Bassil Says March 14 was Transformed into a ‘Subversive Opposition’

Caretaker Energy Minister Jebran Bassil slammed what he called the “subversive opposition” of the March 14 forces, accusing them of committing “national treason.”

Bassil said speeches made by March 14 officials during ex-Premier Rafik Hariri’s sixth assassination anniversary in BIEL on Monday were a sign that the coalition was putting conditions that contradict with March 8 stances.

“There is no room for them to join the government,” the caretaker minister told An Nahar in remarks published Tuesday. “We are keen on forming a cabinet and not blowing it up.”

Asked about the demands of Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun to get the interior ministry portfolio, Bassil said: “We didn’t ask for it in order to obstruct. We suggested getting it because we want to restore the prestige of the state.”

He denied that the FPM was holding onto the portfolio to stop Lebanon’s cooperation with the tribunal. “The government as a whole is responsible for anything linked to the court and not the interior minister alone.”