Mustaqbal Slams Hizbullah and Aoun's 'Suicidal, Irresponsible Policies'

Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc lashed out on Tuesday at Hizbullah and Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun, accusing them of implementing “suicidal, irresponsible policies.”

“The policy adopted by Hizbullah and its allies -- through their insistence on imposing a sole (presidential) candidate claiming exclusive representation of an entire sect – is a suicidal, irresponsible policy that might lead to Lebanon's destruction,” the bloc warned in a statement issued after its weekly meeting.

Criticizing recent remarks by Hizbullah deputy chief Sheikh Naim Qassem, Mustaqbal said it “condemns in the strongest terms the dangerous and shameful statement.”

“These blatant and unconcealed remarks have highlighted the identity of the party that is paralyzing the republic and its institutions and hijacking its presidency,” the bloc added, blasting Qassem's statement as a “massive national and political scandal.”

On Monday, Qassem said “the other camp has only two choices: electing General Aoun as president or (presidential) vacuum for an indefinite period of time.”

Accordingly, the Mustaqbal bloc accused Hizbullah on Tuesday of “implementing an Iranian agenda that is trying to subjugate Lebanon and its people and state through impeding the presidential vote and insisting on the election of a certain candidate who would become subordinate to Hizbullah and the Iranian regime.”

“Al-Mustaqbal bloc and the Lebanese people will not allow anyone to impose their agenda on them through force and coercion. The free democratic system that the Lebanese people chose is based on the principle of partnership and freedom of choice,” the bloc stressed.

It called on all political forces to seek the election of “a consensual, strong president whose personality, ethical conduct, leadership skills and unifying policy would allow them to become a symbol for Lebanese unity … and to pull Lebanon out of the dangerous dilemma that it has been implicated in.”

Mustaqbal noted that the same parties that are “impeding the presidential election” are the ones “who are now seeking to paralyze the work of the cabinet.”

The bloc also warned against paralyzing the parliament, underlining that it must be allowed to convene and pass urgent draft laws.

MPs from Aoun's bloc in addition to Hizbullah and other March 8 alliance lawmakers have been boycotting parliamentary sessions aimed at electing a new head of state since Michel Suleiman's six-year term ended in May last year.

Y.R.