Berri Maintains Contacts with March 14 Forces, Does Not Oppose Formation of New Govt.

Speaker Nabih Berri has maintained his contacts with members of the March 14 camp despite the dispute with its rival March 8 camp, reported As Safir newspaper on Tuesday.

It noted that the speaker received on Saturday a telephone call from former Primer Minister Saad Hariri on the occasion of Eid al-Adha during which the two officials discussed the latest developments in Lebanon.

Berri had urged the former premier to ease his political rhetoric during the tense time in Lebanon, especially in light of the dispute that had erupted between him and Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat last week.

Differences emerged between the two officials when Hariri had asked Jumblat to urge his ministers in cabinet to resign in protest against the assassination of Internal Security Forces Intelligence Bureau head Brigadier General Wissam al-Hasan.

Jumblat had rejected the request, saying that he is not willing to plunge the country into a power vacuum should the cabinet be overthrown.

The March 14 camp is demanding the resignation of the government, which is formed of pro-Syria forces, in light of Hasan's murder, which it blamed Syria for.

Berri noted to As Safir that he “does not mind the formation of a national unity government on condition that an agreement over its formation be reached” before the resignation of the current one.

“Should an agreement fail to be reached, then the current cabinet will remain in power,” he said while warning of a power vacuum in Lebanon.

“No one can deny that given the current situation in Lebanon, the formation of a national unity government that brings together all Lebanese powers is the best choice and paves the way for holding the parliamentary elections in 2013,” he added.

“Talk of a neutral government is not realistic because there is no such thing as neutrality in Lebanon,” Berri remarked.

“Such a government cannot tackle the extraordinary circumstances the country is going through,” he stated.

“If the March 14 camp is so insistent on toppling the government, then it should urge me to call parliament to session, where it could could subject it to a no confidence vote,” he explained.

It should not be boycotting parliament, he said.