DHTML Menu / JavaScript Menu Powered by Milonic
Already a member? Sign In

Village Journals help
Resonate your identity with Naseeb journals. Express your opinions, share your thoughts, post your writings and connect with like minded people through the power of expression.

Berri Postpones Presidential Vote Session till Nov. 30


Hanan Awarekeh

A parliament session on Friday for Lebanese lawmakers to elect a new head of state before a midnight deadline has been postponed for a week amid continuing deadlock between rival factions. "The session has been postponed until next Friday, November 30, to allow for more discussions and in order to reach an agreement," spokesman Mohamad Ballout said, reading a statement from parliament speaker Nabih Berri's office. Four previous sessions in the last two months to pick a successor to Lahoud had already been called off despite foreign envoys scrambling to Beirut to get the rival sides to agree before the midnight deadline.

Speaker Berri held separate meetings on Friday in his parliament office with MP Saad Hariri, presidential hopeful MP Butros Harb and MP Walid Jumblatt. Parliament had been scheduled to convene at 1:00 pm (1100 GMT) to pick a successor to President Emile Lahoud, whose term ends at midnight.
 

Add Comments

 
Add
 

  Comments on this journal

Login to find out (November 23, 2007 at 3:32pm)
President Lahoud has vowed not to hand over power to Saniora?s unconstitutional government. Possible scenarios include Lahoud handing over power to the military chiefs, creating a rival government to hand power to, or even declaring a state of emergency. On Thursday, Lahoud said that barring a consensus on his successor, he would accomplish his duties so as to have a clear conscience. He did not elaborate. Some Lebanese officials believe that the current crisis over the presidency will be resolved only after next week's US-hosted Middle East conference scheduled for November 27 in Annapolis.
 
Login to find out (November 23, 2007 at 3:32pm)
In response to LF?s statement, MP Hussein Haj Hassan, a member in the Loyalty to the resistance parliamentary bloc, reminded Kayrouz of Lebanon?s history and who has resisted the Israeli occupation and who has collaborated with the enemy, in a reference to Lebanese Forces? collaboration with the Israeli occupation forces during the invasion in 1982. Haj Hassan added that the resistance, headed by Hezbollah, and along with the Lebanese army have liberated the country from the Israeli occupation. He also said that the Lebanese Forces alone is against consensus. ?It seems that the LF has decided to counter the consensus. Instead of seeking for an understanding like the one made by Hezbollah and Free Patriotic Movement, the LF is calling for ending this understanding and alliance?Is it the new formula for it?? MP Haj Hassan added.
 
Login to find out (November 23, 2007 at 3:31pm)
Since the morning on Friday, Lebanese MPs started to arrive at the Parliament. The MPs of the Lebanese national opposition remain at Parliament building, but outside the general assembly hall. The ruling bloc had called on all MPs to attend Friday's session but the opposition said it would boycott the vote and warned against any attempt to elect a president without a two-thirds quorum.

After the postponement of the session, Jumblatt said, ?We attended today?s session to stress on our commitment to consensus and to our constitutional right to elect a president without breaching consensus. We want a president to safeguard the nation?s independence, sovereignty and the Taif.?

MP Elie Kayrouz read a statement on behalf of the Lebanese Forces (LF) in which he said, ?Our presence today is to assure our constitutional right to elect a president and we call on Aoun and his bloc and all Christian MPs to attend now so that we could go ahead with the presidential elections.? Kayrouz urged General Aoun to end his alliance with Hezbollah who represents a threat on Lebanon?s form and entity.