07 August 2007

Aoun declares results of voting a 'national win'

BEIRUT: Free Patriotic Movement leader General Michel Aoun declared his victory in the Met by-election as a "national" victory and accused his contender in the Phalange party of pumping "political money" into the elections. "They called me Michel Nasrallahian. How much more national can you get?" The FPM leader asked in a news conference on Monday.

Aoun was responding to the news conference held earlier by his party's contender for the Metn seat, Former President Amin Gemayel, who said the elections had proven that Aoun had lost Christian support.

"Those who win a parliamentary seat, they have won nationally, and that includes the Christians," said Aoun.

Aoun slammed Gemayel for using numbers of "lost votes" to show that the FPM leader lost popularity among Christians.

"Using Gemayel's logic, since I received 70 percent of the Christian vote in Baabda in 2005, it seems I won in Baabda, even though I lost the actual seat," said Aoun. "They are arrogant when they win and when they lose."

Aoun also accused the ruling majority of using "political money" in the by-elections, asking: "If you accuse me of using money from Syria ... where does [MP Saad] Hariri get his money from?"

Regarding his chances for the presidency since he lost support among the Christians, Aoun said "the road to Baabda has been closed off for me by militiamen-controlled checkpoints."

At the same time, Aoun extended his hand to all the Christian sides, saying: "Sign the document in Bkriki and let's settle this division once and for all, paving the way to national unity in the country."

"We need to form a government of national unity to stabilize the country," he said.

Aoun said there are two elements to stabilizing Lebanon, namely the Lebanese Army and political alliances.

"They want to weaken the army ... and to break apart alliances," said Aoun.

The Lebanese Army has been fighting militants of Fatah al-Islam in the Northern refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared for almost three months.

Aoun admitted that he knew the stakes in running in these elections, but he took on the challenge anyway.

"I knew what was at stake, and I accepted the challenge, and won in the end," he said.

Aoun also slammed some of the media, particularly the Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation for "lying" and taking sides in the Metn election.

The FPM also released a statement in which it denied reports of Aoun's past remarks about the Tashnag. The FPM leader said: "I know the Armenians, we studied together. and they were heroes in the army."

Gemayel says polling revealed where Maronites stand

BEIRUT: Former President Amin Gemayel declared on Monday that there should be no more "debate" on who represents the Christians, calling on the people to judge on the numbers from the Metn by-election, while at the same time congratulating the Free Patriotic Movement's candidate for winning.

"These elections were effectively a test. They have shown that General [Michel] Aoun's support is in broad decline in Christian regions because of the policies he has followed," he said in a news conference Monday.

Regarding the results, Gemayel said although Aoun emerged as the winner in the weekend poll, the party had nonetheless been weakened politically as it only clinched a narrow victory.

"A majority of Maronites voted for us, 75 percent, and only 34 percent for Aoun," he said. "So now let us talk about the true Christian representative."

Gemayel said in just two years, Aoun had lost 20,000 Christian votes and that the Phalange had gained 10,000 votes.

Gemayel, who contested a seat that fell vacant when his son Pierre was assassinated in November, said his strong showing gave him a mandate to continue his anti-Syrian path.

"Let us all open a new page from now," he said, adding that the "battle for sovereignty and independence is not over yet."

"These polls have shown the solution to the Lebanese crisis is found in respect for institutions. This is why I am calling for reconciliation between Christians ... so that presidential commitments can be respected."

Gemayel called on various Christian leaders to agree on a candidate for the presidency.

"There should be an understanding on the presidential polls as soon as possible," he said, calling on Christians to unite.

At the same time, Gemayel accused the Armenian Tashnag party of using "unacceptable" election practices, and questioned their alliance with Aoun.

"Aoun called the group a mafia ... and undemocratic," he said, citing a statement he claimed Aoun made on May 29, 2002, in An-Nahar newspaper.

Gemayel also said he was preparing a file on the "forgeries" committed by the Tashnag party in Bourj Hammoud, and that it will be investigated soon. "We have close ties with Armenians, but what the Tashnag Party did was unacceptable."

Gemayel also accused Aoun of "provocation" by sending his supporters into the streets on Sunday, prior to the official results. "It could have turned into a deadly conflict," he said.

Hariri insists March 14 camp triumphed in both districts

BEIRUT: Head of the Future Movement MP Saad Hariri saluted the by-elections in both Metn and Beirut as a "victory" for the March 14 camp.

"The fifth of August is a victory for March 14, a victory in Beirut and a victory in Metn," the head of the parliamentary majority said in a televised address to the nation.

In what appeared to be the March 14 stance, Hariri embraced both by-elections as a victory, despite the fact that the Metn seat was lost to the opposition coalition's candidate Free Patriotic Movement member Camille Khoury.

Hariri said repeatedly in his speech that the by-elections were a victory for the country, legitimacy and the government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora against its enemy.

"In Beirut it is an absolute victory, a victory against criminal acts that assassinated the martyr Walid Eido. It is a victory for the sake of the Lebanese martyrs and Beirut deputies martyrs: former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, MP Bassel Fuleihan, MP Gebran Tueni and MP Walid Eido," said Hariri.

Hariri assured that the March 14 forces will remain united and will not succumb to the threats directed by the Syrian regime.

Hariri added that the victory was a "blow" to the assassins and criminals.

"Beirut sent a clear message that its citizens will not surrender to the pro-Syrians," the Future Movement leader said.

Metn, as Beirut, witnessed a 100 percent Lebanese victory for Christians, he said, adding that in Metn the Maronites gave their votes to Amin Gemayel.

As for the offences and accusations launched against the Hariri family and the Future Movement, Hariri said that these are "all lies" and have no other aim except to provoke the Lebanese people against each other.

"We promised all our martyrs to continue our fight for independence and to protect the national unity," said Hariri.

"Last but not least we salute the security and military institutions that assured secure and democratic elections and succeeded widely despite the challenges that they are facing in Nahr al-Bared and on all Lebanese territories," he said.

"We bow in front of the sacrifices of our martyrs who are dying for the sake of Lebanon and its democracy," the head of the Future Movement said.

Jumblatt urges review of naturalization laws

BEIRUT: Head of the Democratic Gathering Parliamentary bloc MP Walid Jumblatt declared the Metn by-election a "big victory" for the March 14 camp, and a national win for the ruling majority.

"The 14 March camp has had a great win, especially by the national orientation revealed in the ballot boxes," said Jumblatt in his weekly statement for Al-Anba, a magazine owned by his Progressive Socialist Party.

Jumblatt said the vote was not a matter of a seat in Parliament but rather about Lebanon's "national orientation."

"The Lebanese people have proven once again that they are committed to the democratic regime and to their plans to pursue and maintain this country's sovereignty," he said.

"They seek independence and will not return to the tutelage of political crimes," he said.

Jumblatt called for the revision of "the naturalization decree" and demanded that the Lebanese nationality not be given to those who do not deserve it, adding: "We need to review who carries the nationality ... and only allow those who deserve it to keep it."

Jumblatt also criticized Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and the leader of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM)  MP Michel Aoun for "continuing" the outlook of the Civil War.

He said the opposition's actions have caused a "political bankruptcy" in the country since the Hizbullah-led alliance has rejected any solution regarding the internal political crisis.

"I wish that the Tashnag party took into consideration the right of the Lebanese people for self-determination to face the Syrian fascist regime and not forgotten the Armenian genocides," said Jumblatt.

In Sunday's Metn by-election, more than 7,000 out of 9,000 Armenians voted for FPM candidate Camile Khoury.

At the same time, Jumblatt saluted the neutral Armenians and those who never took part in the Lebanese Civil War.

"As for those who are using war language, they don't have any prospect for the future therefore they are holding on to the indecents of the past during the Lebanese Civil War," Jumlatt said.

He added that the opposition and any other forces "don't have the right to give anyone political lessons."

"The recognition of the Taif Accord is what helps stabilize the very foundation and existence of Lebanon," Jumblatt said, adding: "And [Lebanon] belongs to Arab nations and that was before the eruption of religious beliefs that divided this country regionally." - Rym Ghazal

Interior minister announces official results

BEIRUT: Interior Minister Hassan Sabaa declared that in the Metn by-election MP Michel Aoun's ally Camille Khoury won by a margin of 418 votes, with 39,534 votes against former President Amin Gemayel's 39,116. The third candidate, Joseph Mansour Asmar, received only 10 votes. At the 348 polling stations in Metn, voter turnout reached 46.5 percent as 79,642 out of 169,340 registered voters cast their ballots yesterday. A total of 978 votes were eliminated from the count.

The higher registration committee received an objection from Mr. Samir Khalaf, representative of Gemayel, disputing the results in several polling stations. Sabaa responded to the objection, saying "to be honest with ourselves and the citizens, we have read the objection received by President Gemayel's representative."

As for the Beirut by-election, Mohammad al-Amin Itani won as predicted, beating six other candidates with 22,988 out of 27,100 votes, while the second-place candidate, Ibrahim Mahmoud al-Halabi received 3,556 votes.

Zuhair Ibrahim Khateeb received 75 votes, Mohammad Rashid Fardouhi received 12 votes, Saleh Faroukh received 3 votes, whereas Maher Abou Khdoud received no votes. Turnout was much lower in Beirut than in Metn, with just 18.9 percent participation and 27,100 out of 141025 registered voters casting ballots in 250 polling stations. - The Daily Star