Hizbullah draws line on presidency

Source: Daily Star, 19-5-2007
BEIRUT: Hizbullah leaders have escalated their rhetoric by warning that the party will not recognize a president elected by a simple majority of Parliament. Hizbullah lambasted those who desire a president "appointed by the United States," while others in the opposition warned that if consensus is not reached, the country could end up with "two presidents and two governments."
Hizbullah number two Naim Qassem said any president elected without a two-thirds quorum of MPs will not be a president for all of Lebanon "but would be an impostor and we will call for him to stand trial for complicity in violating the Constitution."
In an interview with Kuwait`s Al-Rai newspaper to be published Saturday, Qassem said without an agreement between the country`s clashing political factions, "there would be no possibility for a presidential election." He said a president elected by a simple majority will not be recognized by Hizbullah, "even if the (UN) Security Council and the whole world recognize him."
Like Qassem, Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc leader MP Mohammed Raad placed the presidency at the center of debate. Raad said that to achieve stability and national reconciliation, the ruling majority has to accept the terms of national partnership and call early elections to create a new government.
Raad, speaking at an event to mark Liberation Day in the Southern town of Arab Saleem, said the ruling majority is in power today because the opposition voted to get them there, only to have them usurp that power and subjugate Lebanon`s interests to the US. He said it is not for the usurpers to decide the fate of Lebanon.
"If a president is not elected by the free will of the Lebanese, there will be no presidential election," he said. "We want to have a president who expresses their free will, their best interests and independence. We do not want a president hired by the US State Department."
Raad criticized US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Welch for claiming he is against foreign interference in Lebanon but outlining "specifications" for the next president: "In actuality he wants no one else but himself to interfere, as he will choose the next president."
Resigned Energy Minister Mohammed Fneish also said presidential elections cannot be held in Lebanon until the six-month-old political crisis is resolved. In an interview published Friday in the Al-Hayat daily, Fneish said a presidential election cannot happen as long as political divisions persist and as long as one group monopolizes power and gets its strength from external supporters.
"If there is no real consensus on partnership, on the political future of the country and on the identity of the president, the opposition will not allow this faction to rule," Fneish said.
Former Premier Omar Karami said that arriving at the date for the presidential election without a consensus would lead to the creation of "two presidents and two governments."
Karami was speaking before a delegation of students from the Beirut Arab University who visited his Tripoli home on Friday. He said those in authority should assume their responsibilities and establish a national unity government to "heal the rift and settle all major issues."
Karami described as "silliness" the 100-day truce called for by business and labor leaders: "How can we remain silent over the violations committed by this government and the erroneous and misleading utterances?" he asked.
One of the opposition`s leading potential presidential candidates, Change and Reform Bloc leader MP Michel Aoun, received an invitation Friday from Hizbullah to attend a conference on May 25 to mark the seventh anniversary of "Israel`s" withdrawal from most of South Lebanon.
Hizbullah MP Amin Cherri delivered the invitation to Aoun in person, after which Cherri said: "It is only natural for General Aoun to have a role on [Liberation Day], because the theme is sovereignty, freedom and independence, and it is natural for him to be with those who bear the emblem of liberation."
In an interview published in Ad-Diyar on Friday, Aoun criticized the Council of Maronite Bishops for stressing the need to respect constitutional norms in the upcoming elections. He said the bishops should have tackled all the constitutional clauses that were "side-stepped" before focusing on the issue of the parliamentary quorum to elect a new president.
Aoun said the Lebanese should decide what they want, but "it is not their task to be in conflict with Syria or Iran," adding that Lebanon`s enemy is "Israel" and Lebanon is not at war with any Arab or Muslim state.