Opposition Coordinating Positions before Parliamentary Session, Might Boycott

The March 14-led opposition is seeking to unite its position before a parliamentary session aimed at raising questions to the cabinet on Wednesday as the rift widens over Lebanon’s position at the Arab League meeting on Syria.

The opposition clearly objects the fact that the parliamentary agenda didn’t include any inquiry over the cabinet’s stance at the Arab League meeting, opposition sources told An Nahar newspaper on Tuesday.

Lebanon’s stance at the Arab League foreign ministers meeting on Syria in Cairo created a heated debate locally and internationally, as 18 out of 22 voted to suspend Syria, over its failure to comply with an agreement to end the bloodshed that began mid-March.

Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen voted against the measure while Iraq abstained.

The sources stressed that the opposition might boycott the session because Speaker Nabih Berri didn’t include the issue on the agenda.

MP Marwan Hamadah said in comments to Voice of Lebanon radio station (93.3) that the opposition will not boycott the session.

“It will be an organized confrontational session,” Hamadah said.

However, Berri stressed that Wednesday’s parliamentary session will not go out of its context, noting that the MPs will have to abide by the agenda.

As Safir newspaper reported on Tuesday that Berri will hold on to the parliament’s bylaws to prevent any attempt by the MPs to raise questions about any issue outside the agenda.

The opposition members held a meeting on Monday at the Phalange party headquarters in Seifi to agree on its position at the parliamentary session.

The gatherers agreed that the speaker evaded the parliament’s bylaws by setting up the session agenda without going back to the parliament's bureau committee, sources told An Nahar daily.

They noted that approving a set of questions while ignoring others violates the constitution.

Cabinet sources ruled out the possibility of withdrawing the confidence from Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour during Wednesday’s parliamentary session.

The sources told al-Liwaa newspaper on Tuesday that the FM will be aboard which makes it difficult for the MPs to inquire the cabinet about its stance at the Arab League meeting.

Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc sources told the daily that “Lebanon’s stance at the League will create a heated debate,” noting that the opposition “is seeking to withdraw the confidence from Minister Mansour for acting as the Syrian regime envoy.”

However, a March 14-parliamentary source said in comments published in al-Liwaa that the MPs will not be able to withdraw their confidence during Wednesday’s session because the parliament’s bylaws oblige the MPs to follow a certain mechanism in order to debrief the cabinet and withdraw confidence from any minister.