Report: Qahwaji's Term Likely to Be Extended for One Year
The decision to refer Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji to retirement will likely be postponed, reported the daily An Nahar on Sunday.
It said that his term will be extended for a year in order to appease all political powers given that some forces, mainly the Free Patriotic Movement of MP Michel Aoun, have opposed the extension.
The decision to extend his tenure will likely be announced during a meeting for the Higher Defense Council on Monday, said Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) Sunday.
The extension also includes Chief of Staff Walid Salman.
The Council is scheduled to convene on Monday under President Michel Suleiman.
Caretaker Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn had proposed that Qahwaji's term be extended until an agreement is reached on his successor, but further consultations with the concerned authorities agreed that the extension should last a year.
Aoun vowed on Friday to challenge before the Constitutional Council the extension of Qahwaji's term, saying that it as “illegal and harms army ranks.”
The extension of Qahwaji's term which ends this September when he turns 60 – the maximum age for the post of the army commander – had created a disputed among the political foes.
Political leaders that support the extension of Qahwaji's mandate argue that the security situation in the country can't endure any vacancy in military posts.
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