Berri: President must explain Jbeil withdrawals

Source: Nowlebanon.com, 5-6-2009

Speaker Nabih Berri urged President Michel Suleiman to "issue a statement clarifying Jbeil's candidate withdrawals," saying, "The president is appearing as a partisan in the elections... I do not agree with those who say that the president can interfere in the elections, because he should be higher than that."

In a Friday interview with Kalam al-Nas on LBC, Berri said, "This is not the first time that elections were filled with this much worrying and speculation. In the 2005 elections, very dangerous and important things happened."

Berri said that the elections would be "relaxed" in South Lebanon, "because the issue is a referendum about the Resistance."
"The elections will unite the Lebanese, especially if the opposition wins," he said. "When the results are finally out, if either March 8 or March 14 win, there will be a national unity government. This is a certainty. Let us stop trying to break each others' wings for electoral purposes."

About a controversial recent speech by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, he said, "The speech regarding the elections was aimed inside Iran, why are they trying to import it to inside Lebanon? Where is the blasphemy in Ahmadinejad's speech? I do not believe that his speech has anything to do with the Lebanese elections."

"The guaranteeing third is not far from the Taif Accord and the nature of Lebanon," he added. "Who called for the obstructing third vote in Doha? I asked for a 10-10-10 division both here and in Doha, but they offered us the guaranteeing vote... If March 8 wins the majority in the elections, I will not accept anything but March 14's participation with us and with a guaranteeing third."

Calling for increased attention to social issues, Berri said, "The new parliament has to work on a new electoral law, especially concerning females," and, "A lot of money was spent, sometimes in the wrong places, while the citizens of the South are living in need."

"The opposition is centrist and if it weren't I would not be in it," he said. "The most important thing for March 8 is that if we win, the parliamentary majority is working to preserve public freedoms... The opposition that sacrifices its blood cannot aim to sabotage Lebanon."