Samir Geagea

 News

Samir Geagea’s Instagram account hacked, ransom asked for its return

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea’s Instagram account was hacked Monday, according to a statement released by the party’s office.

According to An-Nahar, the unidentified hackers “asked for a ransom in exchange for the return of the account.”

The former militia leader’s Instagram account’s bio read, “This account has been hacked.” There was also a post of an unknown male with text that read, “Black hat: hacking in the real world.”

Courtesy of An-Nahar
Screenshot posted by An-Nahar.

This comes nearly a month after the Lebanese Forces were able to win 15 parliamentary seats, almost doubling the amount of their party members in parliament.

Samir Geagea most recently lashed out at President Aoun’s decree granting Lebanese citizenship to over 400 foreigners, most of whom are wealthy Syrians.

RELATED: Lebanese Forces, Kataeb and PSP call on Aoun to nullify citizenship decree

The Lebanese Forces said it reached out to Instagram and it appears the account has now been restored and the hackers post was removed.

Geagea’s Instagram account can be found at this link.

Comments Off on Samir Geagea’s Instagram account hacked, ransom asked for its return 1908
 News

Lebanese officials react to Iran nuclear deal

(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — Lebanese Prime Minister Tammam Salam and other Lebanese officials praised the deal reached between Iran and world powers Tuesday and expressed hope that the agreement would usher a new era of peace to Lebanon and the Middle East.

“We hope that this development will have positive repercussions on the situation in the Middle East, in a way that helps reduce tensions and spreads peace and stability,” Salam said in a statement.

Before the agreement was reached, Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said on Sunday that an Iranian nuclear deal could help pave the way to ending the presidential vacuum in Lebanon.

Other leaders from opposing parties also expressed their delight, including Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun, Marada Movement chief Sleiman Frangieh, and former President Michel Sleiman.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea and Progressive Socialist Party chief Walid Jumblatt were the only officials in Lebanon who spoke against the deal on Tuesday.

“Some have hopes about the nuclear deal but I disagree,” Geagea told reporters after meeting with Prime Minister Tammam Salam.

He said the deal is only a “mere agreement” and that it can potentially “aggravate” the situation in the Middle East.

Jumblatt said the deal “excludes Arabs…with total disregard for the Palestinian cause” and provided a “boost” to the “murderous” regime of Bashar Assad.

Under the deal, sanctions imposed by the United States, the European Union and the United Nations will be lifted, in return for Iran’s acceptance of long-term curbs on its nuclear program, which the West had claimed was aimed at creating a nuclear weapon.

The lifting of sanctions and the release of frozen assets in the United States will provide Iran with billions of dollars.

The former Iranian ambassador to the United Nations, Mohammad Sadegh Kharazi, was quoted as saying by The Guardian that the deal ended the “Cold War” between Iran and the United States.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the agreement as a “historic mistake” and said he would do what he could to block Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

“Iran is going to receive a sure path to nuclear weapons. Many of the restrictions that were supposed to prevent it from getting there will be lifted,” Netanyahu said at the start of a meeting with Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders in Jerusalem.

“Iran will get a jackpot, a cash bonanza of hundreds of billions of dollars, which will enable it to continue to pursue its aggression and terror in the region and in the world. This is a bad mistake of historic proportions.”

Comments Off on Lebanese officials react to Iran nuclear deal 1996
 News

Lebanese Christian rivals hold rare meeting

(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — Lebanon’s two main Christian political leaders held a historic meeting on Tuesday, in an effort to find common ground among two enemies whose rivalry has lasted for decades.

Michel Aoun and Samir Geagea, who fought each other during the Lebanese Civil War from 1975-1990, are both candidates for the Lebanese presidency which has been vacant since Michel Sleiman’s term expired a year ago.

But the rare meeting, which was held at Aoun’s home in Rabieh, left political quarrels behind and instead focused on a landmark declaration of intent between the two rivals.

Aoun and Geagea prepare to speak to the media during a joint press conference at Aoun's home in Rabieh on June 2, 2015. (Photo: Aldo Ayoub)
Aoun and Geagea prepare to speak to the media during a joint press conference at Aoun’s home in Rabieh on June 2, 2015. (Photo: Aldo Ayoub)

The Lebanese Forces and Free Patriotic Movement parties have been in talks for months now, ushered by FPM MP Ibrahim Kanaan and LF media officer Melhem Riachi.

Aoun called the meeting a “gift” to Lebanese Christians who were concerned about the political and security climate in Lebanon.

“The decision is in our hands and not in the hands of any other party,” Aoun said, referring to the influence of the regional power-players Iran and Saudi Arabia.

The agreement on a new president is widely seen as a broader deal requiring a Saudi-Iranian blessing.

Aoun is an ally of the Shiite Iranian-backed Hezbollah, while Geagea backs the Sunni Saudi-backed politician Saad Hariri.

The two leaders issued a joint statement calling for the election of a “strong president” which would be supported by a majority Christian population and capable of working with Lebanon’s other religious sects.

The declaration of intent was negotiated between FPM MP Ibrahim Kanaan and LF media officer Melhem Riachi. (Photo: Aldo Ayoub)
The declaration of intent was negotiated between FPM MP Ibrahim Kanaan and LF media officer Melhem Riachi. (Photo: Aldo Ayoub)

Geagea said the purpose of his visit to Aoun’s home was to gather the two main Christian parties to discuss the ongoing political climate for Christians in the country. He said he “wished the meeting took place 30 years ago.”

“(LF and FPM) are two political forces which — if they agree — can have a positive impact on Lebanon,” Geagea said in comments published by the Lebanese National News Agency. “Our meeting today is the beginning of dialogue, because the previous months witnessed preparations that paved the ground for this meeting.”

The declaration of intent calls for peaceful interaction between the two parties, including mutual support to “principles of sovereignty” and “the approach of dialogue.”

“The two parties agree to strengthen state institutions and resort to the law to resolve any sudden dispute. They agree not to resort to arms or violence and to support the army because it is the institution that can preserve sovereignty and national security,” the declaration of intent reads in-part.

Aoun and Geagea echoed support for coexistence among Lebanon’s religious groups, including an electoral law that respects equal power-sharing between Muslims and Christians.

Geagea visited FPM leader Michel Aoun at his home in Rabieh on June 2, 2015. (Photo: Aldo Ayoub)
Geagea visited FPM leader Michel Aoun at his home in Rabieh on June 2, 2015. (Photo: Aldo Ayoub)

On the issue of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, both parties called Israel an “enemy” and called for a two-state solution. They also issued a mutual statement rejecting the naturalization of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.

The agreement also mentions the Syrian crisis and its impact on Lebanon, adding that they will “not allow”  the Lebanese border to be used for the smuggling of militants.

“We call for finding a solution to the Syrian refugee crisis, which is a time bomb at all levels and we call for securing their return to safe areas in Syria,” the document said.

The agreement also made a brief mention of Lebanese emigrants, adding that the two rivals will exert “joint efforts” to approve laws that protect property ownership and naturalization of Lebanese emigrants.

Comments Off on Lebanese Christian rivals hold rare meeting 2248
 News

Geagea: Lebanon would be ISIS’ “graveyard”

samir-geagea(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said Lebanon will be the end of ISIS fighters if they decide to come, adding that he will refuse to withdraw from the presidency without a solution to the conflict.

“I have never underestimated ISIS’ criminality. On the contrary, I see them as a group of criminals because I could never imagine a human being could slaughter a hostage in cold blood in front of a camera,” Geagea told Ash-Sharq al-Awsat.

“Who said ISIS will come to Lebanon or that they are capable of reaching Lebanon? If they come, (Lebanon) would be their graveyard to say the least.”

Geagea also said that Lebanon should close its borders to prevent the infiltration of ISIS fighters from Syria, blaming Hezbollah for the government’s failure to seal off borders.

“So why not close the border? They say that the number of troops is not enough. That is correct but there are 50 countries that want to help the Army control the Lebanese-Syrian border,” said Geagea, who supports recruiting a peacekeeping force along the border with Syria. 

“Why don’t we take advantage of such offers since they would use technologically developed means that would only require five soldiers to monitor every 10 kilometers?” he asked.

Geagea urged Christians in Iraq not to fear ISIS and to “hold on to their land and unite.” He added that Christians can only live and survive under a democratic system.

“Christians are the roots of culture there … they did not arrive to that land yesterday. I realize it’s difficult and we have to help them but they should hold on to their land.”

Comments Off on Geagea: Lebanon would be ISIS’ “graveyard” 1710
 News

Geagea challenges Aoun: Run for president

Strida Geagea, Samir Geagea

BEIRUT: Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea challenged Wednesday his Christian rival MP Michel Aoun to run against him in the next presidential election session as he criticized recent comments on the poll from Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah.

“Aoun does not have 65 votes among lawmakers, if he really has such number, let him go to the next session and get elected president,” Geagea said during a press conference.

“And if I am a candidate that contradicts the National Pact, this would show in the president election session,” Geagea said. “If I am really a candidate who contradicts the National Pact as Aoun claims, he should be happy because he would be elected president naturally.”

Dating back to 1943, the National Pact is an unwritten agreement that laid the foundation of Lebanon as a multi-confessional state, and has governed the political dynamics of the country to this day.

Geagea said that Aoun should not use the alibi of waiting for the Future Movement’s support to join the presidential race.

“[Former Prime Minister] Saad Hariri declared many times that there is no veto on any of the candidates and that he would congratulate whoever wins,” he said.

The LF leader also criticized Nasrallah’s recent comments that the March 14 coalition was seeking the extension of former President Michel Sleiman’s mandate.

“On what basis is Nasrallah claiming we did not want the election and that we wanted to extend Sleiman’s term? Our group proposed a presidential candidate and attended all Parliament sessions to vote for a new head of state, how can we be seeking the extension in this way?” he asked.

Geagea said “it is the March 8 forces that obstructed the election by boycotting the parliamentary session to vote for a president.”

Lebanon plunged into a presidential vacuum Sunday with the end of President Michel Sleiman’s six-year term and no candidate capable of garnering the required majority to win.

The LF leader also said that he did not run as a “provocative” presidential candidate.

“I am a Maronite Lebanese and I have the political and legal right to run for president; my program is clear and it is true that my opinions do not match the views of Hezbollah but this does not mean I am running for the election to provoke or challenge anyone,” he said.

Geagea also slammed the Syrian presidential vote for expats being held Wednesday in Lebanon as a “farce” and said the country lacked the required conditions for an election.

“The Syrian election does not have the needed conditions and requirements to be considered as an election, and the majority of the Arab and international community do not recognize this election,” he said.

“The presence of a million Syrian refugees in Lebanon is the biggest evidence that the election lacks the right conditions,” he said. “What is happening today is not an election, but a demonstration in support for the Syrian regime.”

Thousands of Syrian expats in Lebanon rallied to their country’s embassy in Yarze to cast their ballots for the election in which President Bashar Assad is expected to win.

Source: The Daily Star

Comments Off on Geagea challenges Aoun: Run for president 1724
 News

Mustaqbal Announces ‘Full Support’ to Geagea

Al-Mustaqbal bloc announced on Monday its “full support” to the leader of the Lebanese Forces in his presidential bid, as LF delegates continued their visits to parties and parliamentary blocs over Samir Geagea’s run for office.

“We announce our full support to Samir Geagea in his run for presidency,” al-Mustaqbal bloc MP Ahmed Fatfat stated after talks with LF delegates.

Fatfat added that Geagea’s presidential program “responds to the needs of the Lebanese people, to their aspirations and to their longing for strengthening the state’s sovereignty, and restoring its prestige and role.”

LF MP George Adwan praised al-Mustaqbal bloc’s stance, considering it a “major step.”

He also assured that “all March 14 blocs are committed to attending the scheduled parliamentary session on Wednesday to elect a new president.”

“We will have a unified stance before Wednesday’s parliamentary session,” he revealed.

Simultaneously, another LF delegation met with Prime Minister Tammam Salam in the Beirut neighborhood of Msaytbeh to hand him Geagea’s presidential program.

MP Sethrida Geagea reiterated after the talks that March 14 will have one presidential candidate, noting that a positive atmosphere has prevailed so far in the envoys’ meetings with local figures and parliamentary blocs.

Earlier in the day, MP Geagea handed Kataeb Party chief Amin Gemayel the presidential program of the LF leader, stressing also the unity of the March 14 alliance regarding the presidential polls.

She said after meeting Gemayel at the Kataeb’s headquarters in Saifi in Beirut: “The March 14 alliance will be united in its stand over the elections.”

“The alliance will stand behind one candidate when it heads to the parliamentary session on Wednesday,” she told reporters.

Geagea described her meeting with Gemayel as positive, saying that the two sides highlighted the importance of the elections.

MP Geagea then met Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat, handing him a copy of the LF chief’s presidential program.

Jumblat confirmed after the talks that he will attend Wednesday’s parliamentary session, saying however that he will declare his stance on the polls on Tuesday.

OTV revealed later that the National Struggle Front will convene tomorrow at 5:30 pm to discuss the presidential elections.

Meanwhile, another LF delegation met on Monday afternoon with National Liberal Party leader MP Dory Chamoun and the Jamaa Islamiya.

“We agreed on the importance of holding the presidential elections on time,” LF MP Antoine Zahra said after meeting with Chamoun, remarking that the March 14 coalition agrees on Geagea’s presidential program.

The two-member delegation, which included Geagea’s adviser Wehbe Qatisha in addition to Zahra, then visited the headquarters of the Jamaa Islamiya in Beirut where it held talks with MP Imad al-Hout and the party’s political bureau chief Wael Najm.

LF delegates also met with former premier Najib Miqati and they are scheduled to meet with Speaker Nabih Berri to hand him a copy of the presidential program.

The party’s envoys had met with President Michel Suleiman, Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi, and Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun for the same purpose.

Geagea is the only political leader to so far announce his nomination for the elections.

Parliament is scheduled to convene on Wednesday in order to hold the polls amid concerns that the needed quorum will not be met.

Commenting on this possibility, MP Geagea said: “All lawmakers are obligated to exercise their duties and attend the session.”

Source: Naharnet

Comments Off on Mustaqbal Announces ‘Full Support’ to Geagea 1648
 News

Sleiman reiterates rejection of extending his term

BEIRUT: President Michel Sleiman reiterated Sunday that he would not accept an extension of his presidential term that ends next month.

“I am bored of answering the question about extending my term, and I say it once again that I am against the extension because it not democratic,” Sleiman said, speaking from Bkirki where he attended the Sunday Easter Mass.

“I say no for extension of the presidency or in Parliament,” he said.

Sleiman said that boycotting the upcoming Parliament session to elect a new president would be “wrong” as it meant “boycotting consensus and Dialogue.”

Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai also appealed to lawmakers to attend the session, saying that “it is an honor for lawmakers to elect a new president.”

Speaker Nabih Berri has called for a Parliament session to elect a new head of state Wednesday, but it is not certain whether a quorum for such session will be secured.

The president also praised the presidential campaign platform of Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, who declared his candidacy for the election earlier this month.

“I like the presidential program of Samir Geagea because it is national and sovereign, and I congratulate any president who applies such program,” he said.

A delegation from the LF held a rare visit to Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun at his Rabieh residence Saturday afternoon and gave him a copy of Geagea’s presidential program.

The delegation included MPs Strida Geagea, Joseph Maalouf and Fadi Karam, along with former Minister Toni Karam and a member of the party’s executive committee, Eddy Abi al-Lamaa.

Sleiman also spoke about his ties with Hezbollah, which have deteriorated recently over the president’s criticism of the party’s role in Syria.

“My ties with Hezbollah are normal, Hezbollah ministers are present within the government and I see them once or twice a week,” he said.

“The party just took inappropriate stances, and I made statement that they did not like.”

Source: The Daily Star

Comments Off on Sleiman reiterates rejection of extending his term 1157
 News

‘Friendly’ Meeting between Aoun, LF Delegates

A Lebanese Forces delegation met with Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun on Saturday afternoon, and handed him over a copy of the LF leader’s presidential program.

The delegation included MPs Sethrida Geagea, Joseph al-Maalouf, Fadi Karam, former minister Toni Karam and member of the party’s Executive Committee Eddy Abi al-Lamaa.

MTV provided late on Saturday details on the “friendly” meeting between Aoun and the LF delegates.

It reported that the talks started with MP Geagea handing over the presidential program to Aoun, with a greeting from LF leader Samir Geagea.

“We hope that you would support his candidacy,” Sethrida Geagea told Aoun, who responded with a smile, according to MTV.

The FPM leader told Geagea that the final decision on whether he will run for office or not will be announced on Tuesday, after his Change and Reform bloc’s weekly meeting.

“My presidential program is focused only on securing stability,” Aoun remarked.

The meeting ended with both parties agreeing on attending Wednesday’s parliamentary session, and on supporting a “strong candidate who has a clear program.”

MP Geagea assured Aoun that the LF will be “the first to congratulate him if he wins in the presidential race, and that the party will stand by whomever becomes president.”

“I will also be the first to congratulate Geagea if he takes office,” Aoun responded, according to the same source.

LF officials have been holding talks with different parties and leaders in the country to hand them over LF leader Geagea’s presidential program, and to discuss the upcoming elections.

LF sources told MTV on Friday that a meeting with Hizbullah officials will be requested for the same purpose as well.

“We will request an appointment to meet with Hizbullah officials as well but we are not sure they will be responsive. But we are going to do what we have to do,” the sources said.

MTV said on Saturday that LF MP George Adwan is the person tasked with contacting Hizbullah and al-Mustaqbal party over this matter.

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

Comments Off on ‘Friendly’ Meeting between Aoun, LF Delegates 1083
 News

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

Comments Off on Hezbollah raps Geagea candidacy, calls for compromise 1122
 News

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

Comments Off on Ongoing contacts between Lebanese Forces, Kataeb to name single March 14 candidate 1323

Send this to friend