Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah's defiant speech has torpedoed the French initiative aimed at bringing Lebanon's feuding leaders to agree on the election of a new president and avoid a power vacuum that could plunge the country into further chaos. The daily An Nahar, which labeled Nasrallah's speech "stormy," said Monday that his remarks not only surprised the ruling March 14 team, but also many leaders within the opposition itself, on top of them Speaker Nabih Berri.It said contacts and consultations held overnight among the various political parties covered the "focal point" in Nasrallah's speech regarding his appeal to President Emile Lahoud. Nasrallah on Sunday urged Lahoud to adopt a "national rescue initiative" to prevent a power vacuum in the event that a new head of state was not elected. An Nahar, citing opposition sources, said this proposal - which Nasrallah did not give details over its nature - had been coordinated among a number of opposition factions a long time ago.
The sources did not rule out the possibility that this "proposal" could be under "actual preparation" since several meetings had taken place between Lahoud and Hezbollah's Loyalty to the Resistance parliamentary bloc which likely had witnessed "coordination of roles in preparing for this crucial moment."
| Prominent March 14 sources said Nasrallah's speech is a "declaration of war, instigates a coup and opens fire on everybody, including Speaker Berri." |