Berri: Hariri Leading the Opposition from Paris

House Speaker Nabih Berri said that the Americans and some of their European allies thought that we won't succeed in forming a government. I have already heard from Westerners ambassadors in Beirut words in that direction, so the formation of the government came as a surprise and made a shock in more than one place, internally and externally."
In an interview with the "As- Safir" newspaper Berri added: "It is clear that Washington is unfortunately targeting Prime Minister Najib Mikati because it was looking for someone else in the Government House, knowing that Mikati was himself PM of 2005 government without raising infuriated opponents now."

Clarifying that "Americans want to impose some one on the head of the government neglecting the results of the democratic process that brought Mikati as PM with a few difference in the number of votes from President Saad Hariri," Berri asked "they always give us lessons in democracy, what a paradox is this?"

Berri noted that "March 14 has not yet believed and does not want to believe that they are out of the government, although this is natural in the context of power's devolution," wondering: " Is the prime ministry in Lebanon sacred for only one? Is it a private property... what silliness is this?"

Berri expressed his surprise that the opposition is headed by Hariri from abroad, "unless we are required to go to Paris and open a branch of the House of Representatives there."
In an another interview for the "Jomhuriya" newspaper, Berri acknowledged that the political agenda that the US wants to impose on us includes the position from the Special Tribunal of Lebanon and international resolutions, especially Resolution 1701."

"We adhere to these decisions and the new item that they want to impose on us is that Lebanon, the non-permanent member of UN Security Council, doesn't object any new decision imposing sanctions on Syria taken by the Council." He continued
"They should not dream that this will pass, and that we will allow them to pass it. When we didn't have the government, we didn't allow them to pass anything, how could we allow this and we are at the head of the government today?" Berri asked.
On the Syrian issue, Berri clarified, "he who bets on the fall of President Bashar al-Assad understands in the policy as far as I understand in an atomic bomb, and I say to those that Lebanon's interest lies in the stability of Syria."

Berri considered that the American and European reactions on the speech proved that the issue of the West is not a matter reforms, but options" adding that "it is clear now, with the naked eye, that the West targets the Syrian political choices and that they do not care of the reform."