Lebanon parliament delays vote for new president
Lebanon, Politics, 2/12/2008

A parliamentary vote to elect Lebanon's president has been delayed for a 14th time.

The speaker of the Lebanese parliament Nabih Berri said the vote was now scheduled for February 26.

Lebanon has been without a president since November 23 due to the opposition demand for veto power in the parliament.

The opposition demand requires an amendment to the Constitution to be made by the legislature.

Meanwhile, Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa has left Beirut after failing to mediate a solution to the crisis.

Moussa has been to Lebanon three times this year to promote a plan calling for the election of the Lebanese army chief, General Michel Suleiman, as president.

Rival Lebanese factions have agreed in principle to elect General Suleiman, but have repeatedly disagreed over constitutional details and the make-up of the cabinet.

The deadlock over the president is Lebanon's worst political crisis since the country's long civil war ended in 1990.

Head of the Future Bloc in Parliament MP Saad Hariri urged the opposition to join hands with the majority forces in parliament to resolve Lebanon’s problems in line with the Taif Accord without foreign interference, and reiterated backing for an Arab League initiative which calls for the election of Army Commander General Michel Sleiman as President. He said the opposition has been adding conditions to the initiative, and they cannot be accepted.

In an interview with the Future News channel, Hariri said Lebanon has withstood three years of terrorism and killings since the assassination of Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, and is suffering from Iranian and Syrian attempts to control the country. On the occasion of the anniversary of the late Premier’s assassination, he called on the Lebanese to take part in a rally in downtown Beirut on February 14 to pay tribute to the Prime Minister’s legacy. He said the “silent majority” had resisted Syrian intelligence and succeeded in ousting Syrian troops from the country. He also made clear that any confrontation on February 14 will only serve Israel and the Syrian regime, and reiterated his conviction that the Syrian regime was behind the late Prime Minister’s assassination. Hariri said an international tribunal to put the suspects on trial will deliver justice and is about to be launched.

Asked about Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa’s latest bid to broker a deal in Beirut, MP Hariri said it was not a failure, but there are always attempts to spur despair among the Lebanese. He stressed that the opposition set surprising conditions that could not be accepted during the talks, adding it appears that the Syrian regime decided to block presidential elections. Head of the Future Bloc urged the Lebanese to resolve their own problems, and pointed out that when Syria opposed the last legislative elections, an agreement between the March 14 forces, Hizbollah and Amal allowed the ballot to take place. He also voiced opposition to a Syrian-Iranian axis that is paralyzing Lebanon and reiterated opposition to any foreign interference, whether it US, French, Arab or any other, and made clear that the Syrian regime only cares about its own interests regardless of those of the opposition.

In the interview, MP Hariri also paid tribute to Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir, praising him a symbol of unity and regretted a campaign that has been targeting the head of the Maronite Church.

The Lebanese Daily Star reported today that "Speaker Nabih Berri expressed disappointment at the loss of a "golden opportunity" to elect a consensus president on Monday, accusing parliamentary majority leader MP Saad Hariri of refusing a 10+10+10 distribution of (ministerial) seats posts in a new Cabinet after initially proposing it during a meeting with rival leaders." The distribution of seats would be divided equally between the majority, the opposition, and the president.

Previous Stories:
  Lebanon to elect president on February 11   (1/22/2008)
  Prejudice of Lebanese Christians, and choosing a president   (1/22/2008)
  Lebanese parliament fails to agree on a new president   (12/11/2007)
  Hariri and Michel Aoun overcome difference, talk of democratic state   (11/6/2007)
  New nominee for president of Lebanon   (10/30/2007)

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