Has the political consensus, which allowed the creation of the unity government, come to an end? Nobody has a clear answer to this question. However, the fate of the government is under threat as the Future Movement continues to reject the mention of the Resistance in the ministerial statement.
Will Prime Minister Tammam Salam resign today [Thursday]? Or did he decide to postpone his resignation until next Saturday? The fate of the new government seems to be limited to these two options after its various factions failed to agree on a ministerial statement, although the Future Movement is still insisting that Salam will not resign.
The latest attempt to reach an agreement took place on Wednesday through Minister of Health Wael Abou Faour, representing MP Walid Jumblatt, who contacted former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and Nader Hariri, who heads former Prime Minister Saad Hariri's office. They told him they would accept the following statement as a compromise: "The right of Lebanon and the Lebanese to resistance [...] and liberation [...],"under the authority of the state, under the responsibility of the state, within the confines of the state, or based on the state's decision.
Communication with Hezbollah broke down, so Abou Faour contacted Minister of Finance Ali Hassan Khalil, who informed him that Siniora and Hariri's formulas were rejected. Khalil also pointed out that the draft of the ministerial statement to which they agreed had emphasized the state's authority in several items. Thus, it is unnecessary to link the resistance with state decisions.
When Salam was informed of the outcome of the negotiations, the prime minister maintained he would resign today [Thursday]. But after receiving several calls, he decided to postpone the decision to 48 hours before the deadline given to the government to agree on the ministerial statement, which will be next Saturday.
Until late last night, none of those concerned with the negotiations had a logical explanation for the collapse of the consensus, which had ensured the creation of the government.
"We will not give up a single letter from the resistance,"Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri told a meeting with MPs yesterday. He explained the "reasons leading them to stick to the decision."
"Isn't this the government of national interest?"Berri asked. "This interest is embodied in the need to hold on to the resistance, to protect our wealth, and to deter attacks, in addition to the issue of sovereignty."But despite the speaker's hardline position on the resistance, sources in Ain al-Tineh said he was not pessimistic. Berri believes "there is still a possibility to agree in the ministerial session and to reach an understanding between all sides."
According to the sources, Berri told the MPs that "the formula he reached recently with MP Walid Jumblatt was not proposed, due to the negative attitude of some of the members of the committee."
On the other hand, ministerial sources from March 14 indicated they were surprised to see "complications, which hindered efforts to reach an agreement on the ministerial statement, especially after the political sides agreed on creating a unity government."
The sources maintained that lines of communications between President Michel Suleiman and Prime Minister Salam, on one side, and several influential figures, on the other, are still open in order to find a solution. However, they explained that "the lack of an agreement meant the presence of an external decision, which does not want to provide the circumstances that allow the creation of a government with full authority." According to sources, "the decision is the first sign of an imminent presidential vacuum.""The government's resignation is not linked to the ministerial statement, since the reasons leading to the resignation do not mention a question of confidence in the government. Salam might decide to resign for political reasons," the sources added. "His speech in the latest session of the statement drafting committee suggested he intended to resign, although he did not mention it in front of us."
Similarly, Minister of Environment Mohammed al-Machnouk maintained that Salam wanted to put an end to what is happening on the issue of the ministerial statement and does not want to wait to be told that consultations will be done to assign a new prime minister.
On the other hand, Future Bloc MP Hadi Hobeich maintained that March 14 ministers will be resigning if an agreement on the ministerial statement is not reached. But other sources in the bloc said that the government's fate was linked to international developments.
"The drafting committee's work was only buying time, in the aim of maintaining stability and tensions at the same time," the sources added. "Lebanon is part of a regional and international system of instability." On this basis, "Lebanon is still on the international agenda and stability is currently an international demand."
Thus, the sources believed that "all the talk about constitutional deadlines hampering the work of the drafting committee is unfounded. The ministerial statement stops at the limits set by the international consensus."In the event"the international community puts pressure to extend the deadlines, we will be hearing many constitutional explanations. The resignation of the government is not required at this moment."
Salam to the UCC: They "tore me to pieces"
Speaking to a delegation from the Union Coordination Committee (UCC), Salam will not play the waiting game until next Monday, when the month given to draft the ministerial statement expires. He did not even want to wait for the March 14 celebrations on Friday. According to the UCC, he was no longer willing to go through more arguments. "The issue is far from being a disagreement over terminology or a ministerial statement," he told them.Salam eulogized the government to the members of the union delegation, which visited him yesterday to push for a scale in ranks and salaries. But it seems the pessimism passed from the prime minister to the UCC, which called for an emergency meeting to discuss options for an escalation in the next few days.
"March 8 and March 14 tore me to pieces," Salam told the delegation in the 20-minute meeting. "I was part of the solution and not the problem. I used to be and still represent moderation, and I received the votes of 128 MPs." He hinted that he informed President Suleiman of his decision.
Salam informed the delegation that in the last two meetings of the ministerial drafting committee, matters were complicated, although the discussions in the first six sessions were good.
This article is an edited translation from the Arabic Edition.