Aoun to Deliver Speech on Friday, Tackle Recent Developments
Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun is expected to deliver a speech on Friday to underline the recent developments locally.
Aoun's speech will be made during an event at Hotel Hilton al-Habtoor - Sin El Fil, al-Joumhuria newspaper reported.
Hizbullah reportedly urged its ministers and lawmakers to remain mum and not comment on Aoun's stances.
Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah is expected to meet soon with Aoun.
On Tuesday, Aoun accused after the weekly meeting of the Change and Reform parliamentary bloc rival parties of seeking to “empty” the Christian posts in the presidency and the army command, as he stressed that the FPM will not tolerate any attempt at extending the terms of security chiefs.
The two allies are expected to focus in their talks on the controversial extension of top security officers' terms, which is completely rejected by the FPM.
In February, Aoun had withdrawn confidence from Defense Minister Samir Moqbel over the extension of the term of the head of the Higher Defense Council, Maj. Gen. Mohammed Khair.
The FPM described Moqbel's extension decision as “illegal,” arguing that the defense minister's jurisdiction states that he can extend the terms under the authority of a president.
Media reports had said that Aoun's main objective is to receive political consensus on the appointment of his son-in-law Commando Regiment chief Brig. Gen. Chamel Roukoz as army chief as part of a package for the appointment of other top security officers.
Roukoz's tenure ends in October while the term of army commander Gen. Jean Qahwaji expires at the end of September.
Despite the reports about his insistence to have his son-in-law as army chief, Aoun denied that he had made such a proposal.
The military posts in Lebanon are suffering as the result of the months-long presidential vacuum in light of the parliament's failure to elect a successor for Michel Suleiman whose tenure ended in May last year. The vacuum also threatens the Internal Security Forces as chief Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Basbous is set to retire in June.
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