The Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt said on Thursday that he supports MP Tamam Salam for Prime Ministry, stressing that he will not take part in a one-sided government.
Jumblatt added that he does not have any other candidate for premiership, praising MP Salam by saying that he named "the historically centrist political dynasty."
In an interview with
Kalam Ennas TV show, He said that Hariri's pick for premiership was former Internal Security Forces Chief Major General Ashraf Rifi, stressing that he rejected such a nomination since Rifi is a "confrontational candidate."
MP Salam is expected to become the Prime Minister of the next cabinet, after the March 14 alliance announced earlier on Thursday that they have chosen him as their nominee for premiership.
Jumblatt noted that he will not back or participate in any one-sided cabinet, pointing out that he will only grant his vote of confidence to a cabinet formed of all Lebanese factions.
The PSP leader called for dealing with differences inside the cabinet until the end of the Syrian crisis.
Jumblatt warned of any move against Hezbollah's weapons, slamming the US President Barack Obama's call to label the party a terrorist organization.
In this context, he called on MP Saad Hariri to engage in dialogue with Hezbollah in this regard.
On the PSP
presenting its candidatures based on the 1960’s law, Jumblatt said that the law
still remains in effect, stressing that the party’s candidacies were presented
on these terms.
Jumblatt
reiterated his refusal of the division of the Chouf district, stressing that coexistence
is more important to him than winning the elections.
In regards to
Orthodox Gathering’s draft law, Jumblatt said that a certain ideology aims at isolating
Christians from Muslims, adding that such an ideology has been met by his party’s
rejection once before.
On Syria’s Druze who are supporting the Syrian
regime, Jumblatt said that the “shedding of their blood is justified”, while he
lauded those in line of the opposition ranks.
“Iran and the
US are negotiating on the Syrian carcass and I totally oppose the arming of the
opposition by Western forces.”
“[Syrian
President] Bachar Assad will fall, just as his Tunisian counterpart did,” he concluded.