Daily Star - All eyes on Bkirki ahead of crucial talks, October 10, 2007
By Rym Ghazal
BEIRUT: As major political figures remain abroad garnering international support until after Eid al-Fitr, Christian officials from opposing camps will be meeting in Bkirki this week in hopes of getting feuding Maronites to bridge some of the gaps between their camps. "The point of these meetings is to help them get together and find common grounds," Bishop Samir Mazloum, one of Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir advisers, told LBC television in an interview on Tuesday.
Sfeir has stepped up his efforts to prevent what has been described as the "marginalization" of Christians in hopes of reaching consensus on a presidential candidate by extending invitations to Maronite leaders to meet in Bkirki. Thursday's meeting would include representatives of the opposition camp, Free Patriotic Movement leader and MP Michel Aoun and Marada chief Suleiman Franjieh, while Friday's gathering would comprise March 14 Christian leaders Amin Gemayel, Samir Geagea, Dori Chamoun, Carlos Edde, Nassib Lahoud and a representative from Qornet Shahwan. "We don't really know if they will discuss the presidential elections per se or the names of presidential candidates," said Mazloum. "Overall reception to the invitation has been very good, and we are hopeful the different sides will come here and discuss with Sfeir their points and then both camps will meet once common grounds are agreed upon," he said.
The initiative is reportedly backed by the Vatican, and is expected to be one of the last decisive chances to try to reconcile disputed leaders over the next president before the end of the current presidential term of President Emile Lahoud on November 24. At the same time, the head of the parliamentary majority, MP Saad Hariri, continued his marathon of meetings abroad and met with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, UN Middle East envoy Terje Roed-Larsen and Nicola Michel, legal adviser to Ban. Hariri told reporters that the main drive behind his UN meetings is to push forward with the formation of the Special Tribunal that will try those behind the killing of his father, former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, and others. "We warn those murdering criminals and those who say that the court is politicized, that the court is coming soon," he said. Apart from the court issue, Hariri reiterated his optimism on the presidential front and stressed that his Future Movement is in "complete harmony" with the other groups in the March 14 camp. "My statements are no different than those made by Gemayel, [Walid] Jumblatt, and Geagea, and no one can divide the March 14 family," Hariri said in response to questions of a crack in the March 14 camp. Opposition leader and Speaker Nabih Berri reiterated his stance on Tuesday that the presidential elections will happen on time.
"We are doing everything possible to deal with the presidential issue," he said. Christian figures on both sides said they viewed Sfeir's initiative as "critical" given the short time left before the presidential election scheduled for Parliament on October 23. "We are in a crisis and there isn't much time left," Reform and Change MP Ibrahim Kanaan told The Daily Star Tuesday. "If the Christians agree, then it would be a major step toward finding a solution to the ongoing deadlock," said Kanaan, who added that historically, the Christians have never been in "full" agreement among themselves. Minister of Social Affairs Nayla Mouawad stressed that the meetings at Bkirki are "our duty" as Christian leaders. "The meetings are about one of the most important Christian seats [the presidency] in the country," Mouawad said on Tuesday. "It is a seat that was lost to us and now is our chance to regain it." Political analysts viewed the fact that Sfeir's initiative was "advertised" so openly as an indication of the seriousness of the upcoming days. "There are always meetings between Sfeir and the rival politicians, but usually they are discrete ... so to have these invitations made public is a major signal to everyone, locally and internationally," political analyst Hilal Khashan said. "The whole world is watching closely where these presidential elections are going," he added. The Lebanese presidential crisis appears to have the world's attention as the French, Spanish, and Italian foreign ministers hatched the idea of a joint visit to Lebanon during a meeting last week in Rome, said French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Pascale Andreani. "They talked about this subject; they thought it was a good idea," she said. Hariri presses ban for prompt set-up of tribunal.
By Rym Ghazal
BEIRUT: As major political figures remain abroad garnering international support until after Eid al-Fitr, Christian officials from opposing camps will be meeting in Bkirki this week in hopes of getting feuding Maronites to bridge some of the gaps between their camps. "The point of these meetings is to help them get together and find common grounds," Bishop Samir Mazloum, one of Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir advisers, told LBC television in an interview on Tuesday.
Sfeir has stepped up his efforts to prevent what has been described as the "marginalization" of Christians in hopes of reaching consensus on a presidential candidate by extending invitations to Maronite leaders to meet in Bkirki. Thursday's meeting would include representatives of the opposition camp, Free Patriotic Movement leader and MP Michel Aoun and Marada chief Suleiman Franjieh, while Friday's gathering would comprise March 14 Christian leaders Amin Gemayel, Samir Geagea, Dori Chamoun, Carlos Edde, Nassib Lahoud and a representative from Qornet Shahwan. "We don't really know if they will discuss the presidential elections per se or the names of presidential candidates," said Mazloum. "Overall reception to the invitation has been very good, and we are hopeful the different sides will come here and discuss with Sfeir their points and then both camps will meet once common grounds are agreed upon," he said.
The initiative is reportedly backed by the Vatican, and is expected to be one of the last decisive chances to try to reconcile disputed leaders over the next president before the end of the current presidential term of President Emile Lahoud on November 24. At the same time, the head of the parliamentary majority, MP Saad Hariri, continued his marathon of meetings abroad and met with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, UN Middle East envoy Terje Roed-Larsen and Nicola Michel, legal adviser to Ban. Hariri told reporters that the main drive behind his UN meetings is to push forward with the formation of the Special Tribunal that will try those behind the killing of his father, former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, and others. "We warn those murdering criminals and those who say that the court is politicized, that the court is coming soon," he said. Apart from the court issue, Hariri reiterated his optimism on the presidential front and stressed that his Future Movement is in "complete harmony" with the other groups in the March 14 camp. "My statements are no different than those made by Gemayel, [Walid] Jumblatt, and Geagea, and no one can divide the March 14 family," Hariri said in response to questions of a crack in the March 14 camp. Opposition leader and Speaker Nabih Berri reiterated his stance on Tuesday that the presidential elections will happen on time.
"We are doing everything possible to deal with the presidential issue," he said. Christian figures on both sides said they viewed Sfeir's initiative as "critical" given the short time left before the presidential election scheduled for Parliament on October 23. "We are in a crisis and there isn't much time left," Reform and Change MP Ibrahim Kanaan told The Daily Star Tuesday. "If the Christians agree, then it would be a major step toward finding a solution to the ongoing deadlock," said Kanaan, who added that historically, the Christians have never been in "full" agreement among themselves. Minister of Social Affairs Nayla Mouawad stressed that the meetings at Bkirki are "our duty" as Christian leaders. "The meetings are about one of the most important Christian seats [the presidency] in the country," Mouawad said on Tuesday. "It is a seat that was lost to us and now is our chance to regain it." Political analysts viewed the fact that Sfeir's initiative was "advertised" so openly as an indication of the seriousness of the upcoming days. "There are always meetings between Sfeir and the rival politicians, but usually they are discrete ... so to have these invitations made public is a major signal to everyone, locally and internationally," political analyst Hilal Khashan said. "The whole world is watching closely where these presidential elections are going," he added. The Lebanese presidential crisis appears to have the world's attention as the French, Spanish, and Italian foreign ministers hatched the idea of a joint visit to Lebanon during a meeting last week in Rome, said French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Pascale Andreani. "They talked about this subject; they thought it was a good idea," she said. Hariri presses ban for prompt set-up of tribunal.
NEW YORK: Lebanese parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri urged UN chief Ban Ki-moon Tuesday to speed up efforts to set up the UN-backed tribunal, to be based in the Netherlands, that is to prosecute those responsible for the murder of his father and others. "What is happening in Lebanon today is a destabilizing coup on Lebanon," Hariri said after meeting Ban. The Beirut MP was referring to the political assassinations that have claimed the life of his father, former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and other politicians since 2005. "This is not acceptable ... The international community should move on those who commit these crimes in a very swift way," said Hariri. "We asked for a harder position from the UN in the face of those assassinations," he added. In his talks with Ban, Hariri also raised the status of the disputed Shebaa Farms. The UN has viewed the Shebaa Farms as Syrian. Lebanon claims sovereignty over the territory, with the approval of Damascus.
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