Legislative Session Discusses Electricity Firm’s Status, al-Assad Rebuffs Foreign Solution
Lebanon's security status still looks upon the country on a see-saw that doesn't know when to stop. With surprise protests for sometimes illogical reasons, Lebanon wakes up some days to smell the smoke blended air, with the essence of national incitement, not to mention the hopes for a more serious governmental work.
Sheikh al-Asir's protest in Saida topped the news of major Lebanese newspapers in their Friday edition, and so did the spending and Syrian files.
Al-Asir's Protest Sets Lebanon's Security at the Edge
In the aftermath of the so-called "protest" held by Sheikh Ahmad al-Asir in Saida, As-Safir daily stated, a political source in the city stated that the slogan raised by al-Asir leads Saida into a wider maze, blundering in it the city and its people. The source went on to say that al-Asir organized his protest without taking into consideration the people's opinion, including that of the Lebanese and Arab audience, and the Lebanese, Palestinian local and regional factions that believe in the resistance and its weapons in confronting the "Israeli" enemy.
Moreover, source indicated that all the local, regional and international forces that gathered to call for the disarmament of the resistance's weapon have failed, especially in the July 2006 war.
Also, the source iterated that this issue is not solved in a personal way, nor through a sit-in or cutting roads, and it does not only concern one person in one city, but it concerns all the Lebanese people.
"What is more right to demand? To provide water and electricity for citizens [...] and demand the monitoring of the individual weapons deployed in [...] the north and the south [...], or to demand the disarmament of the resistance weapons hidden in storages and not used but against "Israel"?" the source further noted to as-Safir daily.
Legislative Session to Discuss Electricity Workers, Gov't Spending
On another level, it has become clear that the major discussion in the parliament's two sessions will be on two issues; the first is the spending project included by Lebanese Speaker Nabih Berri in the agenda, and the second is the electricity workers' issue, upon which Water and Energy Minister is still expressing some preservation.
According to informed parliamentary sources, the opposition trying to hinder the spending draft approval proposed to link it to the 2005 draft law, stating L.L 11 billion. The source added in an interview with al-Binaa daily, that in case the draft law was not ratified due to some hindering attempts, then only presenting it before the general committee would give a chance for Lebanese President Michel Suleiman to use his constitutional authority and sign the said draft law.
Syria's al-Assad Rebuffs Foreign Interference
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad confirmed that he refuses any foreign solution for the crisis in his country, confirming that it is his government's duty to destroy all the terrorists in order to protect their people.
He stated that it is the Syrian government's responsibility to protect its people, and asserted that his government is ongoing with its reform project.
In an interview with the Iranian TV, al-Assad stated that any solution imposed from the outside would be excluded, asserting that they will not accept any solution if it is not national.
"I don't expect any military action against Syria, and an operation similar to what happened in Libya is not possible," al-Assad indicated.
He further said, "We don't have any information about a NATO or Western military scenario against Syria."
Also, the Syrian President accused some Western and Arab countries of supporting the armed opposition in Syria in a "secretive" way. He stated, "It is clear that the Western countries, and some countries in the region [...] support armed groups in Syria."
"We don't have any concrete evidences, [...] its support is hidden and indirect in most of the times, and the governments are not directly involved. [...] Yet the link is very clear, it could be seen in their political stance, even that some countries announced its support for armed struggle," al-Assad reiterated.
"Huge amounts of money were paid for Syrian officials to secede from the regime," he also added.
On another level, al-Assad reconfirmed his country's support to the UN Special Envoy Kofi Annan's mission, and its total cooperation and coordination to make the mission as successful as possible.
He further affirmed that Syria is subjected to pressure in response to its support for the Palestinian cause and the resistance, adding that some Arab missions requested him to change the regime's stance regarding the resistance in order to end the crisis.
Source: Lebanese Newspapers, Translated and Edited by moqawama.org
