Posted on 11/23/2007 3:12:28 PM PST by NormsRevenge
BEIRUT, Lebanon - Lebanon's political tumult intensified as President Emile Lahoud said the country is in a "state of emergency" and handed security powers to the army before he left office Friday without a successor. The rival, pro-Western Cabinet rejected the declaration.
Lahoud's final announcement created new confusion in an already unsettled situation, which many Lebanese fear could explode into violence between supporters of Prime Minister Fuad Saniora's Western-backed government and the pro-Syria opposition led by the Shiite militant group Hezbollah.
The departure of Lahoud, a staunch ally of the Syrian regime during nine years in office, was a long-sought goal of the government installed by parliament's anti-Syria majority, which has been trying to put one of its own in the presidency.
Hezbollah and other opposition groups have blocked legislators from electing a new president by boycotting ballot sessions, leaving parliament without the required quorum.
The fight has put Lebanon into dangerous, unknown territory: Both sides are locked in bitter recriminations, accusing the other of breaking the constitution, and they are nowhere near a compromise on a candidate to become head of state.
The army command refused to comment on the developments. The military, under its widely respected chief, Gen. Michel Suleiman, has sought to remain neutral in the political chaos.
Lahoud stepped down when his term expired at midnight, smiling as he reviewed an honor guard on the way out of the presidential palace in the Beirut suburb of Baabda.
In the capital, some 2,000 government supporters gathered in a Sunni Muslim neighborhood cheered his departure, setting off fireworks, beating drums and shouting, "Lahoud out!"
His departure left the presidency vacant after parliament failed again to convene earlier Friday to vote on a successor.
Even before the president's vague announcement, the military was in place to guard against the two sides' supporters taking the conflict to the streets. On alert for days, hundreds of soldiers stood with tanks, armored personnel carriers and jeeps in the area around the downtown parliament building as well as on roads leading into Beirut.
The capital was largely calm, save for some fireworks from Lahoud supporters.
Lahoud's vaguely worded statement wasn't a formal declaration of a state of emergency, but it enflamed tempers with his reference to a "state of emergency" in Lebanon.
"Because a state of emergency exists all over the land as of Nov. 24, 2007, the army is instructed to preserve security all over the Lebanese territory," the presidential spokesman, Rafik Shalala, said.
The constitution requires the Cabinet to approve any state of emergency, and Saniora's government quickly rejected the announcement.
"It has no value and is unconstitutional and consequently it is considered as if it was not issued," said a government spokesman, who asked not to be identified because an official announcement had not yet been made by the prime minister.
Later, a government statement said the Cabinet "continues to shoulder its responsibilities and exercise its full authority."
Shalala argued Saniora's position didn't matter because his government was not constitutional — the position voiced by Lahoud and the opposition since the Cabinet's five Shiite Muslim members quit last year.
Further complications awaited the expiration of Lahoud's term. Under the constitution, the government is supposed to take on the president's powers if he leaves office without a replacement. Lahoud had vowed not to hand his authorities to Saniora — and his reference to a state of emergency might have been an attempt to escape doing so.
Saniora signaled earlier that his government planned to assume the powers. His top ally, the United States, said Friday that was the proper path.
"This is the procedure stipulated by the Lebanese constitution, and will ensure that the government is able to continue conducting its business without interruption," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in Washington.
Calling for the election of a new president "as quickly as possible," McCormack said, "We urge all Lebanese political groups to do their part to maintain calm and promote security for Lebanon's citizens."
Opposition leader Michel Aoun warned the Cabinet that "usurping the role of the presidency" would increase its "illegitimacy." But he appeared to be trying to ease fears of violence by adding that the opposition would "calmly confront" the situation.
It was unclear if Lahoud sought to give the military any powers beyond security measures.
The military command declined to comment on the president's statement, but Suleiman, the military commander, told his troops earlier in the week to ignore the constitutional wrangling and "listen to the call of duty."
The anti-Syria camp has sought to capture the presidency to seal the end of Syria dominance of Lebanon, which lasted for 29 years until international pressure and mass protests forced Damascus to withdraw Syrian troops in 2005.
Hezbollah, which is an ally of Syria and Iran, and its opposition allies have been able to stymie the government's hopes by boycotting parliament, as they did Friday afternoon when the majority tried to convene a session to vote before Lahoud left office.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who is aligned with the opposition, scheduled another session for Nov. 30 to give the factions more time to try to find a compromise candidate — something they failed to do in weeks of talks mediated by France's foreign minister and others.
Leaders from each side had been pledging not to take steps to provoke the other — though Lahoud's announcement raised the heat.
"We have no choice but to have a consensus," Saad Hariri, leader of the anti-Syria majority in parliament, said after the failed session. "It is not in Lebanon's interest that the (presidential) palace is left empty."
Another factor complicating the crisis was the U.S.-sponsored Mideast peace conference next week.
Government supporters have accused Syria of using its allies in Lebanon to block a deal on the presidency until it sees what it gets in the conference. Damascus wants the meeting in Annapolis, Md., to address its demands for the return of the Israeli-held Golan Heights.
France on Friday called for patience to resolve Lebanon's crisis but also chided Syria. French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Pascale Andreani said it's up to the "Syrians, like everyone else, to remember that the goal is not to hinder the process but to help it."
Lebanese President Emile Lahoud waves after stepping down from 9 years of presidency in Baabda near Beirut November 23, 2007. Lebanese President Emile Lahoud ordered the army to take charge of security on Friday after political rivalry blocked the election of his successor, hours before he was due to step down. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir (LEBANON)
Lebanese deputy and head of the parliamentary majority, Saad Hariri(C), is surrounded by bodyguards as he exits the parliament building in Beirut. Lebanon's Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri today postponed for a fifth time a parliament session to elect a successor to incumbent President Emile Lahoud until 30 November 2007, amid total deadlock between the Western-backed ruling majority and the Hezbollah-led opposition.(AFP/Joseph Barrak)
this joker has been invisible of late.. makes sense. ;-)
Security forces dismiss reports of plot to assassinate Nasrallah
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=86812
‘Suspects are trained to lie, mislead investigators’
Hani M. Bathish - Daily Star
Friday, November 16, 2007
Lebanese security forces uncovered a plot to assassination Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, according to a report in the local daily As-Safir. The plot was uncovered during the course of ongoing investigations into a terror cell arrested over the summer in the Sunni-dominated Iqlim al-Kharroub area, the daily said.
Except for the president stepping down part, this sounds a lot like Pakistan.
On a side note, I thought the Lebanese were Arabs, but President Lahoud does not look Middle Eastern at all...
Nasrallah builds case for jihad against Lebanese government
Ya Libnan | 11/13/2007 | Abu Kais
Posted on 11/13/2007 3:31:45 PM EST by mojito
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1925217/posts
Lebanon:
Clashes between militants in Palestinian refugee camp
BBC Monitoring | November 16 2007 | Al-Arabiya TV
Posted on 11/16/2007 3:52:15 PM EST by knighthawk
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1926863/posts
Lebanon fails to elect new president
al Bawaba | November 22 2007
Posted on 11/23/2007 4:50:21 PM EST by knighthawk
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1929732/posts
Geeeeeettt readddddddy to rummmmmmble!
Lebanon ping!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.