Gebran Bassil has "no objections" to transfer of Christian MP seats

Source: nowlebanon.com, 24-06-2008

Free Patriotic Movement political relations officer Gebran Bassil on Tuesday announced that Speaker Nabih Berri would call for a plenary meeting to approve the electoral law, which Bassil stressed was "one hundred percent constitutional and legal."

In an interview with the Central News Agency (CAN), Bassil said the opposition's four-party meeting had discussed alternative formulations in the event of the persistent obstruction of the government formation.

Bassil underlined the opposition's unity "now more than ever," and said he considered that the targeting of any of the parties was equivalent to targeting all the parties together.

Bassil said that, after the opposition had ended its sit-hand and facilitated the election of a president as per the Doha Agreement "while the majority did not execute the clause calling for a national-unity government," the collateral should be the adoption of their electoral law.

"We agreed to multiple scenarios for the government, which Prime Minister [Fouad] Saniora knows very well... There are many exits, but it seems they do not want to take them and when that is proved, they will be accused of disabling the Doha agreement... and we will respond appropriately," he added.

Bassil said he had no objection to transferring Christian seats to other districts. "We took the initiative to make this demand... and we will see whether this party dares to discuss electoral reforms with its allies," he concluded.