Source: Al Manar TV, 20-03-2008
Will the unconstitutional government of Fouad Saniora take part in the Arab Summit to be held in Damascus? Who will speak on behalf of the Lebanese at the conference? What would be the message that the Lebanese want to deliver to the Arabs through the Summit?
Saniora's ministerial team decided to decide on the participation on March 25, when a parliament meeting to elect a president is also scheduled. The unconstitutional government justified its decision citing further deliberations with Arab states.
The Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar said that the head of the Future movement MP Saad Hariri told Lebanese figures he met in a Gulf state that there is tendency by the ruling bloc to boycott the summit. According to the daily, Hariri said that Lebanon should not take a decision on the participation before US Vice President Dick Cheney concludes his visit to the Saudi Kingdom and postpone its final word until witnessing the outcomes of American Vice President Deck Cheney visit to Riyadh as well as the consultations between Riyadh and Cairo take place. "Our decision will be very close to that of the two countries," Hariri was quoted saying.
Meanwhile, there are different scenarios for Lebanon's participation in the summit, given that the ruling bloc is still divided on this matter.
The first "seriously discussed" scenario is to boycott the summit but at the same time deliver a speech to the attendees. This scenario stipulates sending a representative of Saniora's unconstitutional government to Damascus to deliver Lebanon's speech without taking part in other activities. The sources told Lebanese daily As-Safir that it has been decided that Saniora won't personally attend the Summit.
A second scenario is related to the idea of expanding the government. As-Safir noted that the tendency was to appoint former President Amine Gemayel a minister instead of his son, late Industry minister Pierre Gemayel and then dispatch him to represent Lebanon in the Summit. Gemayel supports Lebanon's participation in the summit "in order to make its voice heard."
However, Gemayel denied he was aware such a plan was being set, but didn't rule out its possibility. Speaking on Thursday to the Voice of Lebanon Radio station, Gemayel said that no one discussed with him the issue of expanding the government or dispatching him to Syria, "but it was possible to take step in this direction." The former president reiterated that he would support the cabinet's decision in all cases.
Gemayel said that "expanding the government was to cover for the presidential vacuum," describing failure to elect a president as 'suicide.' He also blamed Christian MPs for not "perceiving the danger Lebanon is passing through."