Bkirki Punts
The Bkirki-led negotiations did not fail, per se; they fizzled. Everyone released cheery statements, and then retreated to their respective corners.
The great victory of these negotiations was supposedly an agreement on the procedures through which the next President will be selected. Apparently, Patriarch Sfeir specifically prohibited the committee from discussing the names of potential Presidential candidates. Let's be clear: without a debate over specific candidates, these negotiations were simply fancy word games. Lebanon cannot elect "an agreed upon set of principles" or "selection procedures" to the Presidency.
There are signs that the negotiations did not go as smoothly as Lebanon's elected leaders would like everyone to believe. First, the opposition was quick to contradict early reports that the factions had settled the quorum issue, by resolving that all MPs should attend the Presidential election. "Christian MPs are not obliged to attend the election session," said a Marada spokesman. "It is their right to participated or to abstain from attending the session."
And then the rival factions tussled over whether to refer the committee's report to Parliament (March 14), or Nabih Berri and Saad Hariri (March 8). Successful mediation sessions generally do not end with the sides bickering over the materially irrelevant question of where to send their report. If Lebanon fails to elect a President in the next month, the disappointment of the Bkirki-led negotiations deserves a central chapter in explaining why.
Comments (2)
Bkirki and Sfeir: one blunder after the other. Pathetic.
The major blunder being Sfeir wrongly endorsing a 2/3 quorum, and thereby giving legitimacy to Aoun and Hezbo's boycott of the election. Aoun repeated again (naharnet) today that a 50%-plus-one vote would be unacceptable.
The committee of four was another frigging joke (see my latest blog).
Posted by JoseyWales | October 28, 2007 2:14 PM
Posted on October 28, 2007 14:14
With the greatest of respect
Where else in the world can you elect a president in "secret"? WHERE ELSE do you elect a president without actually going to parliament? Where else do you allow a group of armed thugs to hold an entire country to ransom at the stated behest of a foreign power? Where else can that very same group of armed thugs take an entire country to war, destroy lives, property etc etc and not be called to account? WHERE ELSE can a moffrey PM have the gaul to praise thugs (and palestinian bro's) while giving a speech thanking our national army for its sacrifice at Nahr al bared and not be immediately LYNCHED? Where else do you have 12 different interpretations of the same document ie a constitution; and each one is wrong!
Sfeir is just one of the symptoms of the culture of sectarianism. This old senile man of the mountain has done nothing but assist our enemies by thinking he has the wuthority to interprete the constitution? Sombrero tip JW!!
I would just like to add that Sfeir stopped the forced removal of George Hamilton, our bronzed adonis, in babda because he felt doing so would undermine the office of president! So we keep a turd in office just to uphold our dignity and stuff but who at every turn undermines the legitimate efforts of an elected representative majority...? Brilliant stuff!
OH! Did I mention that this is lebanon and you should expect no different:-)
Ayesh Lubnan (but not our polis')
Posted by shunkleash | October 28, 2007 6:05 PM
Posted on October 28, 2007 18:05