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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| All options are open in Lebanon - Hezbollah source |
| 2011-01-15 |
| [Asharq al-Aswat] The March 8 Alliance has said that it will announce the name of its candidate to lead the new government of Leb on Monday, after it brought about the collapse of the Lebanese government. The figure that the March 8 Alliance chooses as its prime ministerial candidate will be a strong indication of the course of things to come in Leb, for if this political coalition chooses a candidate other than caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri this will be akin to announcing its intention for escalation and opposition, whilst if it announces that it accepts Hariri as prime minister, it will have extended a hand to the other side with regards to the formation of a new government. A parliamentary source within Hezbullies confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that "all options are open and the scenarios have been closely studied" however he also stressed that "the plan that the March 8 Alliance began to implement when their ministers announced their resignation does not include resorting to the street." The source also told Asharq Al-Awsat that "our withdrawal from the government is a constructional right, as are all the steps that we will take in the forthcoming stage. The time of procrastination and delay is over; we have entered the time of change. We will not accept the formation of any government that we are not 100 percent certain will be able to make national achievements, whether this is a government of one colour or it is made up of all parties." MP Ibrahim Kannan of the Change and Reform bloc told Asharq Al-Awsat that "the opposition has not resolved its choice with regards to its candidate for the position of prime minister of the new government" although he did reveal that the general trend within the opposition does not point to Hariri being renamed as Prime Minister "because Hariri was previously chosen and we reached a dead-end with him, and as a result of this we must look for other options." Kannan also revealed that "there will only be one opposition [prime ministerial] candidate" adding that "things will take shape in this regard over the coming hours." He also stressed to Asharq Al-Awsat that "the path that we have taken and continue to take in the coming days is a completely democratic and constitutional one, we tried to spare Leb the [political] polarization that it is currently witnessing by reaching a settlement with the other party, but it refused this, and therefore it is our duty to follow a different path, and what is most important is that this is a democratic one." As for the makeup of any new government, Kannan told Asharq Al-Awsat that "the look of the government does not specify its effectiveness. On Monday we will be heading to parliamentary consultation [in this regard], and after this we will decide the features of the new government." However the March 14 Those are the good guys, insofar as Leb has good guys... Alliance has stressed that there is no alternative to Saad Hariri for the post of prime minister, and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Michel Pharon informed Asharq Al-Awsat that "anybody seeking to prevent Saad Hariri from returning to the position of prime minister is only seeking sedition because they know perfectly well that Prime Minister Hariri is the sole leader with legitimacy with regards to having a majority and Sunni representation. He was the only one who we reached a consensus on with regards to his decisions...there is no alternative to him, and there is no Sunni figures that enjoys the same legitimacy." |
| Posted by:Fred |