Report: Hizbullah Mediating with FPM to Prevent Division of Majority over Power Crisis
Hizbullah has mediated with the Free Patriotic Movement to prevent an escalation in the dispute over the electricity draft law proposed by FPM chief Michel Aoun, March 8 sources have told pan-Arab daily al-Hayat.
The dispute began when Aoun threatened to pull his ministers from the cabinet after opposition MPs and lawmakers allied with him rejected the draft law that allows Energy Minister Jebran Bassil, who is Aoun’s son-in-law, to spend $1.2 billion on building power plants without referring to the cabinet.
The sources told al-Hayat that Hizbullah ministers Mohammed Fneish and Hussein al-Hajj Hassan urged Bassil not to leave the last cabinet session which witnessed a debate on the electricity crisis.
During the session, Bassil insisted for the cabinet to approve Aoun’s proposal but several other ministers, including those representing Walid Jumblat, called for legal restraints in the spending of the $1.2 billion.
Labor Minister Charbel Nahhas, who like Bassil represents the FPM in the cabinet, urged the ministers to approve the project but Jumblat’s ministers Alaeddine Terro and Ghazi Aridi criticized him.
“This is not the first time that a disagreement between allied forces takes place,” Aridi insisted, according to al-Hayat’s sources.
“This is not something new in the political life. We all want to solve the electricity crisis,” he said.
At this stage, President Michel Suleiman intervened saying that although the cabinet was made up of a single team, Bassil should allow for some give-and-take.
The sources said that Hizbullah representatives met with Bassil on Friday and criticized him, saying his stance was creating a gap among the parliamentary majority forces.
over 12 years
This is some serious amount of fund and should not be implemented by one ministry only! You need a team of expert, a third party verification and complete transparency in expenditures.....
over 12 years
Why don't Gebran Imbecile Make his Terrorist Friends pay for tthe Electricity they have been STEALING since the 70's before proposing new plants.
over 12 years
Bassil imbecile is trying to snatch his first billion, that's how it usually starts before be om
over 12 years
Aoun being a smartass proposed it according to the same laws and regulations Hariri used to operate by, which basically says: Ana 7arame iza inta kent 7arame! We all know the answer to that one!
Hizbullah and Syria wants shit done as soon as possible in any way possible
Miqati and Jumblatt dont wanna just stand there and watch Aoun pile up more money, they want a cut
and we're just tired of "ijet el sharm..." "ata3et el sharm.."
but we'd rather light up a candle than being screwed by any of those warlords
over 12 years
What a country we live in. The mafia who doesn't pay and has caused huge defecits in the country from not paying and starting a war, are mediating with the unstable to make the defecit larger so Aoun can steal before Assad collapses and then the M8 government collapses.
over 12 years
So basically Bassil want to be given millions to spend with no over site or accountability. Members from both sides oppose this idiotic or corrupt request.
Well done to all who opposed mini-Aoun's request.
This inexplicable decision gives an example of how politicians are not representing the people or care about their interest...
In the same time this fact reflects the degrading values of the Lebanese people....the Lebanese trend is to make quick easy money ...Elections can make this dream come true.....
Shame...
You reap what you sow...Shame and disgrace...
Cheers