For reasons that remain elusive, Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati decided to continue proposing the item to postpone the retirement of the army commander for six months outside the agenda of the ministerial session. Mikati's strange behavior persists, even though the decision to challenge it was vehemently declared on the eve of the session by Caretaker Defense Minister Maurice Slim.
This article was originally published in, translated from Lebanese newspaper Nidaa al-Watan.
According to information made available to "Nidaa al-Watan", the Cabinet will appoint Major General Hassan Aouda as the Chief of Staff of the Army. The issue of postponing the retirement of Director General of the Internal Security Forces, Major General Imad Othman, will not be raised due to the refusal of Caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi. There are also rumors that there is a demand from retired military personnel in the vicinity of the Grand Serail that could escalate into confrontations, leading to preventing several ministers from reaching the session, causing it to lose its quorum! A few meters from the Grand Serail, the Parliament resumes its legislative session in the afternoon, following yesterday's two-day morning and evening sessions. There are still 7 items on its agenda before reaching the proposals for laws related to extending the term of the army commander. Prominent parliamentary sources told "Nidaa al-Watan" last night that a unified proposal for the extension of General Aoun and the concerned officers will be presented this afternoon. They added that the proposal closest to agreement is the proposal of the "Moderation" bloc They stated that efforts are underway to secure the presence of 65 deputies to secure a quorum. The same source pointed out that there was communication between the "Lebanese Forces" bloc and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri before yesterday's session, following a prelude from the "Democratic Gathering" bloc, and Berri met with Deputy George Adwan. It appears that the atmosphere is positive for proposing the extension this evening. Nidaa al-Watan learned that two matters were achieved yesterday in favor of extending General Aoun, amid fears of not being achieved: Firstly, unifying the proposals of expedited laws for the blocs of the "Strong Republic," the "Democratic Gathering," and the "Moderation" blocs into one proposal that raises the retirement age for the army commander and the concerned officers. This means that there is a large parliamentary bloc supporting the extension when voting. Secondly, a parliamentary majority signing a petition that demands the discussion of the extension in Parliament. The sources added that there are fears of "hijacking" the session when it reaches the vote on this law, coinciding with the government's decision today to postpone the retirement item while appointing a Chief of Staff, eliminating the need for a challenge by the "Free Patriotic Movement" and cooperating with it to cut off the path to the extension issue in Parliament. It was noteworthy in yesterday's parliamentary session that when the discussion reached an item related to Batroun previously presented by the head of the "Free Patriotic Movement" MP Gebran Bassil, MP Akram Chehayeb objected to its presentation because its presenter boycotted the session. However, Speaker Berri settled the debate, saying, "The Batroun issue can be decided upon." It seemed as if there was a "hidden axis" in the matter! In a related context, informed sources stated that Caretaker Minister of Defense considered in his message to Mikati yesterday that any proposal outside the agenda is a clear violation of the powers of his ministry, especially since the proposal outside the agenda is an exclusive right of the President of the Republic. According to the sources, Slim considered that the law prohibits the extension, and there is no text allowing it except under conditions that do not apply to the case of the army commander. The sources said that Caretaker Minister of Defense will not recognize what comes out of the government session today, but he will submit to any amendment to the Defense Law that takes place in Parliament, even if his opinion is not agreed upon. In the same context, a Kataeb source told "Nidaa al-Watan": "Our position is to wait for our deputies inside Parliament. If the extension for the army commander is not approved in the Cabinet today, which we consider optimal through postponing the retirement, we are ready to participate in the parliamentary session when the item related to the army commander is raised."