Berri: My Statements about Cedar Revolution ‘Killed’ March 14

Local Editor

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri stressed that he is working on two parallel tracks -- one is aimed at speeding up the government formation and the second seeks to activate the parliament's role, reported As-Safir daily.

He noted that the atmosphere of the meeting he held on Monday with Prime Minister-Designate Najib Mikati and the "two Khalils" (the political advisors of Parliament Speaker and Hizbullah Secretary General, MP Ali Hassan Khalil and Hussein Khalil respectively) "was good".
Commenting on the campaign raised against him by the March 14 camp following his statement on the cedar revolution, Berri said this statement "killed" the March 14 forces leading to "all the fuss" about the issue, added As-Safir newspaper on Wednesday.

Berri in his statement during a ceremony on Monday said that "the Cedar Revolution had taken the country 60 years backwards." He added that the revolution which drew Syrian forces out of Lebanon in 2005 led to corruption and provided the suitable atmosphere for foreign intervention.
The speaker noted "my remarks about the Cedar Revolution came during a statement about the revolutions in the Arab world, and I expected the March 14 reaction," according to An-Nahar newspaper.

Berri will head on Wednesday the parliament bureau committee to discuss the agenda of the parliamentary session on June 8.When asked about the upcoming step if the March 14 members in the committee refused to discuss the agenda, he said: "Everything is good in its right time."
Berri remarked that hints by some of March 14 parties that Berri was seeking to put the issue of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon on the session's agenda are aimed at "obstructing" the parliament's meeting. He further pointed out that "the agenda is made public and there is nothing we want to hide."