Hajj Hassan: March 14 forces fear the results of parliamentary elections

16-2-2009

Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP Hussein Hajj Hassan spoke to NBN television on Monday and said that Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt's speech on Sunday "was responsible and open, and it is important that [people] abide by it."

Hajj Hassan's comments came after Saturday's clashes, which took place during and after the fourth commemoration of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's assassination.

"Two delegations from the March 14 and opposition alliances met on Sunday to contain the situation," Hajj Hassan said, "[And] Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah will call for reducing tensions on Monday."

Haj Hassan added that while "March 14 is popular, [the opposition coalition] can gather the same number of demonstrators anytime [we want to]," adding that the majority do not know what it wanted.

"Does it want to forge good or bad relations with Syria?" Hajj Hassan also criticized March 14's position on the military, saying that "sometimes [March 14] praises the [Lebanese] army, and at other times, it criticizes its performance."

Hajj Hassan also touched on the coming parliamentary elections, which are to take place on June 7.
"The majority fears the results of the elections, [which explains why] its leaders change the tone of their speeches," he said, adding that "the guarantying-third vote is a national demand and is based on the Taif Accord... Those who reject this demand refuse partnership and attempt to obstruct the state's work."

"Prime Minister Fouad Siniora is part of March 14, [but] I will not hold him accountable for all the disagreements over the budgets or the ministerial and national problems," he continued.

He also said that the meeting between Syrian President Bashar Assad and Saudi Intelligence chief Prince Meqrin Bin Abdul Aziz was not a surprise. "This meeting might pave the way for a settlement in the region," he said.