Speaker of Parliament and Prime Minister: Jumblatt Wants General Jamil al-Sayed’s Head
Syrian Vice President: We Will Respond to Any Israeli Aggression
The doors of the Lebanese presidential palace were opened yesterday to Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, after phone lines to the palace had been cut off to them since President Emile Lahoud’s return from Paris on Friday.
However, the opening of the doors would not have been possible without the health issue faced by Syrian Vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam on Sunday in Tripoli during the commemoration of the late former Prime Minister Rashid Karami. Al-Qabas learned that the Syrian presidency asked Khaddam to urgently work to alleviate the political tension that has dominated Lebanon in recent days, as signs of a rift emerged between the first presidency and the second and third presidencies.
Indeed, Khaddam, after leaving the hospital (and confirming that the health issue was due to eating fish on Saturday night), went to the home of former Prime Minister Omar Karami, and from there traveled to Beirut, where he met with Speaker Nabih Berri, in the presence of Major General Ghazi Kanaan, the head of the Syrian security and intelligence forces in Lebanon, and then with Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. After discussions aimed at calming tensions, the four of them traveled in Hariri’s car to the Baabda Palace, where the Syrian Vice President was invited to lunch.
Reducing Tensions but…
According to informed sources, the Baabda meeting helped reduce the level of tension between the presidencies, but “major problems” remain unresolved, awaiting a Lebanese-Syrian summit to be attended by the Lebanese President and both the Speaker of Parliament and the Prime Minister. The summit will address the situation regarding the decree for the extraordinary session of Parliament to continue studying and approving the budget. Lahoud has refrained from signing this decree due to Berri’s decision to set the session date for tomorrow, Wednesday, without prior consultation with him, which contradicts the constitutional text. This formal breach could have been overlooked if things were going smoothly.
Extraordinary Session
While some MPs have threatened to submit a petition signed by an absolute majority to open the session and compel the President to act according to the constitutional text, recent efforts have led to a direction towards issuing the decree, as Lahoud cannot take any step that impedes institutional work in the country.
Observers believe that the rift between the three leaders is too deep to be bridged in a single meeting. The disagreements have accumulated, particularly between Lahoud and Hariri, while Berri, Hariri, and Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt all agree on demanding the removal of General Jamil al-Sayed, the head of General Security, who is seen as a key figure close to the president and holds sensitive files. His close relationship with Syrian security agencies is also noted.