War of Words between Berri, Saniora, Shatah

One day after the national-unity cabinet failed, despite preliminary positive reports, to finally adopt the 2009 general budget due to the officials' "obstinacy" over the issue of the Council for the South, a war of words erupted between Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri from one part, Prime Minister Fouad Saniora and Finance Minister Mohamad Shatah from the other.

The newest "war" started when the Speaker called, during an interview with Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar published on Saturday, the Finance Minister "a liar like his master," in reference to Shatah and Saniora, for denying that an agreement was reached regarding the Council of the South.

Berri expressed during the same interview his chagrin against Prime Minister Fouad Saniora for backing off a joint agreement regarding the Council of the South's budget.

Berri has clashed with Saniora over the Council for the South's budget. The prime minister is against allocating LL60 billion in this year's budget while the speaker is for it.

"I am not only insisting on the LL60 billion for the council, this matter is settled, my priority now is to regain funds withdrawn by the prime minister from the Saudi donation given to Lebanon following the July 2006 war. This is a priority," Berri said.

He noted that had cabinet voted on this issue the national opposition forces would have won the day, due to the absence of two March 14 ministers from the meeting and the support given to the issue by Defense Minister Elias Murr and ministers belonging to the 'Democratic Gathering' led by MP Walid Jumblatt. Berri added that Transport and Public Works Minister Ghazi Aridi saved the PM from "imminent embarrassment, for he could have resigned if he and minister Shatah failed to secure a budget."

A few hours after the interview was published, Saniora and Shatah rushed to engage in the "verbal war," rejected any so-called "pressure" on the government.

"The remarks made against the prime minister and finance minister, if true, are repugnant ... and lead to a rejected and denounced deterioration in political rhetoric," Saniora's press office said in a statement. "It's a pity that the interests of southerners have become a product" of political wrangling that disrupts government work, the statement added.

The statement of Saniora's press office said any pressure on the government to adopt specific demands would have a negative effect on public interest. "Any pressure on the cabinet to force it to agree on specific demands would negatively affect public interest ... and would infringe the boundaries drawn by the Constitution for cooperation between all powers," it said.

Shatah also snapped back at Berri, saying: "If what Speaker Berri said was right, all I could say is that it is unjust for the southerners to trade politically and for electoral reasons with their rights and interests."

"I won't enter into a game of slander," Shatah added.

Berri later issued a statement saying he wanted to clarify the al-Akhbar report but he changed his mind after Saniora's and Shatah's retorts.

Meanwhile, Lebanese daily An-Nahar quoted on Sunday ministerial sources as saying that the latest war of words between Berri and Saniora over the Council for the South budget was a clear indication that the crisis has "entered a new, uncomfortable phase for mediations."

According to the daily, one cabinet minister said the issue now revolved around "who would break the word of the other" and not around the budget.