Environment Minister Denies Suleiman Seeking to Extend his Mandate
Caretaker Environment Minister Nazem el-Khoury denied on Monday that President Michel Suleiman discussed his term extension with caretaker Health Minister Ali Hassan Khalil.
Khoury, who is close to Suleiman, told An Nahar newspaper that Tawhid Movement leader Wiam Wahhab's statements that the president's speech on the occasion of the Army Day came after Khalil informed him that the March 8 alliance rejects extending his mandate.
The official urged Khalil, who is Speaker Nabih Berri's adviser, to clarify the issue and deny Wahhab's statements.
Suleiman's six-year term expires in May 2014.
“If he (Suleiman) was seeking to extend his term he wouldn't have said his speech, which prioritized the national interest over his personal interest,” Khoury told the newspaper.
He stressed that Suleiman has continuously announced that he has no intention of extending his mandate.
In a ceremony marking the 68th anniversary of the army’s founding on Thursday, President Michel Suleiman criticized Hizbullah without naming it, saying it was time for the Lebanese state and the army to be the sole decision-makers on the use of the nation's capabilities
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