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The Daily Star (Lebanon)
November 22, 2012 Thursday
Geagea stands firm on boycott
Geagea vowed Wednesday that March 14 coalition would continue its
boycott of Parliament until the "killing machine" stops.
BEIRUT: Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea vowed Wednesday that March
14 coalition would continue its boycott of Parliament until the
"killing machine" stops, as Speaker Nabih Berri was quoted as saying
he wanted to see the legislative branch get back to work.
"I think, your excellence, it is time to shout all together: 'enough
to political assassinations and we will not return to carrying out
routine work from now on until the killing machine has stopped,'"
Geagea, addressing Berri, said during a brief televised appearance.
"Isn't it a crime to convene Parliament after 25 assassinations of
political [figures] and lawmakers, and isn't it a crime that six MPs
have fallen victim to such attempts and only two survived?" Geagea
asked.
Without naming Hezbollah, Geagea, a leading figure in the March 14
opposition that has boycotted government's work, argued it would be
unethical to convene parliamentary committees that included members of
the resistance group.
"Isn't it a crime for parliamentary committees to convene while its
participants are those affiliated with suspects directly accused of
assassinations?" he asked.
Four members of Hezbollah were indicted by the Special Tribunal for
Lebanon over the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik
Hariri. The group denies any involvement in the case.
Meanwhile, Berri appeared adamant that parliamentary committees be
convened and the work of the legislative branch return to normal.
Earlier Wednesday, the speaker was quoted as saying he would call for
the convening of joint parliamentary committees, including the one
studying a new electoral draft law.
MPs who visited Berri quoted him as saying that "after the visit by
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan to Lebanon, he will call for the
joint parliamentary committees to resume studying draft laws on the
agenda."
During his meeting with the parliamentarians, Berri reiterated that
legislative work should be reactivated in the face of the March 14
boycott of government work.
The opposition's decision to boycott Parliament in a bid to pressure
Prime Minister Najib Mikati to resign came after the assassination of
a top intelligence chief last month.
Last week, Berri called for a parliamentary session for lawmakers to
listen to the Armenian president's speech this month. The speaker was
also reportedly considering convening another session in solidarity
with the Palestinian in Gaza.
His call for a Parliament session to welcome the Armenian president
drew harsh criticism from opposition lawmakers, who said the speaker
was trying to corner them into abandoning their boycott.
Ali Hamdan, an adviser to Berri, told The Daily Star that the joint
committees studying a new draft electoral law was among those that the
speaker intends to convene.
The work of the committee studying the draft electoral law came to a
halt when March 14 parliamentarians said they received death threats
and were afraid for their lives.
A new law to govern the upcoming 2013 parliamentary polls is a demand
by most of the country's leaders.
However, disputes over the type of system and the size of districts
have delayed approval of any of the proposals.
November 22, 2012 Thursday
Geagea stands firm on boycott
Geagea vowed Wednesday that March 14 coalition would continue its
boycott of Parliament until the "killing machine" stops.
BEIRUT: Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea vowed Wednesday that March
14 coalition would continue its boycott of Parliament until the
"killing machine" stops, as Speaker Nabih Berri was quoted as saying
he wanted to see the legislative branch get back to work.
"I think, your excellence, it is time to shout all together: 'enough
to political assassinations and we will not return to carrying out
routine work from now on until the killing machine has stopped,'"
Geagea, addressing Berri, said during a brief televised appearance.
"Isn't it a crime to convene Parliament after 25 assassinations of
political [figures] and lawmakers, and isn't it a crime that six MPs
have fallen victim to such attempts and only two survived?" Geagea
asked.
Without naming Hezbollah, Geagea, a leading figure in the March 14
opposition that has boycotted government's work, argued it would be
unethical to convene parliamentary committees that included members of
the resistance group.
"Isn't it a crime for parliamentary committees to convene while its
participants are those affiliated with suspects directly accused of
assassinations?" he asked.
Four members of Hezbollah were indicted by the Special Tribunal for
Lebanon over the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik
Hariri. The group denies any involvement in the case.
Meanwhile, Berri appeared adamant that parliamentary committees be
convened and the work of the legislative branch return to normal.
Earlier Wednesday, the speaker was quoted as saying he would call for
the convening of joint parliamentary committees, including the one
studying a new electoral draft law.
MPs who visited Berri quoted him as saying that "after the visit by
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan to Lebanon, he will call for the
joint parliamentary committees to resume studying draft laws on the
agenda."
During his meeting with the parliamentarians, Berri reiterated that
legislative work should be reactivated in the face of the March 14
boycott of government work.
The opposition's decision to boycott Parliament in a bid to pressure
Prime Minister Najib Mikati to resign came after the assassination of
a top intelligence chief last month.
Last week, Berri called for a parliamentary session for lawmakers to
listen to the Armenian president's speech this month. The speaker was
also reportedly considering convening another session in solidarity
with the Palestinian in Gaza.
His call for a Parliament session to welcome the Armenian president
drew harsh criticism from opposition lawmakers, who said the speaker
was trying to corner them into abandoning their boycott.
Ali Hamdan, an adviser to Berri, told The Daily Star that the joint
committees studying a new draft electoral law was among those that the
speaker intends to convene.
The work of the committee studying the draft electoral law came to a
halt when March 14 parliamentarians said they received death threats
and were afraid for their lives.
A new law to govern the upcoming 2013 parliamentary polls is a demand
by most of the country's leaders.
However, disputes over the type of system and the size of districts
have delayed approval of any of the proposals.