Aoun doubts war - and Lebanese representation at the Arab Summit
Source: NowLebanon, 03-03-2008
President of the Change and Reform bloc General Michel Aoun said that the "destroyers which came and still come support chaos and not stability."
The statement comes as a reaction to US decision on Thursday to deploy the USS Cole guided-missile destroyer to the waters off Lebanon, which has been embroiled in a deep political crisis for months. Hizbullah slammed Washington's dispatch of the Cole as "military interference" while the Lebanese government said it did not ask for the warship to be sent. The US said the move came as a show of support for the Lebanese government, which the opposition denounces as unconstitutional.
Following Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Aboul Gheit's announcement earlier today that the Lebanese majority accepted the Arab initiative in all its articles, Aoun remarked that the Egyptian FM should join the pro-government forces in Lebanon.
The government, he continued, was not recognized by the Lebanese people and "preferably should not participate" in the upcoming Arab Summit, scheduled at the end of this month in Damascus. "Whoever wants to represent Lebanon at the Summit must truly represent Lebanon, and that is the elected President of the Republic."
The Lebanese constitution stipulates that in the absence of a president, the prime minister assumes his powers, but the opposition insists that Siniora's cabinet lost all legitimacy when its ministers quit 15 months ago.
Despite political tension, recent street clashes and the recent Gulf embassy requests for evacuation, Aoun reassured the Lebanese that "the general atmosphere is not one of war, and the current balance of power does not allow for war."
Talk of war has been a popular topic since Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, ally of Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement, threatened "open war" against "Israel" in a massive public rally at the funeral of Imad Moghniih, a top operative assassinated in February in Damascus. And while "Israel" in turn has recently staged war games on the border with Lebanon, reflecting its concern about the threat after the 2006 war against Hizbullah, MP Aoun confirmed that there were no indications so far of any sort of war.
"There is a retreat on all fronts. 'Israel' withdrew from Gaza, Turkey withdrew from Kurdistan and (Iranian President Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad is in Iraq. There may well be some calm or change in the political climate of the region," Aoun said.
General Aoun did not speak as optimistically of the upcoming Arab Summit. Damascus is due to host the Arab Summit this year, but Lebanon has been without a president since November. The political crisis in Lebanon has strained relations between Syria and Saudi Arabia, and the Kingdom today announced it would not attend the Summit if Lebanon was not officially invited.
Aoun went on to express his hope Lebanon's decision to participate or abstain from the Arab Summit would be respected.
Arab League Secretary General's four-party meetings, Aoun said, were a result of minimal contact between the opposition and pro-government forces in Lebanon. The results of the meetings, which joined Aoun with Kataeb president Amine Gemayel and Future bloc leader MP Saad Hariri, were a possible starting point for internal Lebanese dialogue.
"If we were dealing with those who know the real meaning of sovereignty, we would have reached a solution. I announce my own decisions, and whoever has the capacity to do the same should step forward for discussions."
Aoun noted that if the opposition was outside the government and not the nation. He said the Arab initiative demanded the opposition forfeit its right to participation to the benefit of the pro-government coalition.
"We are professionals and they are amateurs. What can we do?"
President of the Change and Reform bloc General Michel Aoun said that the "destroyers which came and still come support chaos and not stability."
The statement comes as a reaction to US decision on Thursday to deploy the USS Cole guided-missile destroyer to the waters off Lebanon, which has been embroiled in a deep political crisis for months. Hizbullah slammed Washington's dispatch of the Cole as "military interference" while the Lebanese government said it did not ask for the warship to be sent. The US said the move came as a show of support for the Lebanese government, which the opposition denounces as unconstitutional.
Following Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Aboul Gheit's announcement earlier today that the Lebanese majority accepted the Arab initiative in all its articles, Aoun remarked that the Egyptian FM should join the pro-government forces in Lebanon.
The government, he continued, was not recognized by the Lebanese people and "preferably should not participate" in the upcoming Arab Summit, scheduled at the end of this month in Damascus. "Whoever wants to represent Lebanon at the Summit must truly represent Lebanon, and that is the elected President of the Republic."
The Lebanese constitution stipulates that in the absence of a president, the prime minister assumes his powers, but the opposition insists that Siniora's cabinet lost all legitimacy when its ministers quit 15 months ago.
Despite political tension, recent street clashes and the recent Gulf embassy requests for evacuation, Aoun reassured the Lebanese that "the general atmosphere is not one of war, and the current balance of power does not allow for war."
Talk of war has been a popular topic since Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, ally of Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement, threatened "open war" against "Israel" in a massive public rally at the funeral of Imad Moghniih, a top operative assassinated in February in Damascus. And while "Israel" in turn has recently staged war games on the border with Lebanon, reflecting its concern about the threat after the 2006 war against Hizbullah, MP Aoun confirmed that there were no indications so far of any sort of war.
"There is a retreat on all fronts. 'Israel' withdrew from Gaza, Turkey withdrew from Kurdistan and (Iranian President Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad is in Iraq. There may well be some calm or change in the political climate of the region," Aoun said.
General Aoun did not speak as optimistically of the upcoming Arab Summit. Damascus is due to host the Arab Summit this year, but Lebanon has been without a president since November. The political crisis in Lebanon has strained relations between Syria and Saudi Arabia, and the Kingdom today announced it would not attend the Summit if Lebanon was not officially invited.
Aoun went on to express his hope Lebanon's decision to participate or abstain from the Arab Summit would be respected.
Arab League Secretary General's four-party meetings, Aoun said, were a result of minimal contact between the opposition and pro-government forces in Lebanon. The results of the meetings, which joined Aoun with Kataeb president Amine Gemayel and Future bloc leader MP Saad Hariri, were a possible starting point for internal Lebanese dialogue.
"If we were dealing with those who know the real meaning of sovereignty, we would have reached a solution. I announce my own decisions, and whoever has the capacity to do the same should step forward for discussions."
Aoun noted that if the opposition was outside the government and not the nation. He said the Arab initiative demanded the opposition forfeit its right to participation to the benefit of the pro-government coalition.
"We are professionals and they are amateurs. What can we do?"
