Shabtini: No President before Iran-U.S. Deal, Hizbullah Clinging to Arms for Self-Defense
Minister of the Displaced Alice Shabtini has noted that Lebanon will not have a president before Iran and the United States reach a final nuclear agreement, as she pointed out that Hizbullah is “clinging to its arms because it is defending itself.”
“There is no possibility to elect a president before an agreement is reached between Iran and the U.S.,” Shabtini, who is one of three ministers loyal to ex-president Michel Suleiman, said.
“Iran is obstructing the presidential vote because it wants the election of a president who approves of its policies so that he does not disarm Hizbullah,” the minister added in excerpts of an interview with al-Liwaa newspaper that will be published in full Monday.
Shabtini said Free Patriotic Movement leader MP “Michel Aoun is backing Hizbullah because they both belong to minorities,” noting that “Hizbullah is resisting Daesh (Islamic State) more than it is resisting Israel.”
“Hizbullah, the Shiites and the Syrian regime are fighting a battle to defend their existence and Hizbullah is clinging to its arms because it is defending itself,” the minister went on to say.
“It is okay for Hizbullah to have its weapons, as it has not used them domestically, and how would we defend Lebanon if both the army and the resistance do not have weapons?” Shabtini asked.
Commenting on the security plan that got underway in a number of Lebanese regions, the minister said: “If Hizbullah approves of the security plan, it will be implemented in Dahiyeh, since it is stronger than the state and the army.”
As for the mechanism of cabinet's work in the absence of a president, Shabtini noted that “ever since the government was formed, we have agreed that decisions must be taken through consensus.”
“But this does not mean unanimity,” she clarified.
“The vetoes of certain ministers would be accepted if there are serious reasons, not personal motives and political disputes,” Shabtini added.
Lebanon has been without a head state since May 2014 when the term of Michel Suleiman ended without the election of his successor. Ongoing disputes between the rival March 8 and 14 camps have torpedoed the elections.
Differences between the ministers over the cabinet's mechanism prompted Prime Minister Tammam Salam to suspend sessions in the past two weeks giving way for the cabinet members to reach an agreement on the formula.
The sessions resumed on Thursday.
Y.R.
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