Charbel Denies Presenting Proposal over Security Appointments as March 8 Annoyed with his Actions

Interior Minister Marwan Charbel revealed on Friday that he has not yet presented any suggestions in the security appointments file.

He therefore denied to LBC television that he is not concerned with any media reports on the matter, hoping that he would reach a conclusion that would “satisfy my conscience.”

He had told al-Mustaqbal newspaper in remarks published on Thursday that he will not give up on Internal Security Chief Maj.-Gen. Ashraf Rifi.

“Rifi is one of the best officers committed to implementing the law,” he told the daily.

Al-Liwaa newspaper reported on Friday that differences are beginning to emerge among the March 8 camp over the security appointments.

It said that the forces were keen on resolving this issue to mark the new government’s first achievement and curb the jurisdiction of ISF chief Rifi “in a manner that would serve the interests of some local powers.”

For this end, Charbel was requested to present a list of security officials suitable to assume vacant security positions, but the names he suggested did not appeal to the March 8 camp “and they quickly crossed them off his list even before discussing them,” reported al-Liwaa.

It explained that the minister had presented a list of colonels, “which incurred the ire of high-ranking brigadier generals seeing as they would have to answer to Charbel.”

This disappointment spread to the political officials, especially Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun, who also refused these names, revealed ministerial sources.

The MP even said that Charbel “was not taking this issue seriously,” accusing him of “political procrastination.”

The daily noted that however that the security appointments fall strictly under the Interior Minister’s jurisdiction and not the cabinet’s.

The daily noted that this is not the first time such a proposal was made, pointing out that former Director General of the ISF Ali al-Hajj had adopted the same approach.

It added that the dispute over the security appointments is paving the way for further disputes at cabinet, especially regarding the handling of the ISF intelligence Bureau.