Berri: Cole Deployment Support to "Israel", Intimidation
Source: Al-Manar TV, 1-3-2008
The secrets of negotiations and the actual obstructers of any solution to the Lebanese ongoing crisis, the deployment of the USS Cole off Lebanon's coast, the assassination of Islamic Resistance top commander Imad Moghnieh: these are the main topics addressed by Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Friday night during an interview to "ANB" satellite television.
COLE DEPLOYED TO BLOCK SUPPORT TO PALESTINIANS DURING "Israeli" GAZA OFFENSIVE
Berri accused the United States of deploying the destroyer USS Cole and other warships off Lebanon coast to support and cover up "Israel's" deadly attacks in the Gaza Strip, calling it an 'act of intimidation'. "The whole issue is related to Gaza. This fleet was sent in support of "Israel" so it can finish off its plot and complete what it had already begun in Gaza an to prevent Arab support (to Palestinians)," he said.
""Israel" is looking to seize the opportunity to avenge its defeat in the July war and Cole is coming for that purpose," he noted, denying the fact that Cole was a 'message to Syria'. "If they want to send a message to Syria, they could have done so by deploying the destroyer off Syria's coast," he pointed out.
ASSASSINATING MARTYR MOGHNIEH 'FLAGRANT BREACH' OF THE 1701
Berri reiterated that UN Security Council resolution 1701 issued in light of "Israel's" war against Lebanon in July 2006 mentioned "a cease of hostilities not a cease-fire". He noted that this resolution was violated by "Israel" on a daily basis.
"Assassinating Islamic Resistance top commander Imad Moghniyye, even if it happened outside Lebanese territories, constitutes a 'flagrant breach' to the international resolution," Berri said.
US AND RULING BLOC RESPONSIBLE FOR OBSTRUCTING ARAB INITIATIVE
The parliament speaker accused the Unites States of being against the Arab Initiative to end Lebanon's ongoing crisis. He recalled that he was the first to welcome the initiative, stating it is a 'historical' one. Berri stressed the real interpretation of the initiative was the "10-10-10" formula for a new government of national unity. He denied that this formula treats both majority and opposition equally. "The Prime Minister will be from the ruling bloc. If they want, let them give us the Prime Minister and take the 29 ministers," he emphasized.
Berri recalled that following the first quartet meeting with Arab League Chief Amr Mussa, the head of the Free Patriotic Movement General Michel Aoun called him to tell inform him that the head of Al-Mustaqbal movement MP Saad Hariri presented a 10+10+10 formula. "I urged him to approve it without hesitation," he said, noting that at same time he pledged he would guarantee quorum for election if the ruling bloc accepted the formula, even if other opposition parties didn't agree. Before Berri's revelation, the ruling bloc had been accusing the opposition of refusing the 10+10+10 formula.
"However, we discovered that the main obstacle was not the distribution of shares in the next government but the electoral law. The ruling bloc was against the 1960 electoral law more than anything else," Berri said. He added that the ruling bloc wanted to promote an electoral law that divides the country into 'sectarian constituencies'. "They want Christians to elect Christians and Muslims to elect Muslims and so forth," he said.
Berri vowed to do his best to ensure the success of the Arab initiative ahead of the Damascus Arab Summit. However, "if we fail before the summit, there will be a new approach to the Lebanese crisis," he noted, refusing to give more details.
SANIORA WON'T ATTEND ARAB SUMMIT EVEN IF HE WAS INVITED
Commenting on the threats made by some states to boycott the Arab summit if no solution to the Lebanese crisis was reached beforehand, Berri said that the Arabs, although they all love Lebanon, "don't want Lebanon to be cured from its malady." He renewed that if Arabs succeed in resolving their own disputes, it will affect Lebanon positively. The Speaker believed that good Saudi-Syrian relations were "imperative not only for solving the Lebanese crisis but also for the Iraqi and Palestinian problems and for the implementation of the Arab initiative in order to have peace in the Middle East".
While recalling that the Parliament was and will remain closed in the face of the unconstitutional government of Fouad Saniora but of course wide open for dialogue among Lebanese and presidential elections, Berri said he won't reject a Syrian invitation to Saniora to attend the Summit. "This won't be in any sense a legitimacy recognition," he said, adding that "in all cases, Saniora, whether invited or not, won't attend".
The secrets of negotiations and the actual obstructers of any solution to the Lebanese ongoing crisis, the deployment of the USS Cole off Lebanon's coast, the assassination of Islamic Resistance top commander Imad Moghnieh: these are the main topics addressed by Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Friday night during an interview to "ANB" satellite television.
COLE DEPLOYED TO BLOCK SUPPORT TO PALESTINIANS DURING "Israeli" GAZA OFFENSIVE
Berri accused the United States of deploying the destroyer USS Cole and other warships off Lebanon coast to support and cover up "Israel's" deadly attacks in the Gaza Strip, calling it an 'act of intimidation'. "The whole issue is related to Gaza. This fleet was sent in support of "Israel" so it can finish off its plot and complete what it had already begun in Gaza an to prevent Arab support (to Palestinians)," he said.
""Israel" is looking to seize the opportunity to avenge its defeat in the July war and Cole is coming for that purpose," he noted, denying the fact that Cole was a 'message to Syria'. "If they want to send a message to Syria, they could have done so by deploying the destroyer off Syria's coast," he pointed out.
ASSASSINATING MARTYR MOGHNIEH 'FLAGRANT BREACH' OF THE 1701
Berri reiterated that UN Security Council resolution 1701 issued in light of "Israel's" war against Lebanon in July 2006 mentioned "a cease of hostilities not a cease-fire". He noted that this resolution was violated by "Israel" on a daily basis.
"Assassinating Islamic Resistance top commander Imad Moghniyye, even if it happened outside Lebanese territories, constitutes a 'flagrant breach' to the international resolution," Berri said.
US AND RULING BLOC RESPONSIBLE FOR OBSTRUCTING ARAB INITIATIVE
The parliament speaker accused the Unites States of being against the Arab Initiative to end Lebanon's ongoing crisis. He recalled that he was the first to welcome the initiative, stating it is a 'historical' one. Berri stressed the real interpretation of the initiative was the "10-10-10" formula for a new government of national unity. He denied that this formula treats both majority and opposition equally. "The Prime Minister will be from the ruling bloc. If they want, let them give us the Prime Minister and take the 29 ministers," he emphasized.
Berri recalled that following the first quartet meeting with Arab League Chief Amr Mussa, the head of the Free Patriotic Movement General Michel Aoun called him to tell inform him that the head of Al-Mustaqbal movement MP Saad Hariri presented a 10+10+10 formula. "I urged him to approve it without hesitation," he said, noting that at same time he pledged he would guarantee quorum for election if the ruling bloc accepted the formula, even if other opposition parties didn't agree. Before Berri's revelation, the ruling bloc had been accusing the opposition of refusing the 10+10+10 formula.
"However, we discovered that the main obstacle was not the distribution of shares in the next government but the electoral law. The ruling bloc was against the 1960 electoral law more than anything else," Berri said. He added that the ruling bloc wanted to promote an electoral law that divides the country into 'sectarian constituencies'. "They want Christians to elect Christians and Muslims to elect Muslims and so forth," he said.
Berri vowed to do his best to ensure the success of the Arab initiative ahead of the Damascus Arab Summit. However, "if we fail before the summit, there will be a new approach to the Lebanese crisis," he noted, refusing to give more details.
SANIORA WON'T ATTEND ARAB SUMMIT EVEN IF HE WAS INVITED
Commenting on the threats made by some states to boycott the Arab summit if no solution to the Lebanese crisis was reached beforehand, Berri said that the Arabs, although they all love Lebanon, "don't want Lebanon to be cured from its malady." He renewed that if Arabs succeed in resolving their own disputes, it will affect Lebanon positively. The Speaker believed that good Saudi-Syrian relations were "imperative not only for solving the Lebanese crisis but also for the Iraqi and Palestinian problems and for the implementation of the Arab initiative in order to have peace in the Middle East".
While recalling that the Parliament was and will remain closed in the face of the unconstitutional government of Fouad Saniora but of course wide open for dialogue among Lebanese and presidential elections, Berri said he won't reject a Syrian invitation to Saniora to attend the Summit. "This won't be in any sense a legitimacy recognition," he said, adding that "in all cases, Saniora, whether invited or not, won't attend".
