Lebanon cabinet secured the vote of confidence

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Parliament session vote of confidenceThe speaker of the Lebanese Parliament Nabih Berri held a two day session starting Wednesday Β aimed at discussing the policy statement of Prime Minister Tammam Salam’s new cabinet, which took nearly ten months to formulate and Β was Β therefore certain to win the vote of confidence.

Out of the 101 MPs present at the session, 96 of them granted their vote of confidence to the new cabinet, while three Lebanese Forces MPs as well as Nicolas Fattoush gave it a vote of no-confidence as Al-Jamaa al-Islamiya MP Imad al-Hout abstained from voting.

Here are some highlights on the discussions:

Future Movement bloc MP Kazem al-Khair said he will grant the cabinet his vote of confidence.

β€œThe concept of true national interest necessitates rising above narrow interests,” he said during the parliament session discussing the ministerial statement.

Hezbollah MP Hussein Moussawi: β€œWe want the state and we have rejected and still rejected all suggestions we endorse that a statelet.”

β€œBecause we want the state we have carried the standard of the resistance, and not monopolized it.”

Lebanese Forces bloc MP Tony Abou Khater withheld his vote of confidence , saying that resistance should not be monopolized by one party.

β€œThe resistance must not be kidnapped by one party. It is the responsibility of the entire homeland.” He said

Future MP Samir al-Jisr used the opportunity to address the violence in Tripoli, saying, β€œAt every political turning point, Tripoli is used as a bartering card.”

Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP) MP Marwan Fares says β€œthe first condition for success of the cabinet is the will to confront terrorism.”

Phalange party MP Sami Gemayel asked Speaker Nabih Berri to delay his speech so he could be the last MP to speak.

Future MP Amin Wehbeh said that β€œwe were able, despite all conditions, to produce a ministerial statement considered to be an achievement by some.”

Marada Movement MP Estefan Douaihy ceded his vote of confidence on the cabinet to Speaker Nabih Berri and Marada Movement leader Suleiman Franjieh, saying that both of them had the approval to vote on his behalf as they please.

Lebanese Forces MP Elie Keyrouz also withheld his vote of confidence , in line with all LP MPs

β€œThe ministerial statement offers no opportunity for fundamental or positive change,” he said

Progressive Socialist Party MP Henri al-Helou announced he would give the cabinet his vote of confidence, saying, β€œThe most important achievement of the cabinet is that it is everyone’s cabinet.”

MP Robert Ghanem announced he will give his vote of confidence to the cabinet, voicing hope that it will succeed in its tasks. He was the last to speak in the first part of the session

[18:00] Parliament resumes its discussion on the cabinet’s ministerial statement.

[16:16] Lebanese Forces bloc MP Fadi Karam was the first to speak after the parliament resumed its session and like the other LF MPs he withheld his vote of confidence to the cabinet.

β€œWe have great faith in many of our friends and allies who are part of the cabinet to make up for the wrongful fundamentals on which the cabinet was formed,” he said

Phalange party MP Elie Marouni confirmed his party’s approval of Lebanon’s new cabinet Wednesday, stressing that the party had chosen to confront issues of contention from within the government.

β€œ The Phalange party defends the state until death and we have decided to confront [issues of contention] from within the government and the parliament,” Marouni said

Jamaa Islamiya MP Imad al-Hout said he would abstain from granting the vote of confidence for Lebanon’s new cabinet, citing the fears of his party that differences between the government’s parties will obstruct the cabinet’s work.

β€œI am not refusing [to grant] a vote of confidence for the cabinet, but wisdom dictates that we aim to minimize our losses as much as possible,” Hout said

Progressive Socialist Party MP Alaeddine Terro granted the cabinet his voice of confidence, and called on it to prepare for the presidential election.

In his speech during the parliament session, Terro decried the fuss over the ministerial statement.

β€œCabinets come and go, and ministerial statements are written. However, not all that is written is implemented,” he said.

Future Movement bloc MP Ammar Houri granted the cabinet his vote of confidence, saying that it was the best that can be achieved under the current circumstances.

β€œThe formation of the cabinet and the drafting of a ministerial statement relieved the tension in Lebanon,” Houri said

Change and Reform bloc MP Ibrahim Kanaan granted the cabinet his confidence vote and called for holding the presidential election on time.

β€œWe want three things from the cabinet: to provide tranquility and security, to kick off oil drilling in order to promote the economy in Lebanon, and to provide the appropriate conditions to hold the presidential election,” Kanaan said

Lebanese Forces bloc MP Strida Geagea, wife of LF leader Samir Geagea declared that her party will not give the newly formed cabinet of Tammam Salam the vote of confidence but stressed that the LF lawmakers would not obstruct the government’s work.

The parliament resumed the discussion on Thursday.

Phalange party MP Fadi al-Haber said A new President must be elected. We are participating in the government for the national interest.

Future Movement bloc MP Khaled al-Daher criticized β€œwrong practices” by some officers in the Lebanese army, prompting the MPs of the Change and Reform bloc to object to his statement.

Daher granted the cabinet his vote of confidence.

Hezbollah bloc MP Walid Succarieh responds to al-Daher: “The Lebanese army is intent on the security of Tripoli and on all Lebanese areas. I ask the defense minister to reveal all the facts so that everyone knows who is putting Tripoli in danger.”

Future Movement bloc MP Ahmad Fatfat granted the cabinet his vote of confidence and called on it to abide by its ministerial statement.

Fatfat also said that the parliament would be solely responsible for any possible presidential vacancy .

Prime Minister Tammam Salam said that the cabinet must be given a chance and that the Lebanese army alone should not be held responsible for the lack of security in the country.

β€œThe army is not alone responsible for the suffering. It shares responsibility with the security forces, and we are following up on what [these institutions] are doing,” Salam said.

β€œIn many cases, the lack of political cover for the army is the problem.”

Hezbollah bloc MP Hassan Fadlallah granted the cabinet his vote of confidence, but said that the Lebanese state was flawed.

β€œThe flaws have marred the state since day 1 of its its creation, even before Hezbollah was born,” Fadlallah said

β€œThe resistance emerged when the state became absent and abandoned its responsibilities.”

“There wouldn’t have been a state had there not been the resistance. Maybe Sharon would have reached Baabda.” He said

Fadlallah also called on all citizens who want to liberate the land to join Hezbollah.

Lebanese Forces MP George Adwan withheld his vote of confidence , in line with all LF MPs

β€œTrying to cover up divisions within the country with a verbal statement or flowery expressions will not lead to the desired solution.” He said and added

“We don’t want Hezbollah’s arms to be part of the equation of the Lebanese state. We only want it to be used to fight Israel.”

Phalange party bloc MP Sami Gemayel granted the cabinet his vote of confidence, but said it was β€œa cabinet of contradictions.”

He also said that the cabinet’s ministerial statement contained many of these contradictions as well.

β€œThe ministerial statement confirmed in many clauses the authority of the state. However, in the clause related to the resistance, some parties insisted that the authority of the state should not be mentioned,” Gemayel added in a possible reference to Hezbollah

Gemayel also called on the cabinet to respect the law and the constitution.

The parliament resumed the session at 5 pm

Zahle MP Nicolas Fattoush was the first to speak and said his city was left out of this government and consequently deprived the participation of the most important Christian city in the East.

He said The majority of decisions taken in Lebanon are based on foreign orders and said he cannot grant his vote of confidence to a cabinet that “does not have a clear identity.”

Former PM and Future MP Fouad Siniora said the cabinet will not be in power for a long time,” which should serve as an opportunity for us to cooperate to make its short term a success.”

He added: ” The cabinet should restore the role of the state and its institutions. Only then can we succeed in ending the crisis we are experiencing.”

” We agreed to join this cabinet in spite of our deep differences because we believe in Lebanon’s democracy and the Taef Accord.” He said.

Hezbollah MP Mohammed Raad said:

“The state regained its sovereignty thanks to the resistance.”

He added: “The resistance will remain as long as Israel exits and occupies Lebanese land.”

PM Tammam Salam said in respose to MPs’ speeches:

“We thank the MPs for their valuable suggestions and we stress to them that this cabinet shares their national concerns. We promise that we will put the legitimate demands on the track of implementation.”

“The government will not promise anything that it will not be able to achieve. Let no one expect miracles and we will do everything in our capacity to address the problems.”

Excerpts of the ministerial statement:

The cabinet does not promise to accomplish all the aspirations of the citizens.

The cabinet aims at forming a political safety net in order to protect the country.

The cabinet stresses the unity, the power and the sole authority of the state in all matters related to the general policy of the country.

The cabinet will continue reinforcing the capabilities of the Lebanese army and security forces in order to enable them to carry out their duties to protect the border and imposing security.

We will expedite the process of arming the army and equip it through all the financing sources, especially through the generous Saudi donation.

The main challenge facing the cabinet is to hold the presidential election on time.

The cabinet pledges to seek a new electoral law for the parliamentary elections, and to work on a draft law for administrative decentralization.

The cabinet will follow up on the decisions taken by previous national dialogue sessions.

The cabinet will work on resolving the economic situation and will take all possible measures to activate the main economic sectors, especially tourism.

The cabinet will follow up on the wage correction issue.

The cabinet will give special attention to the oil file and pledges to expedite the procedures related to the permits of oil drilling.

The cabinet will fill vacancies in public sector jobs.

The cabinet will follow up on the Special Tribunal for Lebanon until it uncovers the truth behind the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri.

The cabinet will double its efforts on all levels to follow up on the disappearance of Imam Moussa Sadr in Libya.

The cabinet will apply clear measures to deal with the Syrian refugees issue.

The cabinet confirms the state’s obligation to liberate the Shebaa farms, the Kfarshouba hills and the Lebanese part of the Ghajar village with all available means. It acknowledges the right of Lebanese citizens to the resistance against the Israeli occupation and to deter its assaults and retrieve the occupied land.

The cabinet commits to the policy of disassociation in order to protect the country with the best ways against the repercussions of the crises in nearby countries.

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41 responses to “Lebanon cabinet secured the vote of confidence”

  1. MekensehParty Avatar
    MekensehParty

    Maskerade

    1. Hannibal Avatar

      Does anyone know if the word “Masquerade” (having Spanish roots <– mascarada) traces back to the Moors and the Arabs? Like maskhara?

      1. 5thDrawer Avatar
        5thDrawer

        Oxford says it’s strictly French. Derived from ‘masque’ – a form of dramatic entertainment popular in 16-17th centuries. i.e. … masked ball / pretence to be someone else or something other than / idle gossip that masquerades as ‘news’. πŸ™‚
        origin: ‘mascarade’ – Fr.

      2. MekensehParty Avatar
        MekensehParty

        Thanks for correcting the typo
        I trust the auto-correct too much…

      3. mohsen Yabroudi Avatar
        mohsen Yabroudi

        I think khara is a kouffar attribute; la3natou allah 3alehom

        1. Hannibal Avatar

          Here we are trying to elevate the level of this forum to intelligent discussions and Yabroudi comes to the rescue from the sewage… God bless you!

          1. barabie Avatar

            amazing how you choose and pick what you notice.. libnan1 has been talking about “anal” and “penis” all day and yet you find what yabroudi said to be offensive. again hypocrisy at its finest.

          2. 5thDrawer Avatar
            5thDrawer

            That’s because we got used to libnan1 … an unwavering soul, something like people who use the ‘F’ word to make up whole sentences, but probably really a descent neighbour. He likes two things (boinking&Aoun) – but only hates Ice&Snow. So just send Ice&Snow back. :-)))

          3. barabie Avatar

            Which ice? The methamphetamine or the natural?

          4. libnan1 Avatar

            I don’t like either one.

          5. libnan1 Avatar

            A new snow storm coming on Tuesday, had enough 5th.

          6. nagy_michael2 Avatar
            nagy_michael2

            oh poor baby.. its going to be in the 70’s in Los Angeles.. too bad your son is going to enjoy the weather all by himself.. lol

          7. libnan1 Avatar

            Oh dude, He doesn’t want to come home anymore, I don’t blame him. He got this smokin hot girlfriend keeping him busy. The whole Stanford campus is full of hot looking girls, my neck was soar. I’ll be visiting often ….. We didn’t have that caliber of hotness when I was in college but that was 20 yrs ago…..

          8. 5thDrawer Avatar
            5thDrawer

            πŸ™‚ … little reminders … hehehehehe

          9. Hannibal Avatar

            Libnan 1 is hardly my choice of eloquence… Just look at his orange tweetie leader.

      4. Hind Abyad Avatar
        Hind Abyad

        You’re right Mascara (having Spanish roots – (Mouaskar in Arabic)- “um askar)- mother of soldiers- Near Oran, Algiers.
        It was the capital of a Turkish beilik during the Spanish occupation from 16th to
        18th, then French occupation. Today a French colonial type town with very little
        Moors vestiges, unlike Spain’s splendors heritage of Arab occupation.

        1. 5thDrawer Avatar
          5thDrawer

          Mothers of soldiers had black eyes??

          1. Hind Abyad Avatar
            Hind Abyad

            Haha..! Very funy, linguitiscs is fascinating, words come from a mixing of people and languages during the centuries (le jeu de mots ) c’est votre droit auteur. Rashidieh stone in Egypt became la Pierre de Rosette in French, the Rosetta Stone in English.

          2. 5thDrawer Avatar
            5thDrawer

            I always enjoyed Radishes … no stones there. πŸ˜‰
            But yes, language is interesting, and word-roots are as well. Such as ‘martur’ – the witness. Convoluted that one a little, didn’t they?? ;-))))

  2. Do they get dinner after the little chit chat???

  3. 5thDrawer Avatar
    5thDrawer

    Too bad they can’t secure Tripoli … the usual Friday started Thursday … dust-up loud tonight … friends think Hezzys there now …. new sounds and voices with the booms and machine-gun fire.
    Assad entering from the north after Arsal hits ??? Shitty nights ……
    Elections ???

    1. Yabroudi Avatar

      see this assad, he raped our mothers, sisters and daughters in yabroud while we are just like you in here peaceful muslim fighters; please cry with us on yabroud

      1. 5thDrawer Avatar
        5thDrawer

        Oh, I believe …. many do these things … no time to cry when trying to survive.
        But running to peaceful homes and villages to survive does not help mothers and children either. The assadholes just keep chasing.

      2. Peaceful Muslim Fighters. WOW, Never knew such a thing existed

        1. barabie Avatar

          lol u claim the hezzys r muslim, so u r saying that the hezzys aren’t peaceful. interesting.

  4. master09 Avatar

    Hezbollah bloc MP Walid Succarieh responds to al-Daher: β€œThe Lebanese army is intent on the security of Tripoli and on all Lebanese areas. I ask the defense minister to reveal all the facts so that everyone knows who is putting Tripoli in danger.”
    But who is putting Lebanon into free fall and in danger of an all out war. If one party is allowed to hold guns why should the others be any different. Give up arms and let the Army do its job. No one is saying not to be part of politics but a political party does not walk around with 60,000 rockets in the pocket.

    1. 5thDrawer Avatar
      5thDrawer

      TRIPOLI, Lebanon: Clashes between supporters and opponents of Syrian President Bashar Assad renewed in Tripoli Thursday evening after a relatively calm day, wounding at least nine people including six Army soldiers.
      Five soldiers were shot near an Army checkpoint in Deir Ammar. The soldiers were rushed to nearby hospitals in critical condition. A sixth soldier was wounded when a rocket-propelled grenade hit an Army barrack. Three other individuals were wounded in the fighting between Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen.
      Masked men on motorbikes hurled a stun grenade behind the Tripoli Municipality building and two others were hurled in the neighborhood of Dam and Farz. A fourth landed next to Al-Ramel cemetery.
      Armed men also roamed the vegetable and jewelry markets, demanding that shops be closed in solidarity with the northern region of Wadi Khaled, where the Syrian army was firing on fleeing militants.

  5. nagy_michael2 Avatar
    nagy_michael2

    Wippie………………

  6. here is a quote from hizbullah lawmaker

    Hezbollah MP Hussein Moussawi: β€œWe want the state and we have
    rejected and still rejected all suggestions we endorse that a statelet.”

    β€œBecause we want the state we have carried the standard of the resistance, and not monopolized it.”

    and I agree with him. But why he don’t create a state in Syria and monopolized it ?

  7. 5thDrawer Avatar
    5thDrawer

    As for the ‘peace’ of the ‘muslim fighters’ … and the last week in Tripoli … 152 with pieces missing …

    ‘The latest deaths brought the toll in clashes that broke out last week to 22 killed, including a 10-year-old girl, and 152 wounded.
    At least seven Lebanese Army soldiers were wounded in fresh hostilities that broke out Thursday and continued well into the day.
    Fighting intensified after midnight as the warring sides traded mortar bombs, rocket-propelled grenades and B-10 recoilless rifles.
    One B-10 rocket hit Street 33, which is famous for its restaurants, causing material damage only.
    The sound of explosions rocked many parts of the city before fighting eased around 8 a.m. But sniper fire continued to reverberate across Tripoli.
    Schools and universities remained closed for a ninth day as students raised fears over the forced closure.
    “They [gunmen] have made us lose a whole [school] year,” complained Nour Sharif, a Grade 12 student at the private Rawdat al-Faihaa school.
    She also expressed frustration at the schools’ handling of the security situation, saying the administration sends text messages informing students that classes are open but that their safety is their responsibility.’

    AH YES … “safety is their responsibility” …. thank you ‘muslim fighters’.

  8. Hannibal Avatar

    YAAY This changed my life considerably…

  9. Hannibal Avatar

    YAAY This changed my life considerably…

    1. 5thDrawer Avatar
      5thDrawer

      Even more, Hannibal, when they find the bones of Imam Moussa Sadr in Libya. This is truly a great aspiration for a cabinet …. in fact they promise everything except the one thing they they can’t. ‘The cabinet does not promise to accomplish all the aspirations of the citizens.’
      However, considering that ‘The cabinet aims at forming a political safety net in order to protect the country’, they are safe, we can assume. Nice that they decided to resist Israeli occupation. ;-))

  10. 5thDrawer Avatar
    5thDrawer

    Thanks to all Facebook ‘INFOLINKING’ and advertising …. Disgus is loading disgustingly ….

  11. Adam Yonatan Ben Yoel Avatar
    Adam Yonatan Ben Yoel

    Halayluya

  12. cook2half Avatar
    cook2half

    lol..

    1. yu zionist mr yu no goood mr we finich zionist in libnain mr

      1. Hannibal Avatar

        lol

      2. cook2half Avatar
        cook2half

        πŸ™‚

      3. 5thDrawer Avatar
        5thDrawer

        Ok Dab. πŸ˜‰ But while you are here, what happened to the Labneh ????

  13. Its weird seeing them in Parliment, they must all like that “new” parliment smell it has since sitting empty and unused….

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