Noting that he saw "nothing inconvenient" about adopting the electoral law of 1960, the general said the Lebanese should not be treated like "closed blocs, at the service of such and such a confessional leader... the citizens have the right to have several choices before them, especially in regard to great national options".
The general indicated that the Lebanese had "lost a historic occasion to benefit from several great events which have marked our contemporary history, beginning with the liberation [from Israeli occupation] in 2000, passing to the demonstrations of March 2005, then to our victory in the war of July 2006 and war against terrorism at the Nahr al-Bared camp.
"Another country which had seen these kinds of events would have known how to benefit from them in order to consolidate national unity. We however have been dragged into a surfeit of internal dissensions".
After ruling out "a new Israeli attack against Lebanon", General Sleiman affirmed that in the event of such aggression, "the Army will stand alongside the Resistance".
Considering that "the Lebanese should stand fast and be calm", the general concluded, in reply to a question about a possible "white coup d'etat", he said, "Lebanon is not a country of coups d'état or revolutions, but a country of consensus and compromise on the basis of the consolidation of coexistence, of national unity, and of the safeguard of Arab and international friendships, particularly with Syria and the other Arab countries".
His comments were seen as an ultimatum to the bickering rival camps to settle their differences over the Presidency or face a deeper political crisis. There were also fears that in the event General Sleiman withdraws from the race, this would bury an Arab League initiative to settle the crisis.
The Arab plan calls for Sleiman's election, the formation of a national unity government and a new electoral law. Lebanon has been without a president since November, when Emile Lahoud stepped down with no successor elected. Although the two camps support Sleiman as the consensus candidate, they remain at loggerheads over power-sharing in the future government.
The crisis, the worst since the end of Lebanon's 1975-1990 war, has led to a dangerous power vacuum that has at times spilled into the streets. Seventeen sessions of Parliament to elect a successor to Lahoud have failed since November. A new session is scheduled for April 22.
Beyond the political impact of the general's statement, Sleiman's early departure would cause a vacancy in another top post traditionally assigned to a Christian. The matter is especially delicate as Hizballah's general secretary, Hassan Nasrallah, has said his party would demand guarantees about Sleiman's successor. On this basis, it is unlikely that it would look favorably on the prospect of Shawki al-Masri, the chief of staff, leading the Army on a temporary basis until a new commander-in-chief is appointed, since Masri is seen as being very close to MP Walid Jumblatt, a leading member of the majority coalition.
Retired General Elias Hanna, a military analyst, indicated that replacing Sleiman would be difficult and that his departure might cause the paralysis of the military establishment.
"In principle", Hanna said, "there is no vacuum on the level of the state. The defense minister can appoint as commander-in-chief the officer who comes immediately after Michel Sleiman in the hierarchy". The difficulty, he said, lays in the fact that not only is Masri linked with Jumblatt, but that he is also a member of the Druze community, while the office of commander-in-chief is traditionally held by a Maronite.
"The departure of the Army chief will paralyze the military establishment" if the efforts to replace him fail, according to Sami Salhab, a professor of law at the Lebanese University. "Who will give the orders and direct operations if fighting takes place".
For the March 14 alliance, however, "August 21 isn't an immediate problem. There's enough time to see what transpires. Many things could happen between now and then", according to one majority MP.
For General Michel Aoun, leader of the Free Patriotic Movement, affiliated with the opposition, the conditions laid down by the opposition did not concern the Army, but only the majority.
"It's General Sleiman's right to evaluate the situation", adding, "Let's wait and see how things develop". Even if Sleiman were to retire, he could still be a candidate for the Presidency, Aoun told the BBC.
Another leading opposition figure, former Minister Sleiman Franjieh, told the LBC channel, "If the majority agrees to vote in Parliament for the electoral law of 1960, the election of Michel Sleiman will take place during the same session".
Source: Monday Morning
Tags: Michel Suleiman, Presidential Elections, Suleiman Franjieh
