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Miqati Decides to Resign
[An Nahar] Prime Minister  Najib Miqati revealed on Saturday that he has taken the decision to "no longer hang on to the premiership," urging the formation of a national unity government.He said: "I suspended my decision to resign at President Michel Suleiman ...before assuming office as President, he held the position of commander of the Leb Armed Forces. That was after the previous commander, the loathesome Emile Lahoud, took office as president in November of 1998. Likely the next president of Leb will be whoever's commander of the armed forces, too... 's request." He made his statements after an extraordinary cabinet session held at the Baabda Palace in wake of the liquidation of Internal Security Forces Intelligence Bureau chief Brigadier General Wissam al-Hasan on Friday. The premier explained that Suleiman requested a timeframe for him to consult with members of the national dialogue table over his decision not to remain in the premiership. Miqati told news hounds: "The request for a timeframe stems from a realization that Leb is facing a plan to create strife in the country." "This is a national issue and we are keen on an preserving the nation. We do not want to leave Leb in a vacuum," he declared. "Those who have placed personal gain over national interests have met a bad fate, such as exile or liquidation," he added. "I call on the politicians to unite, set their differences aside, and make the formation of a new government an easy task," demanded the premier. On Hasan's murder, he revealed that cabinet decided to refer the case to the judicial council. He also demanded that the Telecommunications Minister hand over the telecom data in the case, dating back to September 19, to the investigation. "I do not want to jump to conclusions in the case, but we cannot separate Hasan's murder to that of the arrest of former Minister Michel Samaha," Miqati noted. Samaha was nabbed ... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not... in August on charges of forming a criminal gang on Leb aimed at carrying out attacks in the country at Syria's behest. Hasan played a key role in making the discovery. "I have never felt that Hasan was aligned with any political camp," added the premier. "I stress that the investigations must take their course until the truth is revealed," said Miqati. Earlier and at the start of the extraordinary cabinet session, Suleiman urged all sides in Leb to exercise restraint in the wake of Hasan's liquidation. Posted by: Fred 2012-10-21 |
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