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Samy Gemayel elected president of Kataeb party

(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — MP Samy Gemayel was elected on Sunday as the new president of the Kataeb party, replacing his father Amine Gemayel who announced he would not seek re-election after leading the party since 2007.

The election shifts the leadership of the Kataeb party to the third generation of the Gemayel family, who formed the party in 1936 as a Maronite paramilitary youth organization.

Gemayel, 34, garnered a majority 339 votes, as his contender Pierre Atallah received 37 votes.

“I feel a very heavy burden and I will shoulder a huge responsibility,” a tearful Gemayel said following the election. “My daily work will be alongside all Kataeb members, all Lebanese and all decent people.”

The polls opened at 10 a.m. at the Kataeb headquarters in Saifi during the last day of the Kataeb General Conference, which began on Friday at the Le Royal Hotel in Dbayeh.

Polls closed at 3 p.m., and results were announced shortly after 8 p.m.

“I will not be able to do anything on my own,” Gemayel added, asking for teamwork and unity as key for his upcoming term. “You have entrusted me with a huge responsibility.”

Gemayel, who was elected into parliament in 2009, promised to “exert his full efforts” and practice the “values of democracy.” He first announced his candidacy two weeks ago in Bikfaya.

“I shall remain loyal to the sacrifices of the Lebanese people,” Gemayel said, adding that he will head to Bickfaya to visit his family martyrs “from whom he derives his power.”

Joseph Abu Khalil was elected as Kataeb’s deputy leader and former Minister Salim Sayegh was elected as the second deputy leader. A political bureau team was also elected on Sunday.

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Kataeb host diaspora convention in Los Angeles

(LOS ANGELES, CA) — The Lebanese Kataeb Party hosted the “USA Lebanese Kataeb Diaspora Convention” at the Embassy Suites in Los Angeles, California from Dec. 5 to 7.

MP Samy Gemayel traveled to Los Angeles to participate in the conference, which occurred at the same time as the World Lebanese Cultural Union World Council meeting in LA.

Gemayel thanked members of the U.S. Kataeb chapters for organizing the conference and encouraged them to keep believing in Lebanon.

“We know that if what’s available to you in America or Canada was available to you in Lebanon, we know where you’d be,” he said. “You all live here, but your heart is in Lebanon. We have faith that in the end, good will triumph and evil will fail.”

Gemayel urged the Lebanese diaspora to buy homes in their motherland and cast their ballots to choose “good” candidates in elections.

Gemayel also discussed issues related to Lebanon, including the attacks on Lebanese soldiers in recent months.

“This is not the first time Lebanon is going through tough times,” he said. “But trust your logic that is stronger than the logic of criminals who kill our soldiers. They are cowards because they attack and kill those who are fighting in defense of their country.”

RELATED: Samy Gemayel attend WLCU ceremony to reveal Gibran Khalil Gibran statue. Read more.

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Gemayel says all sects must unite against extremism

(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — Former Lebanese president and Kataeb leader Amin Gemayel said Thursday that extremist takfiri groups are harmful to both Muslims and Christians, and called for all sects to combat the extremism sweeping the Middle East.

“The whole Middle East region is going through a very difficult phase, especially with the extremist takfiri thought, which not only tarnishes Islam but harms Arabs and humanity as a whole,” he said.

Gemayel said that the bid to combat terrorism was a responsibility of all parties and factions, regardless of religious leanings. He added that the initiative of the heads of Eastern churches, led by Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai, should be supported by all factions in Lebanon and the Middle East.

He said an initiative by the Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar, Egypt’s highest Sunni religious authority, to hold a Muslim-Christian spiritual summit was taking shape with the support of other religious parties.

“The responsibility [to fight extremism] is not restricted to one patriarch or to one sect, but it is the responsibility of all us who feel how dangerous the situation is and must act,” Gemayel added.

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Kataeb call for Maronite pressure group to elect president

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BEIRUT: The Kataeb party Monday called for the formation of a Maronite pressure group in order to push lawmakers to elect a new president.

Following its weekly meeting the Kataeb issued a statement arguing that the election of a president would be the best way to deal with the critical issues facing the country, including the wage-scale increase, the Syrian refugee crisis and maintaining internal stability.

The Kataeb reiterated the need to follow through with its leader Amine Gemayel’s initiative to form a Maronite pressure group, which would work at the national level to push for another presidential election, while consulting Maronite leaders.

Since March, Maronite leaders have been aiming to form a pressure group to mobilize political parties in order to come to a consensus over the presidential issue.

The party rejected the option of focusing on parliamentary polls to counter the gridlock over the presidential election, arguing that “once process does not cancel out the other,” and that focusing on the legislative elections would render the presidential post irrelevant.

The party also called for resuming talks over the draft electoral law, which concluded at an impasse last year. The party said such a law should ensure fair representation and be just toward youth, women and expats.

Touching on the Lebanese University’s decision to postpone examinations in a bid to pressure the government to make institutional appointments and promote contract lecturers to full-time staff, the Kataeb demanded more information in order to come to an agreement that would mitigate between the state and the rights of public sector employees.

The party stressed that any resolution reached over the issue should work around the clock to save the academic year.

The party also called for an investigation to be conducted into the chaos that came with the Syrian presidential election at its diplomatic mission May 28, stressing on the need to rethink the categorization of refugee status.

Source: The Daily Star

Original Article

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Hezbollah raps Geagea candidacy, calls for compromise

BEIRUT: Hezbollah Friday implicitly rejected Samir Geagea’s candidacy for the presidency, saying the Lebanese Forces leader’s move could delay holding the presidential election on time and cause trouble in the politically divided country.

MP Mohammad Raad, head of Hezbollah’s bloc in Parliament, also said his party would only support a presidential candidate who defended the resistance, a long-running divisive issue among the Lebanese.

“Some candidacies that are not qualified [for the presidency] might obstruct holding the election. The country cannot endure a problem and a clash between two national options,” Raad told a rally in south Lebanon, in a clear reference to Geagea’s bid for president.

“There is no time for [forging] a major political compromise over these two options because an agreement on a president cannot be reached unless there is a consensus over a compromise,” he said.

Raad was apparently referring to the two conflicting options over Hezbollah’s arsenal. While the March 14 coalition wants Hezbollah to disarm and surrender its missiles to the Lebanese Army, the March 8 alliance insists that the party keep its weapons to defend Lebanon against a possible Israeli attack.

Geagea, an outspoken critic of Hezbollah, has repeatedly called on the party to hand over its arsenal to the Army, saying a powerful state cannot be built while illegitimate arms remain in the hands of any party. Geagea and his March 14 allies have also slammed Hezbollah’s military intervention in Syria to support President Bashar Assad’s forces.

Days after announcing he would run for president, Geagea unveiled Wednesday a broad political platform stressing the state’s monopoly over the use of arms, a move intended to deprive Hezbollah of its arsenal.

In an apparent response to Geagea’s platform, Raad said Hezbollah would only support a candidate who defended the resistance.

“We want a candidate who will safeguard and defend the resistance option and is keen on the unity of the Lebanese,” Raad said. “With regard to major national issues, abandoning the resistance option in favor of another option will threaten national sovereignty and put the country on the brink of a new abyss.”

“Therefore, we advise those concerned [with the presidential election] to be wise and refrain from embarking on miscalculated adventures,” he said.

The presidential race has moved into high gear after Speaker Nabih Berri Wednesday called on Parliament to convene on April 23 to elect a new president.

The parliamentary session will likely fail to elect a president as no candidate appears ready to secure two-thirds of the MPs’ votes, and the session may not achieve quorum.

In addition to Geagea, Western Bekaa MP Robert Ghanem from the March 14 coalition has also announced his candidacy.

Kataeb Party leader Amine Gemayel is also expected to announce his candidacy for the presidency in the new few days.

As news of Gemayel’s nomination spread, LF and Kataeb officials were in contact in an attempt to reach consensus over a single March 14 candidate.

Geagea’s wife, MP Strida Geagea, telephoned Gemayel asking to meet at the latter’s residence in Bikfaya.

“The LF and the Kataeb Party are very close to an agreement on approaching the presidential election in such a way to ensure March 14 unity in order to wage the presidential battle under the best conditions,” an LF source said.

An LF delegation will soon visit Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun in Rabieh, north of Beirut, to give him a copy of Geagea’s political platform. LF delegations will also visit March 8 and March 14 leaders for the same purpose.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai spoke by telephone with Geagea to congratulate him on his nomination for president and the declaration of his political platform, a statement from the LF chief’s office said.

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt said he was still undecided on which candidate to support for the presidency.

“I will choose [a candidate] at the last minute after consulting my conscience and my partners,” he told Al-Ousbou Al-Arabi magazine. “I will consult Speaker Nabih Berri first, the Future Movement and other sides.”

Jumblatt, head of a seven-member parliamentary bloc, is seen as the kingmaker in the presidential election as his support for one of the two rival factions can tip the balance in its favor.

Separately, a Future Movement source denied Friday that former Prime Minister Saad Hariri would return to Lebanon to attend next week’s parliamentary session to elect a new president.

“Such allegations are not true,” the source told The Daily Star. “Hariri has no intention of coming back to Lebanon at the moment.”

Earlier Friday, Future MP Samir Jisr told the Voice of Lebanon radio station that Hariri might come to Beirut next week to attend the parliamentary session to elect a president.

Source: The Daily Star

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Jumblatt undecided on presidential candidate

BEIRUT: Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt said in comments published Friday that he is still undecided on which candidate he will endorse for the presidency as Hezbollah MP Mohammad Raad indirectly warned against controversial candidates.

“I will choose [a candidate] at the last minute after consulting my conscience and my partners,” he told Al-Ousbou Al-Arabi magazine.

“I will consult Speaker Nabih Berri first, the Future Movement and other sides,” Jumblatt said.

“I will not declare anything about the subject and I prefer we have [announced] candidates with clear economic and social platforms.”

Jumblatt also denied media reports that he would not vote for Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea or Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun.

“I never said that,” he said.

Jumblatt, head of the National Struggle Front bloc, is seen as the kingmaker in the nation’s political landscape as his support for one of the major coalitions can tip the balance in its favor.

The two-month constitutional deadline for electing a new president started on March 25 and Parliament is set to meet next Wednesday to elect a new president.

Lebanese Forces Samir Geagea, a March 14 coalition leader, has announced his candidacy, saying his platform would focus on strengthening the state and combating the proliferation of arms in the country.

Another March 14 leader, Kataeb head Amine Gemayel, is also expected to announce his candidacy while MP Michel Aoun, Hezbollah’s main Christian ally, has yet to join the race.

Meanwhile, Mohammad Raad, head of the Hezbollah parliamentary bloc, said his party would support a presidential candidate who defends the resistance.

“We want a candidate who will support and protect the resistance strategy and who is keen on the unity of the Lebanese people,” Raad said during a memorial service in south Lebanon.

“We advice politicians to be wise and refrain from embarking on miscalculated adventures,” he said, apparently referring to problematic nominees. “What is needed is to help the country pass through this phase as we preserve its sovereignty.”

 

Source: The Daily Star

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Ongoing contacts between Lebanese Forces, Kataeb to name single March 14 candidate

Contacts are underway between the Lebanese Forces and the Kataeb party in an attempt to reach consensus over a single March 14 presidential candidate, after several party officials close to Amin Gemayel hinted that the former president might soon announce running for office.

LBCI television reported on Friday that the ongoing contacts between Bikfayya and Maarab are close to reaching consensus over the presidential elections, in an attempt to preserve the March 14 coalition’s unity.

LBCI first said that LF MP Sethrida Geagea was tasked with contacting the Kataeb party.

But later, it noted that the party’s chief, Samir Geagea and not MP Sethrida Geagea, was the person in contact with Kataeb officials.

Al-Mustaqbal MP Fatfat told al-Arabiya on Friday afternoon that Geagea has introduced “a new approach of political work in Lebanon and a new aspect of democracy by announcing his candidacy.”

“This is because the tradition before was having under-the-table negotiations,” he commented.

He also remarked that March 14 will reveal its candidate for presidency after Gemayel takes a final decision on his nomination.

“But reports said contacts are underway between LF and Kataeb over this matter and we think that this is a positive sign,” the al-Mustaqbal lawmaker expressed.

In a related matter, MTV said that a LF delegation will visit Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun in the coming hours to hand him over Geagea’s presidential program, and to discuss the upcoming elections with him.

Kataeb MP Elie Marouni assured on Thursday that Gemayel is a “natural candidate in the presidential race, because the party sees in him a strong and popular president.”

Labor Minister Sejaan Qazzi, who’s Gemayel’s adviser, announced as well that the Kataeb leader is preparing to declare his candidacy.

On Wednesday, Geagea announced a presidential program that focused on “restoring the authority of the state against the proliferation of weapons during a time of regional unrest.”

The LF chief also called for a state monopoly on the use of force, including confronting Israel.

He is the sole politician to have officially announced his candidacy for the polls, which are first scheduled to be held on April 23.

Speaker Nabih Berri called on MPs to meet next Wednesday, although the election is not expected to be an easy process amid a lack of agreement on a consensual candidate.

President Michel Suleiman’s six-year tenure ends on May 25.

Source: Naharnet

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Report: Gemayel to announce candidacy this week

BEIRUT: Kataeb Party leader Amine Gemayel will run for president and his candidacy will be announced in the next few days, a Kataeb lawmaker said Thursday, a day after Parliament was called to elect a new head of state, throwing the presidential race into high gear.

Zahle Kataeb MP Elie Marouni also voiced fears about the country descending into a presidential vacuum due to a lack of local, regional and international agreement on Lebanon’s next president.

“The Kataeb Party’s Political Bureau will announce Gemayel’s candidacy to the presidency during a meeting either Saturday or Monday,” Marouni told The Daily Star.

Prime Minister Tammam Salam said there was no reason preventing holding the presidential polls on time.

“There is no reason for this election not to be held on time if it is part of our genuine democratic practice,” Salam told reporters after meeting Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai in Bkirki to congratulate him on the Easter holiday.

He said eleventh-hour compromises and meetings between rival political parties might take place to ensure that the presidential election is successfully held on time.

He added that Rai was optimistic about the presidential vote taking place on time.

Salam dispelled fears concerning the presidential election. “We hope that this election will take place, a new president will be elected and the country’s democratic system is bolstered so that we can move forward for the sake of Lebanon and the Lebanese,” he said.

Lebanon last month entered the two-month constitutional deadline for Parliament to meet to elect a new head of state to replace President Michel Sleiman, whose six-year term expires on May 25.

Speaker Nabih Berri Wednesday called on Parliament to convene on April 23 to elect a new president. The parliamentary session will likely fail to elect a president as no candidate appears ready to secure two-thirds of the vote by MPs, and the session may not achieve quorum.

In addition to Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, who has announced he will run for president, Western Bekaa MP Robert Ghanem from the March 14 coalition has also announced his candidacy.

Although the March 14 coalition has not yet officially taken a stance on Geagea’s candidacy, his nomination is expected to present the coalition with a tough choice.

Marouni said Gemayel’s political experience, history and ability to communicate with all the parties make him “a strong president capable of running the country’s affairs.”

Marouni said Gemayel, a key leader in the March 14 coalition who served as president of Lebanon from 1982 to 1988, is able to gain support from the rival Hezbollah-led March 8 alliance because he maintains contacts with all the parties.

Gemayel’s six-year mandate as president was marred by political differences and internal strife, including clashes between the Lebanese Army and militias of Syrian-backed Muslim parties in Beirut and the mountains.

Gemayel’s tenure also saw the deployment of U.S.-led multinational troops in Beirut to oversee the Palestine Liberation Organization’s pullout from Lebanon.

These troops returned to Lebanon after hundreds of Palestinian refugees were massacred by Israeli-allied Lebanese militiamen in the Sabra and Shatila camps following the assassination of his brother President-elect Bachir Gemayel.

Marouni warned of a presidential vacuum unless a regional and international agreement is reached on Lebanon’s next president.

Labor Minister Sejaan Azzi from the Kataeb Party said Gemayel’s candidacy does not contradict that of Geagea.

“This is not a problem,” he told The Daily Star. “We will have diversity among candidates and we might later reach some exchange of votes or a certain agreement to have a shared candidate. This is all part of the democratic process,” he added.Although Geagea says he is confident his allies in the March 14 coalition will endorse his candidacy, the group has not yet thrown its weight behind any name.

Azzi explained that the March 14 coalition is in need of a moderate candidate that can win some votes from the rival March 8 rival camp, and that Gemayel possesses these qualities.

Geagea announced Wednesday a broad political platform stressing the state’s monopoly over the use of arms, a move intended to deprive Hezbollah of its arsenal.

Sleiman congratulated Geagea on his nomination for president, the LF said in a statement Thursday. It added that Sleiman, who spoke with Geagea by telephone Wednesday evening, also praised the LF leader for his political platform that stressed restoring the role and authority of the state as his main goal.

U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon David Hale met Geagea in Maarab with whom he discussed the latest political developments in Lebanon and the region, the National News Agency reported.

 

Source: The Daily Star

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