14 May 2009

BEIRUT: Lebanese President Michel Sleiman said Wednesday that the upcoming elections would result in a near tie between the March 14 Forces and the opposition, but added that the opposition could gain a slightly stronger position than it did after the 2005 vote.

In an interview with Al-Hawadeth magazine and affiliated publications, Sleiman said the March 14 Forces and the opposition would achieve "similar results in the elections, with a difference of two deputies; hence, the opposition would have a stronger position."

Sleiman also noted that the president "doesn't need a parliamentary bloc, since he already reached the presidency" through the MPs' vote.

Sleiman added that the Lebanese president should be given the appropriate authorities to preserve the Constitution and assume his duties.

"If a conflict broke out between the legislative and executive authorities; how can we resolve the situation?" he asked.

"The president should be able to intervene to reach reconciliation between the two conflicting parties," Sleiman said.

Asked about the new Cabinet that would be formed following the legislative elections, Sleiman said: "Efforts are focused on forming a national consensus government in line with the Constitution."

"We do not have the right to impose a confessional and non-political representation," he said.

He also described the Syrian-Lebanese relations as "strong and rooted, and can go beyond diplomatic relations."

Separately on Wednesday, French diplomatic sources quoted by the Central News Agency (CNA) said that France would acknowledge the majority that emerged from the June legislative elections.

In response to statements made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who stressed the need to acknowledge any parliamentary majority, even if the Hizbullah-led opposition won the elections, a retired diplomatic source at the French Foreign Ministry told the CNA that France had a similar position, provided that the elections are held in transparent and democratic atmosphere and are monitored by European and international institutions.

"France will deal with any majority group and with the government formed by the Lebanese people," the source was quoted as saying.

In a separate development, Hizbullah number two Sheikh Naim Qassem said he believed the opposition would win the majority in the elections "because we have wide support."

During an interview with the Financial Times on Tuesday, Qassem said: "As for our priorities in government, our program will be divided in two parts: one will be political and the other developmental."

"Regarding our political program, it is very important for us to preserve Lebanon's independence and sovereignty and to be able to have no foreign hegemony from any side," he added.

Qassem added that among the opposition's economic priorities was fighting corruption and carrying out financial and administrative reforms.

Asked whether Lebanon's foreign policy would change if the opposition won the election, Qassem said: "The foreign policy of any government is a continuation of its [domestic] political policies. In our case, our foreign policy will be in line with our own political policies."

"Our policies will be focused on Lebanon's right to exert its sovereignty over all its territories and Israel's implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 among other issues," he added.

Meanwhile, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said the Syrian intelligence was interfering in Lebanon's elections.

"The Syrian intelligence is visiting Syrians who were given the Lebanese nationality and are residing in Syria," Geagea said Wednesday.

The LF leader added that the Syrian intelligence was seeking to "transport those with Lebanese nationalities to Lebanon to vote on June 7."

Geagea said that such practices showed "the extent of interference in the polls."

The March 14 Forces said that the third republic slogan that appeared in the Free Patriotic Movement's electoral media campaigns was "part of a dangerous coup against the Taif Accord."

A statement issued on Wednesday following a meeting of the March 14 Forces' secretariat general said: "This coup attempt threatens the state's institutions, starting with the presidency, the judicial system, the media and the Constitution."

The March 14 Forces also called for the elimination of the Syrian-Lebanese Higher Council after diplomatic representation was established between the two states.

In other developments, Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt said the meeting between Speaker Nabih Berri and Future Movement leader MP Saad Hariri, which was held on Tuesday, was aimed at "promoting calm prior to the upcoming parliamentary elections."

In an interview with As-Safir newspaper, Jumblatt said that his visit to Saudi Arabia, where he met with Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdel-Aziz, "was positive" and stressed that both officials "agreed to respect the Taif Accord and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon's decisions, as well as to promote calm on the Lebanese political arena."

Meanwhile, the Interior Ministry's election monitoring commission called on media institutions to abide by Article 66 of the parliamentary elections law.

"Media outlets, which were given a license to participate in promoting election candidates, must abide by the list of prices and the spaces they specified in the application submitted to the ministry in February," the commission said in a statement.

Separately, the opposition said it would announce its list for Beirut's third district in a ceremony held on Sunday.

Copyright The Daily Star 2009.