Al-Mustaqbal, March 8 Rattle Sabers Over Demand to Summon Syrian Envoy
The war of words between al-Mustaqbal movement and the March 8 forces seems not to be abating after Caretaker Foreign Minister Ali al-Shami said a cabinet session should be held to meet the demands of al-Mustaqbal to summon the Syrian ambassador.
Al-Shami’s press office said Tuesday that “the issue of summoning the Syrian ambassador … requires a cabinet session.”
“Thus, Minister al-Shami urges the prime minister to call for an extraordinary government session to discuss this issue and take the appropriate stance,” the statement said.
The stance of al-Shami, who is part of the Hizbullah-led March 8 camp, came after al-Mustaqbal urged him to summon Syrian ambassador Ali Abdul Karim Ali. The diplomat had called for taking legal action against al-Mustaqbal MP Jamal al-Jarrah for his alleged involvement in smuggling arms and funds to a three-member terrorist cell in Syria.
A March 14 minister described al-Shami’s response as a “constitutional mistake” saying a caretaker premier cannot invite for such a cabinet session but a foreign minister can summon an ambassador as he has previously done with other diplomats.
“In short, summoning ambassadors does not require a council of ministers decision,” the source told An Nahar daily.
All the accusations against al-Mustaqbal movement are baseless and have political intentions, the minister added.
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