Jumblat backs extension of army chief term amid developments

Former Progressive Socialisty Party leader Walid Jumblat has warned that Lebanon might be “dragged into a war that might be harsher than the 2006 war.”

“That’s why rapprochement is required,” Jumblat said, in an interview with the PSP’s al-Anbaa news portal.

Moreover, Jumblat said that he agreed with the political figures whom he has met with over “how to take some domestic measures, such as repairing the government, some appointments, the Higher Relief Council, the Red Cross and other key practical measures, in order to support the citizen and confront the worse.”

Jumblat also said that he is in favor of extending the term of Army Commander General Joseph Aoun, “even if three months remain” of his current term.

“No one knows how much this crisis will protract, and of course a military council should also be appointed,” Jumblat added.

He also noted that he fears for the Rafik Hariri International Airport and the Middle East Airlines, revealing that he was one of those who “advised (MEA chairman) Mohammad al-Hout to take the appropriate measures.”