Geagea Praises Suleiman, Miqati Efforts to Resolve Electoral Dispute

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea expressed relief on Monday over the efforts exerted by President Michel Suleiman and Prime Minister Najib Miqati to reach common ground among the rival March 14 and 8 alliances on the electoral law.

He revealed in comments published in An Nahar newspaper that Suleiman and Miqati called Speaker Nabih Berri and al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc leader MP Fouad Saniora, hoping that the efforts to resolve the dispute would be achieved.

Geagea grieved the electoral draft-law proposed by the government, which is based on proportional representation and divides Lebanon to 13 districts, and the 1960 law based on the winner-takes-all system.

“We will not return to them,” the Christian leader said.

The rival parties are yet to agree on an electoral law after the adoption of the so-called Orthodox Gathering draft-law by the joint parliamentary committees created a sharp debate between the opposition and rival coalitions.

The polls are likely to be postponed if the parliament gives the green light to the proposal that divides Lebanon into a single district and allows each sect to vote for its own MPs under a proportional representation system.

But the proposal has been rejected by al-Mustaqbal bloc, the centrist National Struggle Front of MP Walid Jumblat, and March 14 opposition’s Christian independent MPs. It has been also criticized by Suleiman and Miqati.

Concerning reports on Hizbullah's intervention in the neighboring country Syria, Geagea expressed deep concern over the matter.

“Hizbullah should abide by the Baabda declaration. But If things remain the same … then the Lebanese will pay the price once again,” he warned.

He called on the government to take swiftly all the necessary measures to halt any military interference in the Syrian war whether by Hizbullah or any other side.

Reports emerged to the surface last week that Hizbullah fighters are engaged in battles in villages near the Lebanese-Syrian border.

Lebanese parties are sharply divided over the crisis in Syria as the March 8 alliance continuously expresses its support to Syrian President Bashar Assad, while the March 14 camp voices its support for the popular revolt.

The international community and analysts have expressed fears that the conflict in Syria may spill over into the Lebanon.

Asked about the controversial telecom data, Geagea said that preventing the security agencies from obtaining the telecom data serves criminals, describing it as a “huge scandal.”

Last week, the cabinet backed the premier's demand that he be allowed to approve or reject requests for data by the ISF, thus ending a long-running dispute with Telecommunications Minister Nicolas Sehnaoui, who had refused to approve a proposal to extend a request that was granted last year to allow security forces access to technical data for the entire country.