...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...
proposed that Hizbullah not attend Wednesday's scheduled session so that the cabinet approves the funding of the Special Tribunal for Leb, al-Liwaa newspaper reported.
The daily said on Monday that Suleiman is exerting efforts to resolve the crisis that is threatening to collapse the cabinet.
Prime Minister
Najib Miqati had warned to resign if the funding of the STL wasn't approved by the cabinet; however, Hizbullah leader His Eminence Sayyed Hassan NasrallahThe satrap of the Medes and the Persians in Leb...
has openly opposed Leb paying its annual share.
Sources told the newspaper that the President held a meeting behind closed doors with Health Minister Ali Hassan Khalil, who is Speaker Nabih
KnobbyBerri's
Speaker of the Lebanese parliament, a member of AMAL, a not very subtle Hizbullah sock puppet...
top aide.
Suleiman discussed with Khalil the possibility of holding Wednesday's cabinet session without the attendance of Hizbullah ministers, where the funding of the STL would be approved without causing embarrassment to any party.
Leb is responsible for meeting 49 percent of the costs of the STL, which has charged four Hizbullah members in the February 14, 2005 liquidation of ex-Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and 21 others.
Suleiman suggests that this solution will safeguard Leb, as it confirms Leb's commitment to the international resolutions, according to al-Liwaa.
However,
you can observe a lot just by watching...
Hizbullah refused the president's proposal, stressing that its ministers will attend all the cabinet's sessions.
The cabinet is expected to witness a heated debate on Wednesday as the funding of the STL has deepened the rift between the cabinet members.
Hizbullah and its allies in the cabinet, the Free Patriotic Movement
Despite its name a Christian party allied with Hizbullah, neither free nor particularly patriotic...
and AMAL, refuse to fund the STL, while Miqati and his allies stress on the importance of committing to paying Leb's dues.