Berri Warns Time Passing By, Delay Unacceptable!

Source: Al-Manar TV, 28-7-2008
.. And the countdown has started!
Just two more weeks and the constitutional deadline to finalize the government's policy statement ends and returns everything back to square one. At that point, the government would retire and new legislative consultations would take place to name a new PM who would form a new cabinet.
While the ministerial committee in charge with drafting the policy statement doesn't seem to be in a rush and holds its tenth meeting on Monday to discuss the government's plan of work, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri sounded the alarm once again, stressing there was no reason for the continuing delay in drafting the policy statement.
Speaking to Lebanese daily As-Safir, Berri warned he would carry out parliamentary consultations to name a new prime minister if a 30-day constitutional period ends without finalizing the cabinet statement.
"The 30-day constitutional period is nearing an end," he cautioned, "and based on our commitment to the constitution, we will ask President Michel Suleiman to call for (parliamentary) consultations if the period expires" without finalizing the policy statement.
"Time is passing by at the expense of the country's peace and stability," the Speaker warned. He stressed that the policy statement must be drafted as soon as possible so that Lebanon can take advantage of the favorable regional and international climate.
Berri reiterated a proposal calling for the adoption of clauses from the previous cabinet policy statement concerning the "role of the resistance" in addition to Security Council Resolution 1701 to facilitate drafting the new government's ministerial statement.
For his part, MP Antoine Zahra of the Lebanese Forces told the Voice of Lebanon radio station on Monday that there will be a big problem in drafting the policy statement "if March 8 is not modest enough" with its demands.
"We will not leave Lebanon with options that have failed in the past. Only the Lebanese can protect Lebanon with the weapons they have," MP Hussein al-Hajj Hassan of the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc said.
"The majority is saying a lot about the policy statement, and we will not use the media to start a verbal fight," Hassan said.
He noted that much time has been wasted over the policy statement. "Let us draft a clearly-worded statement that deals with the Resistance as well as social issues and living conditions."