Aoun Lashes Back at Jumblat over Electoral Law, Refuses to 'Surrender to his False Threats'
Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun snapped back on Saturday at Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat, considering the adoption of an electoral law based on proportional representation would reflect Jumblat’s real political weight.
“Jumblat considers himself the only logical person… But the proportional representation would reflect his real political weight,” Aoun said in a ceremony marking the 7th anniversary of his return from exile to Paris in May 2005.
The FPM leader noted that he will not surrender to Jumblat’s false threats as “all your threats are lies, do whatever you want.”
Aoun pointed out in a ceremony at the Platea Theater in Sahel Alma that Kamal Jumblat “had continuously demanded the adoption of an electoral law based on proportional representation.”
Jumblat is snubbing proportional representation in the elections.
He said on Friday that the “irrational movement led by Michel Aoun is paralyzing everything.”
The Druze leader accused Aoun of “seeking to control all the organs of the state: judiciary, security, politics, administration and elections.”
On the local situation, Aoun said that the FPM “isn’t creating a cabinet crisis,” accusing President Michel Suleiman of “disrupting the work of the state.”
He stressed that the executive power in Lebanon and the administration "have been disrupted for the first time in the era of President Suleiman.”
“The president has a problem with himself,” Aoun added.
The FPM leader has been at loggerheads with Suleiman over several issues and mainly the appointment of the head of the Higher Judicial Council. They took their dispute to the social networking sites last week when the FPM chief accused the president of begging for his seat.
But Suleiman retorted, saying a consensual president does not beg for the presidency and on the contrary, everyone asks him to accept the post of president.
Aoun slammed the visit of U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman.
He said that “the U.S. labeled Lebanon as a ‘French Mistake,’ while France says Lebanon is insignificant. How can we trust those who sold us?”
The U.S. official arrived in Lebanon on Tuesday. His talks with senior Lebanese officials focused on the need for Lebanon to respect constitutional deadlines with regard to the 2013 parliamentary elections.
Concerning the crisis in the neighboring country Syria, Aoun said that “without any shame, Syria is the closest country to democracy.”
“The citizen in Syria is free to live however he desires, which doesn’t exist in the countries” that are giving Syria lessons in human rights, the FPM leader told his supporters.
He noted that he would defend any human who wants to “enjoy the freedom of belief.”
Aoun criticized the visit of U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman to the northern town of Wadi Khaled, wondering if it aims at “creating a military base in Lebanon” after the government refused.
Lieberman arrived in Lebanon on Tuesday and met with Syrian refugees in northern Lebanon and expressed concern that people in the region and around the world "have not done enough to support the Syrian opposition."
Lebanon's political scene is divided between the country's main political blocs over the crisis in Syria.
Aoun also slammed the Arab Spring, describing it as “the Arabs hell.”
Source: Naharnet
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