Hezbollah Warns: Forming Fait Accompli Gov’t would Have Severe Consequences

Monday 13 May 2013

Hezbollah Warns: Forming Fait Accompli Gov’t would Have Severe Consequences

Local Editor

Hezbollah warned of the dangers of declaring a fait accompli government, and considered this step would have severe consequences. In contrast, Premier-designate Tammam Salam assured that he will continue his efforts to form a consensus government that serves national interests.

Minister Mohammad Fneish said, in a political meeting at the Municipal Directorate of Labor in the South, that forming a fait accompli government would be a step towards marginalization and elimination, which does not serve national interest, and cannot be accepted because it would divide the country.

“Thinking of imposing a fait accompli government is a return to challenging and elimination policies, and this will not be accepted at all,” Minister Fneish said.

For his part, Chairman of Hezbollah Executive Board, Sayyed Hashem Safieddine, considered, in a ceremony for the passage of one week on the burial of martyr Mohammad Baddah, that Hezbollah’s positive approach during the appointment of PM Salam was for the sake of preserving the country.

“Our positive approach during the appointment period was for the sake of the whole country and for approximating points of view; but if some parts insisted on possessing the government and boycotting other parts, then they must bear the responsibility of their acts,” Sayyed Safieddine stressed.

In parallel, Head of Hezbollah Juristic Council, Mohammad Yazbek, demanded, in a statement he made in a ceremony in Baalbeck, that the representation in the new government must be proportionate with the actual size of the parties.

Similarly, Loyalty to the Resistance Parliamentary bloc, MP Hasan Fadlallah, considered, in a ceremony he attended, that a fait accompli government would drag the country into a crisis, which would have severe consequences.

“Our constitution states clearly that the representation in the government must be a correct one. This is the core of the national charter, and any attempt to damage this representation is a threat to Lebanon which adopts the Taef accord,” MP Fadlallah stated.

Bekaa Official Mohammad Yaghi warned of forming a fait accompli government, considering it would bring instability to the country.

“We will not accept that you form a fait accompli government, and reaching this point will have severe consequences,” he said.

In contrast, Premier-designate Tammam Salam assured in a meeting with reporters that he will continue his efforts to form a consensus government which would serve the national interest and even include members that are not candidates for the election.

He considered that a fait accompli government was a one colored, challenging, or a guaranteeing-third government.

Tammam further told reporters that his choices were variable, and he will set the right moment in which he would take the national choice, as he is currently negotiating with several political sides.
For his part, Deputy Chief of the Kataeb (Phalange) Party, Sejaan Qazzi, told Al-Manar correspondent that his party did not support a challenging government, and wondered: “Could PM Salam protect a fait accompli government?”

Qazzi further stated that “We’d rather wait than form a government which would make an explosion in the country.”

In this context, Progressive Socialist Party Chief Walid Jumblatt, who returned Sunday night from a surprise visit he made to Saudi Arabia where he met former PM Saad Hariri, considered that “the cabinet that grants eight ministers to the March 8, March 14, and centrist blocs offers the best representation and avoids schemes to obstruct political life in Lebanon.”

Jumblatt also slammed criticisms by opposing groups, stating that he supported Salam and President Michel Suleiman's efforts to form a “cabinet of national interests”.