Lebanon - Head of government ready to negotiate resignation - Parliament to vote Monday

AFP via Babelfish translation | February 23, 2005

[HAL9000]

BEIRUT - the head of the Lebanese government Omar Karamé, whose departure is claimed by the opposition, said himself "ready to resign provided that we fall from agreement on a new cabinet", in a public statement Wednesday by daily newspaper Al-Nahar.

"I am ready to resign provided that we fall from agreement on a new government in order to avoid a constitutional vacuum", Mr. Karamé with the daily newspaper affirmed.

"I am ready (to be done it) when I am certain that this decision will not be a jump in the unknown", it declared.

Mr. Karamé in addition indicated to the newspaper that it was going "to raise the question of confidence of his cabinet at the Parliament, if the deputies of the opposition do not do it".

He specified, in remarks with daily newspaper Al-Safir, that this vote of confidence will take place at the time of the meeting of debate at the Parliament envisaged next Monday.

With the vote of confidence, "the government exerts its right to be defended in the enclosure of the Parliament and not in the street", it has says before showing the opposition to seek to create chaos and the constitutional vacuum by refusing the dialogue and the formation of a government of national union.

The president of the Parliament Nabih Berri had reached at the request of the opposition to hold on February 28 a plenary meeting of the Parliament devoted to the debate on the assassination of Rafic Hariri, without excluding a motion of censure against the government.

The former Prime Minister had been killed like seven of his ten other person and bodyguards in a spectacular attack with the explosive on February 14, which made also more than 200 wounded and of the significant damage.

[Southack]

What's to negotiate? If he resigns peacefully, then he'll probably get to live. Otherwise...

[sarah_f]

More and more interesting.

[EGPWS]

the head of the Lebanese government Omar Karamé, whose departure is claimed by the opposition, said himself "ready to resign provided that we fall from agreement on a new cabinet", in a public statement Wednesday by daily newspaper Al-Nahar.

He has an appreciation for life is all.