Rifi: I Cannot Stay in a Hizbullah Controlled Government
In a telephone call with Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc chief Fouad Saniora, Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi reiterated more than once that his resignation from the cabinet was driven by his inability to carry on in a government “governed by the will of Hizbullah.”
“I can not tolerate this anymore. Things have reached their edge. Even our relations with Saudi Arabia are threatened now after we defied the Arab consensus,” As Safir daily quoted Rifi as saying.
“I can no longer be taken advantage of by Hizbullah. The cabinet is incapable of solving the waste crisis and has done nothing in the case of (former Minister) Michel Samaha and we are helpless and cannot even protect our relations with the Arabs. We have turned into a Hizbullah government,” added the Minister.
To that, Saniora told Rifi that he should have coordinated with the March 14 camp on his decision to resign. “We might have submitted a collective resignation,” he said, adding “your resignation came against the March 14 orientation.”
“I have urged everyone to resign and I hope that ministers of al-Mustaqbal and March 14 would do so. Let us leave the government standing instead of falling in the trash file,” said Rifi pointing that the cabinet has failed over four sessions to discuss the referral of the Samaha file to the Judicial council as per his request.
The Justice Minister stressed that the cabinet decisions have become controlled by Hizbullah. He stated: “We are being used by Hizbullah. I do not accept my presence in a cabinet that functions in Hizbullah's favor to be taken advantage of,” he noted stressing that he should have submitted his resignation long before, dubbing the discussions on the trash file at the cabinet as “shameful.”
Rifi submitted his resignation on Sunday in the wake of the release of Michel Samaha from jail who was released in January after being caught red-handed in 2012 while smuggling explosives from Syria to Lebanon to carry out attacks in the country.
He was sentenced in May 2015 to four-and-half years in prison, but in June, the Cassation Court nullified the verdict and ordered a retrial.
His release in early 2016 sparked uproar in the country with Rifi vowing to refer the case to the International Criminal Court after his demand to refer it to the Judicial Council was unheeded.
Saudi Arabia said on Friday that it has halted a $4 billion programs for military supplies to Lebanon in protest against Hizbullah's policies and recent diplomatic stances by the Lebanese foreign ministry.
The move brought widespread condemnation from the March 14 alliance against Hizbullah and the Free Patriotic Movement, whose leader is Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil.
D.A.
G.K.
22 February 2016, 09:52
1511
Any government that includes hezbollah and Aoun is an unproductive government. No government can be formed without Hezbollah and Aoun because they have weapons and they will destroy the country economically and militarily. Lebanon is doomed and no way out. Hezbollah wants a weak government and weak institutions because appearing as being part of the state is the cover they need.
The M14 leadership have failed in confronting Hezbollah at every level. They compromised and made concession after concession to please this terror alien body.
What is Ironic is the 2 M14 prominent leaders (Hariri and Geagea) nominated candidates that are owned and controlled by Hezbollah. It has become an insult for those 2 politicians to keep mentioning M14 because M14 is the real people and their vision and not those politicians.
22 February 2016, 10:44
159
You say it very well and very clear: the traitor of the story is the Caporal and his gang of corrupt traitors.
22 February 2016, 10:44
149
actually it is sad.... these politicians talk about hezbollah's hegemony over Lebanon and its government and as you mentioned yet they nominate Hezbollah candidates for president.
22 February 2016, 14:00
85
"Rifi may be an exception, although he has stuck in there for the last 10 years, so, not that honest!"
Rifi was the head of the ISF as recent as the Miqati government. He has been in politics for the last 2 years.
22 February 2016, 11:55
1318
An ISIS Nusra supporter does not belong in a Lebanese Government.
Yallah bye Rifi.
22 February 2016, 12:43
127
before you say your final goodbye, will you admit it is a martyred iranian jihadi terrorist family in your avatar?
22 February 2016, 13:02
126
Mastika... maybe... maybe one day you will say something clever and not spill your cheap propaganda! Rifi is a moderate... unlike you people!
22 February 2016, 20:46
02
The Iranian thug MYSTIC is back. You should go fighting killing women and children in Syrian maybe we will get finally rid of your Persian propaganda
23 February 2016, 03:26
02
He never declared he is a NUSRA supporter, hence he belongs. However any self declared Khamnei supporter does not belong in the Lebanese Government, so HA and its Ministers should immediately leave.
22 February 2016, 13:46
62
I think he is being too much of a populist and feeding into Hezbollah's ploy.
Look at what we lost now:
1- M14/Sunni solidarity. Nothing please the party of God more than this.
2- The blocking third. We already had Hennawi as a Hezbollah joker but at least on the face of it everyone had a third/half (however you look at it). Now the balance tips M8's way again.
3- The Tripoli street is back to being divided. Just as Hariri came to visit Tripoli and the street was starting to warm up again (we all saw the scenes on Friday). Tripoli, and the North at large, is at the heart of the threat facing Lebanon. Moderation must win in the North to wade off the threat of Islamic extremism.
4- Hariri's authority, which is much needed at this point to bring together his own street first, then March 14.
22 February 2016, 13:46
62
Rifi couldn't stand seeing Hariri back gaining ground in his own turf. It the Lebanese authority pandemic. They all yearn for it. And the truth, no matter how you spin it, is that Rifi got to where he is because of Hariri. Then he turned his back on Saad and defied him, in public.
It's easy for someone like Rifi to say these things, because he knows he can say them and not cause a civil war. But Hariri is in a tougher spot and can't do the same. If he did, Lebanon becomes Syria faster than you can say where did all these rockets come from...
Rifi was being populist and he knows it. He saw that after Hariri public chastised him, the street went his way not Saad's. So he took it to the next level.
It is a wasted opportunity, because I think on the wider scale, Senioura is right, he could have coordinated a move with the rest of March 14 and it would have been a game changer.
23 February 2016, 03:33
01
Harriri is spineless, he is not avoiding a Civil war by nominating Franjieh, he is delivering Lebanon to Bashar again. M14 had majority public support but poor leadership squandered it.
23 February 2016, 03:30
00
Elections have not taken place, nominations are bogus, Lebanon still does not have a President. Iran might have a Lebanese President for its Welayat Elfaqih, but not Lebanon - sadly. Your Aoun is soldd out to HA who is sold out to Khamenei.
23 February 2016, 03:37
01
And your HA gave them 100 of execuses already, thanks for the help.
