Report: Kataeb-Suleiman Ministers Demand Appointing One Of Two Christians in Military Council

Ministers of the Kataeb party and former President Michel Suleiman refuse to give the privilege of naming the two Christian figures for the appointment of military council to MP Michel Aoun, al-Mustaqbal daily reported on Sunday.

“Two parties in the cabinet, the Kataeb and ministers of President Michel Suleiman, refuse that MP Aoun names the Christian members for the military council appointments. They want to suggest one of the candidates leaving naming the other to Aoun,” ministerial sources told the daily on condition of anonymity.

Three military council posts, reserved for a Shiite, a Greek Orthodox and a Catholic, have been vacant for the past two years.

The daily added that Speaker Nabih Berri has made some progress in the divisive issue and that “he went beyond meeting the demand of Change and Reform chief Aoun in naming the two christian figures as a condition to return his ministers to the government meetings by also agreeing that Aoun designates the Shiite candidate as well.”

In that regard, the daily added that the Speaker had contacted Army Commander Jean Qahwaji and asked him “for cooperation” regarding Aoun's demands in order to facilitate the cabinet's work.

However, Qahwaji made it clear that “no one had suggested names of candidates, not to me nor to the Minister of Defense (Samir Moqbel). I have not suggested any names as well.”

Media reports on Saturday said that contacts were held between Berri, Moqbel, and Qahwaji that focused on the appointment of three generals in the military council.

The success of the meetings would ensure that quorum is met at the next cabinet session.

The Free Patriotic Movement and its ally Hizbullah had boycotted a government meeting on Thursday due to the dispute over the military appointments.

Despite their boycott and the absence of the Marada Movement minister, the cabinet convened and approved several non-controversial decrees.

The FPM is demanding the appointment of officers to fill the posts. Its conditions have paralyzed the government, which has so far only met three times since September last year.