By Wassim Mroueh BEIRUT: Nearly a year to the day after its formation, the Lebanese Cabinet is set to hold arguably its most important session Wednesday as ministers from Hizbullah and their allies were determined to settle the controversial issue of “false witnesses” through a vote.
A vote in the Cabinet, or a lack of it, could plunge the country into its worst political crisis since May 2008 and threaten the “national unity” government.
The Hizbullah-led March 8 coalition hopes to refer the issue of witnesses who gave false statements to the international investigation into the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri to the Judicial Council in an attempt to derail the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL).
Prime Minister Saad Hariri and his allies want to avoid a vote and have called for the issue to be referred to the judiciary after the STL issues its indictment in the case. Hizbullah fears the indictment will name some of its members.
Political sources say President Michel Sleiman also wants to avoid a vote in the session and might adjourn the meeting if the rivals fail to reach a consensus over the issue, which tops the Cabinet’s agenda.
A vote in which March 8 wins would embarrass Hariri, while if the session ends without the matter being settled this would anger March 8 and almost certainly lead to the escalation of the already heated war of words between the two sides and deepen the political crisis.
“We decided to vote on the issue of ‘false witnesses’ because time is running out and we can’t stop and wait for others to finish their work and give us an answer,” MP Michel Aoun said after chairing a meeting of his parliamentary bloc which is allied with Hizbullah.
He said that if a final decision was not made on the issue, “this means the Cabinet is abandoning its responsibilities and protects the judiciary that remained silent over the matter.”
“We want to know who is protecting the ‘false witnesses,’” he added.
A March 8 coalition source told The Daily Star that the group’s ministers could withdraw from the session if Sleiman decided to pass over the issue.
It is still unclear which side is capable of securing the required absolute majority of votes regarding the matter.
Head of the Democratic Gathering Walid Jumblatt visited Damascus Tuesday where he met an aide of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Head of the Democratic Gathering Walid Jumblatt visited Damascus Tuesday where he met an aide of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Jumblatt is reportedly trying to reach a compromise over the matter. But a March 8 source said the coalition was confident that Jumblatt’s three ministers in the 30-member Cabinet would side in favor of referring the “false witnesses” file to the Judicial Council if all his attempts to avoid a vote failed.
The Future Movement bloc, led by Hariri, held a meeting chaired by former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora. The attendees issued a statement in which they reiterated that the issue of “false witnesses” could only be addressed by the concerned judiciary following the indictment.
“The so-called issue of false witnesses that is being raised by some parties shall be firmly addressed by the concerned judiciary after the tribunal issues its indictment and anyone who proves to have tried to mislead or derail investigations through false or distorted information shall be brought to trial,” said the statement. The bloc reiterated its support for the STL.
March 8 coalition ministers held a meeting in Parliament to coordinate stances ahead of the session. The meeting was attended by MP Ali Hassan Khalil and Hussein Khalil, and the political aides of Speaker Nabih Berri and Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah respectively.
Energy Minister Jibran Bassil told local television stations that March 8 coalition believed it was high time for the Cabinet to reach a final decision regarding the issue of “false witnesses.”
Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) sources told The Daily Star the FPM favored toppling the government if it failed to address the issue of “false witnesses.”
Maronite Christian Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir told The Daily Star that the formation of a new cabinet could be the solution for the current impasse but added that Hariri was the right man to lead any new government.
In other developments, Hariri received a letter from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad delivered by the Iranian Ambassador, Ghazanfar Roknabadi, who visited him at the Grand Serail. “During this meeting, we tackled issues that were discussed between [Ahmadinejad] and [Hariri] along with other Lebanese officials,” Roknabadi told reporters, giving no details on the content.
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