Who’s the Grinch that Will Steal Lebanon’s Christmas?
The Grinch, the anti-holiday spirited hermit, will have a new address this year. Either the Grand Serail in downtown Beirut or Rabieh.
Premier Najib Miqati, who has threatened to resign if the cabinet failed to approve the funding of the special Tribunal for Lebanon, would put the country in disarray if he goes ahead with his move.
Any resignation would come in response to the rejection of the Free Patriotic Movement and Hizbullah, the two main forces that make up the cabinet, to back the funding.
The STL has indicted four Hizbullah members in the Feb. 2005 assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri and 21 others. Lebanon is responsible for meeting 49 percent of the STL's financing, which amounts to some $33 million this year.
But the PM’s possible resignation would make him the captive of a caretaking cabinet and would help boost the March 14-led opposition which has been seeking to topple his government since the Hizbullah-backed March 8 coalition forced the collapse of ex-Premier Saad Hariri’s cabinet and brought Miqati to power earlier this year.
If he resigns, Miqati would be seen by some Lebanese as the person who refused to give consultations more time to resolve the funding crisis and would be criticized for ruining the holiday season a day before the start of the month of December.
The crucial cabinet session set to discuss the funding is scheduled for Nov. 30. If the meeting isn’t postponed, Miqati would most likely announce his resignation on Wednesday.
But the Grinch’s address this year could also be in Rabieh, the residence of FPM leader Michel Aoun. His ministers have punished Miqati over his resignation plans by boycotting a cabinet session last Friday.
Over the weekend, they announced that they would continue with their boycott if he doesn’t meet their request to accelerate the government approval of several development projects, make appointments at the Higher Judicial Council and have the final say on the wage crisis.
Their attempt to avenge Miqati could also continue by announcing their resignation.
If so, Rabieh would be seen as the trouble-maker and the Grinch who stole this year’s Christmas.
over 12 years
He smells like the grinch, he talks like the grinch, he thinks like the grinch, and he looks like the grinch...
It's Michel AOUN!!!
over 12 years
i believe mikati is going to resign so that he pleases everyone:
the sunnis: he shows them he didn t betray them and he did all he could to finance the STL.
the interantional community for the same reasons
the CPL and the hezb by making the gvt fall and thus impossible to finance the STL!
and the hezb would take advantage of the chaos created to help syria!
over 12 years
The graounch!
over 12 years
what a waste! dirty politics....best XMAS is for them to go permanently leave Lebanon
over 12 years
Wow...what an informed news article. Naharnet, this is more like a letter from the editor, why not add an opinion page. That way you can also post Michael Young's rubbish.
over 12 years
@ sweating -demon, why are you sweating so much? do you sweat all over day & night? eveytime you write something it's critics to naharnet. why don't you just get the hell out & stay close to your masters or better yet run to Iran peacefully because soon you will be kicked out in an unpleasent way.
over 12 years
Sweating daemon, you say that's the government with better numerical christian representation since Taef. So in case you don't know have to inform you taef gives half ministerial seats to Christians....Unless you have different classification between christians...and if that's related to their political independance than that's proabbly one of the worse government the christians ever had, just a reminder, on friday a bunch of Christian ministers didn't go to gov meeting because the PM had just announced that he would resign if gov wouldn't finance the STL. We all know that the STL issue is political by excellence and is related first and formost to hezbollah, shia...so let's think about it Christian ministers put themselves and their community in confrontation to do the bidding of shia party??? and they are independant??????????
Really I wonder if you aounies are convinced about what you say...
both do not matter: the real grinch is hiding behind them :)
in case anyone is wondering, it is hizbushaitan