MP Aoun: Previous Government Was Involved in Terrorism

Source: Nowlebanon.com, 18-8-2008
Leader of the Change and Reform bloc MP Michel Aoun said that the previous cabinet had been involved with terrorism because "it disregarded all our remarks concerning the issue."
"There is a deficiency in the structure and performance of the security apparatus that cannot be addressed except by a specialized parliamentary committee," Aoun said in a press conference after the bloc's weekly meeting on Monday.
"The Serail does not belong to the Prime Minister but to all members of the cabinet," Aoun said.
Aoun rejected attacks against MP Mustafa Allouch of Tripoli and said, "when we alerted MP Mustafa Allouch about what was happening in Tripoli, he had a negative reaction. The events started the same night."
"The arrested Islamists should not be released except by a legal decision and no one should be released under pressure."
"We request, as MPs and Ministers of the Change and Reform bloc, to know the actual size of the national debt and to define its size when the cabinet's term ends," Aoun said.
Aoun also told the journalists that "in the coming week, we will propose a law to separate ministries from members of the parliament."
Regarding the national dialogue, Aoun said there should be no increase in "the number of participants because this will obstruct the ability to reach agreements."
"We have not yet looked at the Hizbullah-Salafist Memorandum of Understanding, but we support any rapprochement," Aoun said.