Berri Frustrated by Suleiman's Snub of Mansour during Hollande, Fabius Visit
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Speaker Nabih Berri has expressed frustration at the failure of Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour to welcome his French counterpart during a visit to Beirut last week, sources close to the speaker said Friday.
Mansour's absence from the welcoming ceremony of French President Francois Hollande and Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius last Sunday is not right at the level of protocol, the sources told al-Akhbar newspaper.
President Michel Suleiman has the right to hold closed-door talks with his French counterpart but Mansour should have welcomed Fabius in conformity with the protocol, the sources said.
Hollande made a three-hour visit to Beirut along with Fabius on Sunday.
No ceremony was held at the Beirut airport upon their arrival. Deputy PM Samir Moqbel accompanied them to Baabda palace where Suleiman held a red carpet ceremony for his counterpart.
During his short visit to Lebanon, Hollande held talks only with Suleiman and did not meet any other Lebanese official.
09 November 2012, 09:47
27
Very very very proud.where are the old days where the president was the actual referee? Those days should come back.its the only way to salvage Lebanon
09 November 2012, 09:58
213
Best president i have witnessed so Far, Far better the Lahoud and Hrawi. Amazing guy with sense of arbitrage.
09 November 2012, 09:59
19
if Obama can win re-election, then we can get rid of thieves like berri, terrorists like hasan nasrallah, feudal lords like walid jumblat, and claoun like that idiot general
09 November 2012, 10:22
07
why to attend?? i have never seen him open his mouth......!!! surely not in french...
09 November 2012, 10:35
09
Oh come on. Mansour was probably too busy in a "meeting" with the Syrian ambassador at that time. It seems like every time you hear about Mansour, he was either in a meeting or going to meet the syrian ambassador.
09 November 2012, 10:52
110
Mansour is syrian lapdog anyway--not really lebanese.
and on an unrelated note, why is berri always pointing in all of his pictures--seems a bit tense imo.
09 November 2012, 11:47
07
Mansour was busy polishing the syrian ambassador shoes and couldn't be there in time.. what a retard...
09 November 2012, 14:14
04
His absence is surely not in conformity with known protocols but Mr Mansour should respect President Suleiman and PM Mikati's policies.
He failed to forward president's complaint to the Syrians on time so he has been breaching the protocols himself.
09 November 2012, 20:23
00
I am not exaggerating if I say that Lebanon was a heaven when the Christians president had all the power of a leader not like now. The Christians are a source of stability in Lebanon. They did have their own faults and some were corrupt but they were much better at uniting all the Lebanese society under one ruler and country. I think the powers of the president should be restored in order to have the Lebanon we aim for.
