who has been leading this trend has called for taking Lebanon "out of the March 8 and 14 trenches."
"We formed a unity cabinet and with this government we should take Lebanon out of the March 8 and 14 trenches," Jumblatt said Friday night asking Hezbollah’s leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's to help in this mission
Jumblatt’s change in stance was prompted by the May 2008 uprising by Hezbollah , when the militant group used its so called “resistance arms” to occupy the Sunni part of Beirut and tried unsuccessfully to occupy the Druze stronghold of Mount Lebanon.
The der Spiegel report of last May reinforced Jumblatt’s new stance. The German magazine revealed that it was Hezbollah and not Syria that was behind the assassination of former PM Rafik Hariri. Jumblatt is concerned that if the International Tribunal proves that Hezbollah killed Hariri, then this could start a civil war between the Sunnis and Shiites.
“There is no doubt that I was shocked by May 7, the sectarian tensions, and hatred among the ‘one people’ in Beirut and Mount Lebanon. My concern was to halt the sliding toward civil war. There is no fear of a war erupting among the Christians, but fear exists regarding the "Muslims , Shiites and Sunnis ", Jumblatt told al Manar yesterday
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The der Spiegel report also made Jumblatt feel guilty about his accusations against the Syrian regime. Jumblatt pointed fingers at Syria for all the assassinations that took place since 2004
Jumblatt, reiterated during the interview that he was still part of the majority but would have his own stance on certain issues in the new cabinet.
Similarly the Phalange Party politburo member Sejaan Qazzi stressed that currently Phalange is an independent parliamentary bloc that votes according to its convictions and does not abide by the decisions of the parliamentary majority or minority.
The change in Phalange party stance was prompted by the allocation of the ministry of social affairs to their party instead of the ministry of education which they lobbied hard for.
Jumblatt confirmed his interest in visiting Syria : "I will announce from here (al-Manar) my visit following Premier Saad Hariri's visit to Damascus and when there is readiness in Damascus to welcome me."
Jumblatt, in his new stance is counting on speaker Nabih Berri . He thinks Berri has had enough from being dominated by Hezbollah and may be ready for taking a centrist position. He is also counting on president Suleiman. But neither Berri nor Suleiman have any political base that could be counted on should an election take place anytime soon.
Both Jumblatt and the Phalange should realize that this shift in their position will weaken the March 14 majority if not accompanied by a similar shift within the March 8 alliance .
Jumblatt in particular should also realize that Hezbollah could not have assassinated Hariri without Syria’s help and therefore should stop feeling guilty about Syria…. after all …they killed his father and never denied it !
Saturday
9:30 pm Egypt snatched a last-gasp goal to secure a 2-0 victory over Algeria on Saturday and force a play-off against their opponents to decide the final African place in the 2010 World Cup finals.
8:17pm Minister Abu Faour: The only solution is to adopt the last ministerial statement as far as the resisitance arms are concerned but Lebanon should declare its adherence to international resolutions
8:15 pm Minister Aridi visited Franjiyeh: He had a constructive role in the government formation
8:15pm MTV : March 14 will insist on a including a specific paragraph on the resistance arms in the ministerial statement
7:50pm al Manar : Gemayel sent Sejaan qazzi to Syria , but the Kataeb party sources are denying this
5:30pm The Lebanese army intelligence handed over to Examining Military Magistrate Sakr Sakr the detainee Fadi Ghassan Ibrahim (Sikamo) and 8 Fatah al-Islam detainees, all charged with belonging to an armed group aiming to conduct terrorist acts.
3:47 pm Nasri Khoury : Hariri will be welcomed in Syria and his visit is being arranged
1 :57 pm President Suleiman voices hope for finalizing Ministerial Statement by Independence Day
1:50pm French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner has expressed his country’s readiness to follow up on the disappearance case of Shiite cleric Imam Moussa Sadr
12:29 New TV : Wiam Wahhab advised Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri to use MP Suleiman Franjieh to mediate his visit to Syria
11:25 MP Ammar Houri told Future TV that President Michel Suleiman’s visit to Damascus on Thursday was “at the right time,” stressing that the best framework for a relationship with Syria is at the state level. He added that Prime Minister Saad Hariri will visit Arab states, including Syria, after the newly formed government gets the parliamentary vote of confidence.
11:17 President Michel Suleiman arrived in the town of al-Yamouneh in Baalbeck to lay the cornerstone for al-Yamouneh dam. He said that he is hopeful that this could lead the implementation of projects in the Hermel area
10:58 FPM MP Walid Khouri told Future TV that there is no problem with the Ministerial Statement because, he says, there is an “agreement” that the Hezbollah weapons issue be left to discussion in the National Dialogue.
10:49 Social Affairs Minister Selim Sayegh told Free Lebanon radio station on Saturday that although the “opposition” is insinuating there is no problem with drafting the Ministerial Statement, the Kataeb party will not legitimize Hezbollah’s weapons. He called instead for coming up with a defense strategy in the National Dialogue in order to confront the danger threatening the country and its sovereignty.
10:31 Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and MP Talal Arslan discussed latest developments in the country and assessed the aftermath of the elections and formation of the cabinet.
09:26 FPM MP Alain Aoun said in an interview with Al-Mustaqbal that the relationship between the Free Patriotic Movement and the Future Movement has improved following the cabinet formation and will continue to strengthen “on the ministerial, parliamentary and political levels.”
8:35 MP George Adwan told VOL: The new cabinet doesn’t reflect the results of the June 7 polls. Lebanon is facing a decision “that could either open the door to a promising future or lead to the continuation of the situation that followed the May 7 events.
08:38 Tourism Minister Fadi Abboud said in an interview with An-Nahar that the number of tourists visiting Lebanon will increase by 20% if stability persists in the country.
Friday
11;59 pm Suicide car bombs ripped through an office of Pakistan's main spy agency and hit a police post in the country's violent northwest Friday, killing at least 12 people in what appeared to be the Taliban's latest attempts
11:00pm The Army psychiatrist charged with killing 13 people in a shooting rampage at Fort Hood is paralyzed from the waist down as a result of his bullet wounds and may remain that way, his lawyer said Friday.
10:20 pm Hamas has suspended its rocket launches against Israel since the Gaza Strip war and is similarly curbing other armed Palestinian factions in the territory, Israel's military chief said on Friday.
10:10 Reuters: At least two people were killed on Friday when a chain of explosions ripped apart a Russian arms depot on Friday, shattering windows for miles around and forcing the evacuation of 3000 people
10:00 pm NASA discover about 26 gallons of water on the moon, the space agency announced Friday. Water on the moon, once a wild conjecture, appears to have become an established fact.
9:40pm PSP leader MP Walid Jumblat in an interview with Al-Manar: There is no doubt that I was shocked by May 7, the sectarian tensions, and hatred among the "one people"in Beirut and Mount Lebanon. My concern was to halt the sliding toward civil war. There is no fear of a war erupting among the Christians, but fear exists regarding the "Muslims , Shiites and Sunnis ". Extending the term of president Emile Lahoud was a big strategic mistake.
