Pro-Govt. Ein el-Tineh Gathering Wants National Unity Govt.

Beirut (MER) - The follow-up committee of the pro-government Ein el-Tineh gathering on Thursday called for the formation of a "national unity government" capable of taking crucial decisions, the conservative daily AN NAHAR reported Friday. Ein el-Tineh gathering, headed by Speaker Nabih Berri, was formed in response to the multi-sectarian Bristol gathering under Druze leader Walid Jumblat. Ein el-Tineh refers to Berri's Beirut residence. The committee, according to the paper, said the current political instability in the country requires all parties to be up to the national responsibility. The committee also warned of provocations by opposition figures in media outlets, saying the language of intimidation and sit-ins will not resolve the crisis.

"The shortest and most efficient road to national dialogue is by forming a national unity government, which includes all political parties and is capable of leading dialogue, taking decisive resolutions and upholding the Taif Accord. It will also be assigned to help uncover the circumstances behind the atrocious crime which claimed the life of Rafik al-Hariri, his comrades and a number of civilians by punishing the perpetrators and those who orchestrated the crime," said a statement issued after the meeting. The gathering, which includes pro-Syrian officials, held those who are using the language of provocation, intimidation and sit-ins responsible for any pressure on the Lebanese lira.

MP Bassem Yammout, once an ally of Hariri, read the statement. He said, "Dialogue is the only way out of the crisis. The dialogue translates into a national unity government ...the country cannot be kept in a constitutional vacuum." A surge of grief and mass protests that followed the assassination of Hariri, for which many Lebanese blamed Syria and the government, forced the cabinet of Prime Minister Omar Karami out Monday.

The paper quoted Gebran Arayji, member of Ein el-Tineh and Chief of the National Syrian Socialist Party (NSSP) as saying that the 1989 Taif Accord, which silenced the guns of the 1975-1990 civil war, is the main ceiling of any dialogue, since it organizes the presence of Syrian troops in Lebanon and stipulates reforms. According to Arayji, UN Security Council resolution 1559 is currently the main point of contention in the political arena. "But we as a party totally reject it because it contributes to moving Lebanon from one phase to another," Arayji said.

"The opposition is required to decide on a unified position regarding resolution 1559," Arayji added. The mainly Christian opposition supports the 1559 with respect to its demand for a full Syrian withdrawal, an end to Syrian intelligence's meddling in domestic affairs an the disarmament of Hizbullah. However leftist opposition group disagree with the international community on the clause of dismantling Hizbullah.

Sfeir
Meanwhile, Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir reiterated his support to the opposition demands, stressing the need for an interim neutral government, the dismissal of the commanders of Lebanese and Syrian intelligence agencies, blamed for the assassination of Hariri and a full withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon, AS SAFIR reported Friday. In two separate interviews with French paper Le Monde and British Broadcasting Corporation Radio (BBC), from which AS SAFIR carried excerpts, Sfeir expressed hope the new government will be unbiased to organize and supervise the upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled in spring, away from any interference. In his interview with Le Monde, Sfeir underscored the need for the elections to be held on time and for the withdrawal of Syrian troops if not to Syria at least to the eastern Bekaa valley as a start. "Definitely a full withdrawal is better, but it seems they are looking for an honorable exit (of troops)," Sfeir said.

AS SAFIR said the prelate does not see a difference between the Taif Accord and UN resolution 1559. "The resolution calls for disarming militias, including Hizbullah and Palestinians in camps, the withdrawal of Syrian troops to Syria and the deployment of the Lebanese army in the south. And the Taif stipulates the disarmament of all civilians and that the army and the security forces are the only ones entitled to carry arms. The Taif stressed a full Syrian withdrawal two years after its signing. So, there is no difference between the two," Sfeir noted. In his talk with the BBC, Sfeir said that what he meant by an unbiased government is that it should include ministers that are not candidates for the general elections and it should be small.

Jumblat
Druze opposition leader Walid Jumblat renewed Thursday his call for President Emile Lahoud to step down and for the intelligence agencies and their commanders to quit, according to AN NAHAR Friday. Jumblat stressed the political ceiling is the opposition and its unity. He charged that Lahoud has transformed Lebanon into a police state and sold it to the Syrian intelligence. "The country is ruled from Anjar," Jumblat said. Anjar is in the Bekaa along the border with Syria. It is the headquarters of Rustom Ghazaleh, Chief of the Syrian military intelligence in Lebanon. The Druze leader held the government and the authority responsible for the reduction in investment and the unstable economic situation, saying, "this is an authority of criminals."

Speaking in an interview with National Broadcasting Network (NBN), Jumblat said we have two primary demands; first to know who killed Hariri and second the Syrian withdrawal. Syrian is the main powerbroker in Lebanon with some 15,000 troops deployed across the country. Jumblat said the opposition launched dialogue with Speaker Nabih Berri because he heads the parliament, and with Shiite Hizbullah leader, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah because "he contributed to the modern independence by confronting Israel. The rest are puppets." The Druze leader repeated his demand for trying Justice and Interior Ministers Adnan Addoum and Suleiman Franjieh respectively on charges of inciting the assassination of Hariri.

Investigation Not Enough
Meanwhile, the Islamic Sharia Council, under Sunni Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Kabbani said Thursday it was not satisfied with the procedures and methods used in the investigation into the assassination of Hariri, calling for "extraordinary investigations in light of the gravity of the crime," AS SAFIR reported Friday. In an extraordinary meeting, the council stressed the need to preserve national unity and for people to enjoy maximum awareness, wisdom and foresight to safeguard the nation and the Lebanese's interests. The council, the paper said, also underscored the implementation of the Taif Agreement and the respect of all its clauses, mainly with respect to organizing Lebanese-Syrian ties by ensuring special relations between both countries.

"The council underlines the need for continuing the probe into the overwhelming crime to uncover all its circumstances and arrest and punish its perpetrators. The council calls for declaring the truth in the open and for holding accountable those suspected of involvement," said a statement issued by the council. "The Lebanese will not rest unless the culprits are uncovered and placed before justice," it added.