Report: Mustaqbal Avoids Meeting FPM to Decide Fate of Roukoz
Al-Mustaqbal Movement reportedly dispatched a common acquaintance to inform the Free Patriotic Movement that there is no need for a meeting to discuss the fate of Commando Regiment chief Brig. Gen. Chamel Roukoz.
According to al-Joumhouria newspaper published on Wednesday, Nader Hariri, the adviser of Mustaqbal Movement leader Saad Hariri, left Lebanon a day earlier without holding a meeting with Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil, FPM chief Michel Aoun's son-in-law.
Media speculations said that Nader Hariri was expected to meet with Bassil to discuss the possibility of appointing Roukoz, Aoun's son-in-law, as army chief.
The deal was expected to resolve the presidential crisis as Aoun would have to give up on his presidential aspirations.
The package will include the appointment of head of the Internal Security Force's Information Branch Imad Othman as ISF chief.
Al-Joumhouria newspaper said that al-Mustaqbal didn't settle its final decision over the deal.
The common friend informed the FPM that “no new developments that could change the course of the events have happened.”
The FPM chief has previously rejected any attempts to extend the terms of high-ranking security officials.
In February, Aoun had withdrawn confidence from Defense Minister Samir Moqbel over the extension of the term of the head of the Higher Defense Council, Maj.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 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 ISF as chief Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Basbous is set to retire in June.
H.K.
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