Democratic Gathering bloc leader and Progressive Socialist Party chief MP Walid Jumblatt visited Baabda yesterday and met with President Michel Suleiman . Following the meeting he told reporters :
"My statement was misunderstood . I did not and will not abandon Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri. I have stated that our coalition with the March 14 alliance cannot continue, but this does not mean leaving March 14, rather searching for new slogans. All I did was try to deal with ramifications of the May 7 events".
But on Monday PSP media spokesman Rami Al-Rayyes told New TV : "Jumblatt's departure from March 14 is final , will not be joining any other alliance and intends to play a centrist role." He added " The PSP MPs are committed to Jumblatt's decision but non PSP members of the Democratic Gathering bloc are free to decide on their own."
May 7, 2008 date that Jumblatt referred to was the day when Hezbollah invaded and occupied the Sunni part of Beirut and tried unsuccessfully to occupy the Druze stronghold of Mount Lebanon. The Druze leader at the time was in Beirut under siege but the Druze people fought on their own, defended Mount Lebanon and inflicted heavy losses on Hezbollah.
Jumblatt for some time has been trying to reconcile with Hezbollah to prevent a repeat of May 7.
Jumblatt has also been trying to create an atmosphere of calm in the country since the report of the German magazine Der Spiegel was issued last spring. Der Spiegel revealed that it was Hezbollah that was behind the assassination of Lebanon's former PM Rafik Hariri. Jumblatt's concern stems from the belief that once the Special Tribunal for Lebanon confirms what was stated in the Der Spiegel report then this could ignite an all out war between the Sunnites and Shiites that could involve many countries in the region.
The pro-Syrian media is of course having a ball
Many stories are reportedly being fabricated about Jumblatt and the March 14 alliance leaders to add fuel to the turmoil that has taken place since Jumblatt's announcement last Sunday.
Pro- Syrian leaders are also having a ball too
Wiam Wahhab a pro-Syrian former minister said after visiting Syria and meeting with Syrian Vice President Farouq al-Sharaa in Damascus Wednesday :"MP Walid Jumblatt's visit to Syria does not require any mediation. The road to Damascus is open for Walid Jumblatt. This is his home."
General Michel Aoun couldn’t hide his pleasure yesterday when he said during a press conference:
"Jumblatt has not joined the opposition, but he will be more than welcome if he does."
Jumblatt should make up his mind quickly whether he is still in or out . March 14 leaders and Jumblatt's constituents are eager to know if he is still with them or he is flip flopping like general Michel Aoun.
Hariri who according to Asharq al Awsat newspaper has stopped taking any calls from Jumblatt since last Sunday has reportedly told Jumblatt through an intermediary :
"You cannot remain my ally and be independent at the same time ...you are either with me or against me"
Thursday
11;00pm US Sen. Al Franken announces the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to be associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Sotomayor won confirmation Thursday afternoon on a 68 to 31 vote.
10:16pm Suleiman Franjieh said on LBC : Hezbollah will be politically charged with the assassination of Hariri. Jumblatt read and understood the international situation and specifically the issue of Syria and Iran in the region
9:40 pm MP Antoine Saad said the PSP leader wanted “a positive shock, which was aimed at changing and evolving the March 14 alliance. He added that his bloc is still in the parliamentary majority and , MP Walid Jumblatt fully supports Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri’s efforts to form a 15-10-5 cabinet.
07:40pm PSP leader MP Walid Jumblatt meets Wiam Wahhab at his home in Clemenceau. Wahab said later :Syria appreciates Jumblatt's new stance
07:30pm President Suleiman meets caretaker PM Siniora to discusses latest developments
07:24pm NBN : Speaker Nabih Berri says he refuses to talk about politics until cabinet is formed
06:22 pm Mubarak, Hariri discuss Lebanese developments during a phone conversation
06:20 pm UPI : Lebanon's militant Hezbollah has stockpiled more than 40,000 rockets and has ground missiles capable of hitting Tel Aviv, The Times of London said
06;00pm AP: Sonia Sotomayor stands on the verge of making history as the US Supreme Court's first Hispanic justice, despite staunch opposition from Republicans who call her ill-suited for the bench.
05:05 pm Reuters: US sanctions against suppliers of fuel to Iran would drive up the price the Islamic Republic has to pay for imports and provide a big money-making opportunity for oil traders
05:00 pm Bloomberg: The number of Americans filing claims for jobless benefits fell more than economists predicted, a sign some employers have stopped paring staff as the recession eases.
04:56pm March 14 alliance is wondering why Berri is insisting on formation of the cabinet at any cost
04:50 pm Human Rights Watch: "Palestinian militant groups including the armed wing of Hamas are committing war crimes when they fire rockets into Israel."
04:45pm PM designate Saad Hariri is expected back in Beirut within hours with some changes in the names of ministers
04:40pm British Foreign Office Minister Ivan Lewis said Britain is very concerned about Hezbollah rearming
02:24 pm Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak threatens to destroy Lebanon’s infrastructure and state institutions in case of war
11:54 Caretaker PM Fouad Siniora meets with PSP MP Wael Abu Faour at the Grand Serail to discuss current developments
11:57 New TV : we support our colleague Eid in rejecting the arrest warrant
11:53 Democratic Gathering MP Terro : we did not withdraw from march 14 to join the opposition and we will not abandon our ally PM designate Saad Hariri
11:20 Russian FM Lavrov: Russia supports Lebanon's sovereignty , independence and its institutions
11:14 The European Union condemned the mass executions in Iran
11:06 Saudi minister Khoja : The situation in Lebanon is on its way to be resolved and all will be OK
11:00 Hezbollah violates the most important archaeological and historic landmark in Lebanon "Baalbak " and turns it into another Tehran Square where Khomeini , Khamenei , Nasrallah and Hezbollah posters welcome the tourists at the entrance of Baalbek Temples
10:40 The Jordanian ministry of health has reported that the number of swine flue cases in the country has risen to 99
10;30 CNN: Judge Sonia Sotomayor was expected to easily win US Senate confirmation Thursday as two more Republican senators announced their support for the country's first Hispanic high-court pick.
10:20 AP :The renovation of Lebanon's oldest and most important synagogue has begun.
10:10 Al-Sharq Al-Awsat : Hezbollah MP Hussein al-Hajj Hassan said that “fruitful” meetings are being held between Hezbollah officials and PSP leader MP Walid Jumblatt.
10:08 21 killed in an explosion is south Afghanistan
9:53 Mitchell called on Israel to freeze the settlements for 1 year
9:37 Iranian authorities arrested a key aid of Iranian opposition leader Mir Hussein Mousawi
9:25 The security forces arrested 80 wanted people for committing various crimes throughout the country
9:22 al Anbaa: The US Defense Department is monitoring the Israeli drill aimed at launching an attack at Lebanon
9:03 Venezuelan president Chaves imposes trade sanctions against Columbia
8:47 MP Jisr : Hariri will not quit as PM designate and Jumblatt did not leave March 14
8:41 Soueid told Kuwait newspaper al Seyassah : the causes that divided Lebanon between March 8 and 14 still exist and that the error that Jumblatt committed in his repositioning came at the expense of his friends and allies
8:40 PSP media spokesman Rami Al-Rayyes: Jumblatt did not turn on his allies, and we will be at equal distance from everyone
8:27 Saudi Arabia told Jumblatt that he needs to understand the concerns of others in Lebanon
8:22 Asharq al Awsat revealed that there are disputes with the PSP over Jumblatt's new stance
8:13 Hariri told Jumblatt: You cannot remain my ally and be independent at the same time ...you are either with me or against me
8:04 Al Hayat Source : the relationship between Jumblatt and Hariri must be settled, despite the deep wound which was inflicted
7:57 Al-Diyar newspaper reported that Speaker Nabih Berri spoke by telephone yesterday with PM designate Saad Hariri and kept the phone lines open with Jumblatt to heal the rift between the two men.
7:47 The preparations for a meeting between Jumblatt and SSNP chief Asaad Hardan are reportedly complete and the meeting could take place before the end of the week, could include dinner and will be attended by key officials from both parties
7:29 As Safir : MP Saad Hariri met Saudi King Abdullah in Morocco
7:29 An Nahar: Saudi Minister Abdel Aziz Khoja visited Baabda and met with president Suleiman and also met caretaker PM Fouad Siniora
7:15 Jumblatt : I didn’t leave March 14 and stressed to Khoja the importance of the Saudi Syrian rapprochement
7:12 Hariri is still on vacation. No constitutional limit on how long he can be a prime minister designate
Wednesday
09:20 pm Wiam Wahhab said after meeting with Syrian Vice President Farouq al-Sharaa in Damascus Wednesday :"MP Walid Jumblatt's visit to Syria does not require any mediation. "The road to Damascus is open for Walid Jumblatt. This is his home.
09:10 British Foreign Office Minister Ivan Lewis arrived in Lebanon Wednesday on a two-day as part of a Middle East tour, NNA reported.
9:00 pm AP: Two US journalists freed by North Korea returned to the US on a flight with former President Bill Clinton Wednesday morning and emerged for an emotional reunion with family members.
8:30 pm Washington Post : American Idol judge Paula Abdul is leaving the hit show. Abdul posted to her Twitter account on Tuesday that she is leaving with sadness in her heart.
06:20 pm Extremist Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Wednesday visited the divided Ghajar village , saying he was seeking to resolve the future of the small Syrian-Lebanese village under Israeli occupation. "I will try to make a good decision. What it will be I can't say now," the minister told journalists, adding he would present his recommendations within weeks.
06:00 pm AFP: White House spokesman Robert Gibbs on Wednesday withdrew his remark that Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had been "elected," saying Iranians still had questions about his disputed victory.
05:55 Western intelligence sources in the Middle East have disclosed that a special unit of the Russian Federal Security Service - FSB, commissioned by Hezbollah's special security apparatus earlier this year, was responsible for the massive discovery of alleged Israel spy rings in Lebanon in recent months with the help of super-efficient detection systems.
05:25 Caretaker PM Fouad Siniora met individually with Soueid and Kahwaji at the Serail to discuss latest developments
05:05pm MP Michel Aoun said that PSP Leader MP Walid Jumblatt’s new stance is “normal” and will have a long-lasting impact on the March 14 alliance. He also reiterated that proportional cabinet only solution
