Wednesday, May 04, 2005

Cleared Aoun, United Opposition, Conceding Mikati, Adamant Berri

A number of news items that are refreshing and also disturbing:

  • A Beirut court cleared General Aoun from all political and financial charges clearing the way for his return to Beirut unmolested Saturday.
  • Opposition showed its united face today as all gathered under the rain to call for Dr. Geagea's release from unjustifiable imprisonment.
  • PM Mikati concedes that the Syrian military presence in Deir Al-Ahaer does not violate Lebanese boundaries. I believe that it is just time for us to sign a treaty delineating the boundaries that we share with Syria. Can you believe that we have such a treaty signed in 1948 delineating our boundaries with what is now Israel, and not with Syria?
  • After President Lahoud headed calls to exercise his constitutional right to urge the Speaker of the Parliament to hold an exceptional session to re-evaluate the electoral law and the release of Dr. Geagea, Berri still seemed adamant at not holding any session before the elections. Again, and this goes back to a previous post I wrote questioning the role of the Speaker of the Parliament, it is time to have Berri out of his current position. He simply can't have it all: a head of a large, influential political party, the head of what was called the Ein El-Tineh Gathering, and the Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament. And again, I question the Speaker's rights which somehow grant him so much power as to block holding a session that a majority of members of Parliament wish to hold, that even the President wishes to be held. Is this what the Taef Accord has stipulated?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Do you think there is there any chance that members of the South Lebanese Army will be pardoned?

Anonymous said...

with Berri at the helm, don't count on it!!

Anonymous said...

Why is it that every faction in the Civil War can be forgiven except the SLA? Did they behave with more brutality than other groups?

Solomon2 said...

What, Aoun cleared just like that? A snap of the fingers and hey, presto, why were you away from Lebanon so long, General?