Mashnouq: Aoun Realizes the Need to Activate the Government
Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq stated on Saturday that out of “national responsibility” we are compelled to seek the activation of the government's activity and help achieve a full quorum at parliament in order to elect a president.
His remarks came after a meeting he held in Rabieh with former Free Patriotic Movement head MP Michel Aoun.
“MP Michel Aoun tends not to get involved in the regional crisis and he realizes the necessity to activate the government's work,” stated Mashnouq.
“He knows well that the difficult stage we are going through compels the need to reactivate the work of the government,” Mashnouq added without indicating whether the FPM ministers will attend the cabinet session on Thursday.
On Friday, Prime Minister Tammam Salam called for a cabinet session next week to tackle 140 items listed on its agenda.
On the presidential elections the Minister said: “The MP is convinced of (Mustaqbal head Saad) Hariri's honest efforts to help hold the presidential elections regardless of the initiative or the candidates.”
Lebanon has been witnessing a a presidential vacuum for over nineteen months since the term of President Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014.
All efforts aiming at electing a successor have failed in light of the conflicts between the rival March 8 and March 14 camps .
Thirty-four parliament sessions have failed so far to convene to elect a successor over a lack of quorum.
Aoun, Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geaega and the newly suggested candidate Marada chief MP Suleiman Franjieh are candidates for the post.
However, the new initiative that brought Franjieh to the presidential spotlight was met with reservations from the Kataeb Party, the Free Patriotic Movement and the Lebanese Forces.
The cabinet has not been better off. Its activity was paralyzed after the FPM ministers refused on numerous occasions to participate in cabinet meetings before an agreement is reached on its decision-making mechanism in wake of the presidential vacuum.
over 9 years
Caporal is annoyed by the declaration of Ebola of creating an Islamic Republic in Lebanon...many of his partisans are asking him clarifications ....
over 9 years
don't forget you aounis are allied with a party called the islamic resistance! allied to extremists and pretending to protect christian interests! bunch of hypocrits .... LOL
over 9 years
as i said: orange who pretends to defend chistian rights is allied with islamists! go figure their idiotic logic! LOL
and M14 is not allied with isis other than in your lalaland but there is a signed agreement between you orange juice and the islamist party of god LOL
you pretend to fight islamists while allying with islamists! pityful braindamaged people!
Glad to hear that aoun realizes the need to activate the government