Berri Hits Back at March 14, Wonders if he Committed a Parliamentary 'Crime'
Speaker Nabih Berri snapped back at accusations by the March 14 opposition alliance that he was seeking to push it into the “trap” of attending parliamentary sessions despite vows by the coalition to boycott legislative activity.
“What is the crime that Nabih Berri committed and what is the trap that he set for the opposition forces?” the speaker wondered in remarks carried by several local newspapers on Monday.
“Is it a crime to call for a general assembly session that represents all of Lebanon in a unifying image, and announce support to the Palestinians?” he asked.
Berri's remarks came a day after March 14 sources told An Nahar daily that the opposition figures are holding intense consultations to avoid “falling in the trap” set by the speaker after calling for a legislative session on Tuesday to hear a speech by the Armenian president.
The alliance boycotted all parliamentary activity following the Oct. 19 assassination of the Internal Security Forces Intelligence Bureau chief, Wissam al-Hasan, in a car bomb explosion in Beirut's Ashrafiyeh district after it blamed the government for the killing.
The invitation to Tuesday's session and plans for another session to show solidarity with the Palestinian people against the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip are seen as attempts by Berri to "corner" the opposition and end its boycott of the parliament, the sources said.
But March 14 MPs are planning to send a delegation to the Palestinian embassy instead and Armenian opposition lawmakers are seeking to set another location for a meeting with visiting President Serzh Sarkisian, the sources told An Nahar.
March 14 MP Marwan Hamadeh also hinted in remarks to Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) that the opposition will boycott Tuesday's session.
He said the boycott is not targeted at the Armenian president.
Berri criticized the opposition's accusations, saying the parliamentary session is not linked to the political crisis or differences on the government.
However, Deputy Speaker Farid Makari, who is a member of the March 14 alliance, hit back, saying “Berri has to choose, he was either right in 2008 or he is right in 2012.”
Makari was referring to Berri's rejection to invite the parliamant to convene in 2008 over differences with the coalition, bringing legislative activity to a standstill.
Makari also denied that separate meetings held between March 14 lawmakers and cabinet ministers contradicted the opposition's decision to boycott the government.
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