- Berri: I will not budge on the electricity formula
As-Safir daily quoted Speaker Nabih Berri on Thursday as saying that he will not budge on the formula that he has put forth with regard to the electricity draft law, adding that his plan will be put to a vote during Thursday’s legislative session.
“It is a legislative power to confirm resolutions made by the executive, and such acts do not constitute a violation of any sort,” Berri said in response to the Change and Reform bloc who opposes the inclusion of all the terms of the cabinet’s resolution in the electricity draft law for “some of them fall under the jurisdiction of the executive power exclusively.”
Berri added that he had reached the compromise proposal during his follow-up on the discussion process in the committees’ session.
Berri added that it was clear to him that, despite their differences, all parties wanted to provide electricity to Lebanon; therefore he suggested to adopt the cabinet’s resolution as a draft law, for it constitutes a common ground between the majority and the opposition.
- Salam: UN recognition of Palestinian state an inalienable right for Palestinians
Al-Mustaqbal daily quoted Permanent Representative of Lebanon to the United Nations Nawaf Salam on Thursday as saying that U.N. recognition of a Palestinian state is a nonnegotiable and inalienable right for Palestinians, for it reflects their right to decide their fate.
Salam added that winning U.N. recognition is a long diplomatic journey for Palestinians and cannot be limited to a single session in the U.N. Security Council.
On another pressing issue, Salam stated that “Lebanon still has enough time to pay its share of funding for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL)”, Salam said, adding that the situation will not lead to the imposition of sanctions against Lebanon.
- Wikileaks: Aoun wanted to protect STL
Al-Mustaqbal daily reported Thursday that a U.S. embassy cable leaked by WikiLeaks on September 18th 2006 said that Change and Reform Bloc Leader MP Michel Aoun had accused Hezbollah of inciting division in the cabinet and seeking a wider representation in the new government.
The cable quoted Aoun as saying that he does not oppose the establishment of a Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL). According to the same cable, Aoun had vowed not to hinder the STL establishment should he come to power, claiming that he was the first to call for its formation.
The cable also shed light on a meeting Aoun held with Energy Minister Jibran Bassil and former U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Jeffrey Feltman where Bassil denied that Hezbollah had offered a sum of money to Aoun’s party in order to be distributed to Christians suffering from the damaging impacts of the Israeli war. Bassil added that Hezbollah had distributed the reconstruction money to different sects in southern Lebanon and not only the Shia sect.
- Mansour: Lebanon to reconsider maritime agreement with Cyprus
As-Safir daily quoted Foreign Minister on Thursday as saying that he will discuss with the Cypriot minister today the row between Cyprus and Turkey over the offshore drilling for gas adding that he will convey to him that Lebanon wants to thoroughly reconsider the Lebanese-Cypriot maritime agreement.
On his meeting with his Syrian Counterpart Walid Muallem, Mansour told As-Safir: “Lebanon maintains brotherly ties with Syria”, adding that he will discuss with the Syrian foreign minister the latest developments in Syria.
Mansour called for supporting Syria to find its way out of the crisis without imposing sanctions and issuing resolutions against it, which would aggravate the situation in the medium and long run.
- Mystery minister says UN is looking for a fight
Al-Akhbar daily reported on Thursday that a minister is pushing for cabinet approval of the clause related to providing funds for the STL out of fear of a row with the U.N. Security Council; a row, he believes, the international community is seeking out.
The same minister, who is not affiliated with the blocs of PM Najib Mikati or MP Walid Jumblatt, confirmed that the funding approval will pave the way for serious talks, ahead of the extension of the STL mandate, to make modifications to the protocol signed between the STL and Lebanon so that the country could restore a part of its sovereignty.