Post by Janjoon-Lebanese on Oct 8, 2006 13:43:31 GMT -5
Bishops Council ties calls for unity government
05-10-06
BY: DAILY STAR
The Maronite Bishops' Council said on Wednesday that calls by the opposition for the government to resign could have ulterior motives
Bishops' Council ties calls for unity government to 'attempts to hamper' Hariri trial
The Maronite Bishops' Council said on Wednesday that calls by the opposition for the government to resign could have ulterior motives. "Attempts to transform the current Cabinet into a national unity government" might represent "hidden attempts to hamper the creation of an international tribunal to try former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's assassins," the council said.
In a statement read by Monsignor Youssef Tawk following its monthly meeting in Bkirki, the council said the political bickering and rallies that took place after the month-long war with Israel "do not serve Lebanon's interests."
The council said the war had "divided the Lebanese instead of uniting them." The bishops reiterated that Israel's war on Lebanon would have repercussions on the regional and international community, emphasizing the need to promote unity and coexistence in Lebanon.
It also expressed gratitude for the "major efforts deployed by humanitarian organizations and foreign countries" to help Lebanon after the war.
Urging the government to assume its responsibilities, the council warned that "some parties" were attempting to use international aid "to fulfill personal ambitions."
Meanwhile, the confrontational rhetoric between the March 14 Forces and the opposition stepped up Wednesday as Hizbullah officials said the resistance would not disarm as long as the Israeli occupation of Lebanese territory continues.
Our legitimized resistance has an international, human and legal right to resist and it will practice this right whenever it decides and in the right field and at the right time," Hizbullah MP Mohammad Raad said. Raad also lashed out at the Cabinet, describing it as "incapable of protecting Lebanon's interests amid the foreign hegemony."
The national unity government is the only authority capable of providing real, fair and balanced protection of the Lebanese; everything else leads to strife," he said.
Separately, Energy and Water Minister Mohammad Fneish said the challenges facing Lebanon require the formation of a national unity government.
The Hizbullah minister, one of two in the government, said such a Cabinet would not "eliminate the presence of any political party" but establish a balanced political representation and participation in the decision-making process.
We don't want to replace one political line with another, but to create harmony among them to have a real dialogue on the national level and reach
solutions that serve our country," Fneish said, following a meeting with former Minister Suleiman Franjieh.
Recalling Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's recent proposal to build a strong, capable and just state, Fneish said the first step in implementing the resistance leader's plan was "national consensus, a fair parliamentary electoral law and a national unity government.
In response, March 14 MP Walid Eido said the Cabinet represents the majority of the Lebanese and is therefore "Lebanon's government."
It is the government that succeeded and that resisted politically and the government that is reconstructing; thus we don't see a justification for calls to change it," Eido added.
05-10-06
BY: DAILY STAR
The Maronite Bishops' Council said on Wednesday that calls by the opposition for the government to resign could have ulterior motives
Bishops' Council ties calls for unity government to 'attempts to hamper' Hariri trial
The Maronite Bishops' Council said on Wednesday that calls by the opposition for the government to resign could have ulterior motives. "Attempts to transform the current Cabinet into a national unity government" might represent "hidden attempts to hamper the creation of an international tribunal to try former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's assassins," the council said.
In a statement read by Monsignor Youssef Tawk following its monthly meeting in Bkirki, the council said the political bickering and rallies that took place after the month-long war with Israel "do not serve Lebanon's interests."
The council said the war had "divided the Lebanese instead of uniting them." The bishops reiterated that Israel's war on Lebanon would have repercussions on the regional and international community, emphasizing the need to promote unity and coexistence in Lebanon.
It also expressed gratitude for the "major efforts deployed by humanitarian organizations and foreign countries" to help Lebanon after the war.
Urging the government to assume its responsibilities, the council warned that "some parties" were attempting to use international aid "to fulfill personal ambitions."
Meanwhile, the confrontational rhetoric between the March 14 Forces and the opposition stepped up Wednesday as Hizbullah officials said the resistance would not disarm as long as the Israeli occupation of Lebanese territory continues.
Our legitimized resistance has an international, human and legal right to resist and it will practice this right whenever it decides and in the right field and at the right time," Hizbullah MP Mohammad Raad said. Raad also lashed out at the Cabinet, describing it as "incapable of protecting Lebanon's interests amid the foreign hegemony."
The national unity government is the only authority capable of providing real, fair and balanced protection of the Lebanese; everything else leads to strife," he said.
Separately, Energy and Water Minister Mohammad Fneish said the challenges facing Lebanon require the formation of a national unity government.
The Hizbullah minister, one of two in the government, said such a Cabinet would not "eliminate the presence of any political party" but establish a balanced political representation and participation in the decision-making process.
We don't want to replace one political line with another, but to create harmony among them to have a real dialogue on the national level and reach
solutions that serve our country," Fneish said, following a meeting with former Minister Suleiman Franjieh.
Recalling Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's recent proposal to build a strong, capable and just state, Fneish said the first step in implementing the resistance leader's plan was "national consensus, a fair parliamentary electoral law and a national unity government.
In response, March 14 MP Walid Eido said the Cabinet represents the majority of the Lebanese and is therefore "Lebanon's government."
It is the government that succeeded and that resisted politically and the government that is reconstructing; thus we don't see a justification for calls to change it," Eido added.
