Salim al Hoss on National Dialogue

The following is a transcript of the last segment of an interview that al Jazeera had with former PM Salim al Hoss. The interview was actually conducted five days ago on the 12th of December. However, I think that it is interesting, worth highlighting and discussing.

ANCHOR: Now there is talk about initiatives for a national dialogue, launched by the Representatives Committee's President Nabih Barri. There is more than one side and you have met more than one personality, political and -- in the past period.

Do you think now, after all, what possibly could come out of the Mehlis report, so that the priority in the coming period will be the national dialogue? Or the opposite. Maybe there will be political segregation and (based) on the international investigation, those who are with the international investigation, or against the international investigation, or with the international court trial, or against the international court, etcetera.

What is the political priority for the Lebanese society?

SALIM AL-HOSS: I, in principle, find it odd to talk about a national dialogue. So what is the role of the recently-elected Representative Council, the President of the Representative Council should be a representative of all the political powers in the country, democratically, the dialogue is going on daily in a natural way. Such is the case in the world's democracies, otherwise, the talk about the necessity for national dialogue from time to time, that implies a condemnation of our system, and insinuates that our system is not democratic.

In all the world's democracies, it happens daily through the constitutional institutions. We have the Representative Council. Why doesn't the dialogue take place in the Representative Council, or through it?

ANCHOR: Pardon, your Excellency, you know very well, you talked about democracies in the world. That's true, the talk about the Representative Council, but you know very well that the Lebanese situation is somewhat different, very different.

Don't you think that after these security violations, after these targetings, this existing political stiffness, all these issues, that the country already needs a national dialogue, whether the representatives inside the Representative Council or outside it, including you, meaning you and your allies outside the Council, and you maybe part of this national dialogue which can be an essential political priority in the coming phase?

SALIM AL-HOSS: Never mind. I am not against the national dialogue, not against the national dialogue, even though the national dialogue disregards the Representative Council. This (argument) can be in place, taking into consideration that I am one of those who say that the current Representative Council does not truly represent the Lebanese people, and that it has been elected on the basis of a law which is known for what it lacks.

ANCHOR: Thank you your Excellency for this contribution, thank you.

Addendum: Stacey has written some interesting comments concerning democracy in Lebanon (specifically, the issue of majority-minority decision making that has become such a hot topic recently).