Aoun calls on security forces to preempt terrorist attacks

Change and Reform parliamentary bloc leader MP Michel Aoun called on all security forces in Lebanon to fight preempt terrorist attacks to make sure they don’t take place.
“Denunciations and condemnations after the explosions take place are not enough… all security forces in Lebanon must fight terrorism before it occurs and not after,”
Aoun said on Tuesday following his bloc’s weekly meeting in response to today’s bombing of the stronghold of his Hezbollah ally..

A suicide bomber killed four people on Tuesday in Haret al-Harayk a residential district in the Dahiyeh, a southern Beirut suburb an area known as a stronghold of the powerful Shiite Muslim militant and political movement Hezbollah, according security sources.

The Al-Nusra Front claimed responsibility for the car bombing, after the National News Agency said that the car bomb was “likely” caused by a suicide bomber.

Commenting on formation the governmental , Aoun said that his bloc has not yet been consulted over the current efforts to form a cabinet.

“We are working on forming a national unity cabinet and we are happy to have reached a result.”

But the FPM leader voice his rejection to the concept of rotation of ministerial portfolios in the new cabinet, saying any such attempt would be considered an attack on the movement.

“We reject the notion of holding onto any ministerial portfolio, as rotation is acceptable when the cabinet changes, but we reject any manipulation targeting the basis of productivity during the short interval of time (that precedes the presidential vote and the formation of a new cabinet.) That would be a suspicious move aimed at targeting our work (at the ministries),” said Aoun .

“The government is the executive authority and it is unacceptable to give up proper Christian representation in the sovereign and important portfolios,” he added.

“It is unacceptable to renounce the rights of any group in power sharing and any tampering with these norms that are based on the National Pact would be a constitutional violation and a manipulation that is more dangerous than withholding confidence from the cabinet,” Aoun warned.

Aoun added: “We can offer a lot of sacrifices but we cannot sacrifice the people whom we represent and we cannot negate ourselves. We cannot accept new complications in the cabinet formation process, as the current period and the process contain enough complications which are only aimed at targeting and attacking us politically.”

Aoun also voiced his rejection of any attempt to “isolate any political group,” including his own

“It seems that the National Pact is being violated in some matters and we will raise all the issues that have happened since the elections until today. The biggest violation is the extension of parliament’s mandate and the second violation is suspending the Constitutional Council,” he said.

Aoun alos pointed out that his party FPM has not been “consulted regarding the names of its ministers.”

Aoun also called for changed the cabinet formula to to 10-10-10 ministers, stressing this would secure the best representation for all parties.” The current formula being discussed is 8-8-8 which allocates 8 ministers to each of the rival groups March 8 and March 14 and the centrist bloc. PM designate Tammam Salam is reportedly against the 10-10-10 formula , since there are not enough portfolios to distribute amongst all the ministers and many end up being state ministers without portfolios.

“We believe that the new cabinet can pave the way for a new phase of dialogue for the sake of stability. It would also prepare for holding the presidential vote on time with the aim of electing a president who can unite the Lebanese ” he said.

Aoun ‘s comments about the cabinet formation come after his son-in-law caretaker Energy Minister Jebran Bassil held talks with President Michel Suleiman and Salam to discuss the cabinet formation process.

Sources described the meetings as “negative” as Bassil insisted during talks with Salam on keeping the Telecommunications and Energy ministries with the FPM, without offering any alternatives.

Salam, who was appointed last April, held onto the concept of “fair, balanced and comprehensive rotation of portfolios.”

March 14 alliance has reportedly accepted the 8-8-8 formula in principle, but is awaiting answers pertaining to the ministerial policy statement and the rotation of portfolios among political parties. But Lebanese Forces Party has so far refused to join a government with Hezbollah.

Future Movement leader MP Saad Hariri said earlier in the week that he is putting aside his personal differences with Hezbollah, in an effort to join a national-partnership cabinet that can safeguard the country.