Report: Berri Circles Lash Out at Aoun

The NBN television station affiliated with Speaker Nabih Berri waged a verbal attack during its prime time news bulletin on Tuesday against President Michel Aoun, accusing him of "obstructing" the judicial formations and of "paralyzing" the judicial authority.

NBN waged the attack after a meeting held by Aoun at Baabda Palace with members of the Higher Judicial Council led by Judge Souheil Abboud.

Aoun stressed during the meeting the need to “activate the judiciary's work and to quickly look into all cases pending before the courts.”

Aoun called on the judicial body to be immune to the slander campaigns targeting some judges.

NBN accused Aoun of obstructing the judicial appointments and of paralyzing the judicial authority. Aoun “speaks the language of prudence while he himself wrote the execution record of the judiciary,” the station lashed out.

Al-Joumhouria daily said the criticism, if anything, “indicates how annoyed Berri is with the President.”

NBN said “France was deeply disappointed with the President for hampering the government formation, mainly that PM-designate Saad Hariri has consumed all the moves possible to facilitate the government formation.”

Aoun and Hariri will meet Wednesday afternoon over the controversial cabinet formation.

According to al-Joumhouria, NBN’s blitz came in retaliation against “weeks” of criticisms launched by OTV, a television station affiliated with Aoun and his Free Patriotic Movement, against Berri.”