to the post.
The newspaper said that Interior Minister Marwan Charbel handed Premier Najib Miqati a decree signed by Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn nominating the unidentified Brig. Gen. to the post of Rafik Hariri international airport security chief to replace Brig. Gen. Wafiq Shoqeir.
But several ministers held phone conversations with parties outside Lebanon and later held side talks which delayed a cabinet decision on the issue last week, al-Hayat hinted.
The decree now needs the signature of the president and the cabinet to become formal, it said, adding that Hizbullah and Amal ministers seem to insist on not changing the sect of the airport security chief.
Al-Hayat said the Lebanese should now adopt a wait-and-see approach to uncover whether the post would remain with the Shiite sect or be from the share of a Christian officer and mainly Orthodox after reports said that Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun had received a promise on the issue.
The assurances given to Aoun to offer the post to the Orthodox Brig. Gen. seem to be a compensation for dropping Aoun’s demand to return the leadership post of the General Security Department to Maronites.
Shiite Brig. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim was appointed to the post last week.
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