A group of leaders critical of President Emile Lahoud’s policies are mulling the formation of an opposition front, but the parties involved have not agreed on a unified program at their first meeting, according to a report by Daily Star.
The politicians include former President Amin Gemayel, Deputy Speaker Elie Ferzli, and Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt and Communist leader George Hawi. At the latter’s residence on Sunday, the key opposition figures, who share the same stand regarding President Emile Lahoud, discussed the deteriorating economy and the need for independence from Syria.
At a news conference afterward, Hawi was quoted as saying that Lahoud’s record on political dialogue hindered the country’s progress. He criticized the president for keeping the public and his critics at arms’ length by issuing statements instead of talking to them.
“We’re open to cooperating with the president but cooperation doesn’t happen through daily statements. Instead, it should be done through dialogue and discussion,” he said.
Responding to speculation that the leaders were forming an opposition group, Hawi said: “For the time being, we’re beyond opposition and pro-government. We’re a group of politicians meeting today to collectively express our willingness to cooperate. But if dialogue isn’t eventually restored, we will become the opposition.”
The paper added that Jumblatt, Gemayel and Ferzli were joined by Metn MPs Nassib Lahoud and Pierre Gemayel, Kesrouan MP Farid Khazen, former Metn MP Michel Samaha, PSP secretary-general Sharif Fayyad, and Raffi Madoyan, an ally of Lahoud and Samaha in last year’s parliamentary polls.
Notably absent were former Tripoli MP Omar Karami and his ally Nayla Mouawad, a Zghorta MP. They had been expected to attend but declined the invitation, said the paper.
Hawi told reporters more meetings would be held and that more officials would be invited.
There are 46 parties in Lebanon where 3.5 million people live, forming a mosaic of religious and ethnic mosaic.
In the September 2000 elections, critics of Lahoud and the Syrian influence in the country achieved a landslide victory over their opponents. Former president Gemayel arrived last year from his voluntary exile in France to take part in the political life again. The good news he had in the elections was that his son, Pierre, won a parliamentary seat, keeping the influential a key player in the political game – Albawaba.com
