President Michel Suleiman has considered a move by Speaker Nabih Berri to hold a parliamentary session “non-consensual if a political team opposes it.”
His visitors told An Nahar daily published Thursday that the constitutional studies indicate that “mobile draft-laws” could be adopted and that “a cabinet session could also be constitutional to find a solution to pressing issues.”
Full StoryThe March 14 leadership has decided that the coalition’s MPs would boycott a parliamentary session called for by Speaker Nabih Berri on June 8 to take decisions on critical issues amid the absence of a government.
Sources close to the leaderships described attempts by Berri to release the agenda of the session as an “unprecedented heresy” in light of the rejection of five members of the parliament’s bureau committee for the concept of a legislative session.
Full StoryMP Ali Hassan Khalil, Speaker Nabih Berri’s political aide, on Wednesday lashed out at the March 14 camp, accusing some of its leaders of waging a “systematic campaign” against the house speaker.
“It seems that there is a systematic campaign … being waged by some of the leaders” of the March 14 camp “who are outside the country and are trying to respond to Speaker Berri’s remarks that ‘the Cedar Revolution has set Lebanon back 60 years,’” Khalil said.
Full StorySpeaker Nabih Berri headed on Wednesday a meeting for the Parliament Bureau Committee, after which the schedule for next week’s June 8 parliamentary session was distributed.
Official sources from the meeting stated that the schedule includes draft laws and proposed projects to be addressed by the MPs.
Full StorySpeaker Nabih Berri reportedly said on Wednesday that if next week’s legislative session faced lack of quorum, he will not back off and will insist on holding it.
“He will call for a second, third and fourth session until it is held,” lawmakers quoted Berri as saying during his weekly meeting with them at parliament.
Full StoryThe March 14 General Secretariat condemned on Wednesday Speaker Nabih Berri’s recent criticism of the Cedar Revolution, noting that he is constantly confusing his role in his party with that of his role as parliament speaker.
It said in a statement after its weekly meeting: “We advise Berri to employ his talents in helping his camp form a government, instead of launching battles to compensate for its failure.”
Full StoryThe aides of the speaker and the Hizbullah leader visited the Free Patriotic Movement chief and the president on Tuesday after they resumed their mediation efforts to solve the cabinet impasse.
But An Nahar daily said Wednesday that the separate meetings that MP Ali Hassan Khalil and Hussein Khalil held with FPM chief Michel Aoun and President Michel Suleiman did not reach any results.
Full StorySpeaker Nabih Berri said that his statement about the Cedar Revolution “killed” the March 14 forces leading to “all the fuss” about the issue, As Safir newspaper reported on Wednesday.
Berri was referring to his statement that the Cedar Revolution had taken the country 60 years backwards. He said during a ceremony on Monday that the revolution which drew Syrian forces out of Lebanon in 2005 led to corruption and provided the suitable atmosphere for foreign intervention.
Full StoryPhalange Party leader Amin Gemayel condemned on Tuesday last week’s incident at a Telecommunications Ministry building at al-Adliyeh, describing it as “unacceptable.”
He stressed after holding talks with Speaker Nabih Berri: “Blame in this issue cannot be made based on media reports.”
Full StoryLebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea praised on Tuesday Internal Security Forces chief Major General Ashraf Rifi, saying that the ongoing campaign against him “is targeting the last free position in the Lebanese state.”
He demanded during a press conference an end to the campaign against him, noting: “His tenure at the Interior Ministry contributed to the international investigations for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and uncovered tens of Israeli spy networks.”
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