Hasan Nasrallah, referring to next year's parliamentary elections now scheduled for May, pledges to form a consensus government if the opposition wins. In other words, he is merely pledging to do what is normally done in Lebanon. The period from the fall of 2006 to July 2008 was an aberation owing to external pressure, esp. from the U.S. Lebanese governments typically operate by virtue of consensus.
I would not be surprised to see the elections postponed until the end of the summer in order to capitalize on the tourism season.
The parliament is beginning to address the election law for next year.
Showing posts with label Nasrallah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nasrallah. Show all posts
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Hezbollah-Salafist MOU frozen
Daily Star - Politics - Salafist groups 'freeze' agreement with hizbullah
The ink hardly dried on the MOU before the Sunni signatory started to back away from it. The document has now been frozen for careful study, and it may not be quickly thawed.
What might have been a significant coup by Hezbollah has become an embarrassment. Shaikh Dai' al-Islam al-Shahhal, said the agreement was one-sided and gave Hezbollah too much.
The MOU was greeted by a very sarcastic editorial--"To Hezbollah--Praise the Lord"--al-Mustaqbal ridiculed Hezbollah, which previously said there was not a problem with the Sunni agreement, for now embracing a document intended to mitigate Sunni-Shi'i animosity. The editorial also reiterated the Future Movement's bill of particulars against Hezbollah, the incurson into West Beirut on May, the closing down of downtown for a year and a half, the close of parliament, etc.
In my earlier post I noted that the MOU seemed to come as a surprise to Saad al-Din al-Hariri. That has now been confirmed. Hariri has distributed a lot of money in the Sunni community, including to Salafi groups, and one has to assume that he has been reeling in his clients. He would want to deny Hezbollah coup de theater that it sought, as well as to thwart a divide and conquer strategy by the Shi'i party.
Other Sunni reaction:
Jama'a al-Islamiyya.
The ink hardly dried on the MOU before the Sunni signatory started to back away from it. The document has now been frozen for careful study, and it may not be quickly thawed.
What might have been a significant coup by Hezbollah has become an embarrassment. Shaikh Dai' al-Islam al-Shahhal, said the agreement was one-sided and gave Hezbollah too much.
The MOU was greeted by a very sarcastic editorial--"To Hezbollah--Praise the Lord"--al-Mustaqbal ridiculed Hezbollah, which previously said there was not a problem with the Sunni agreement, for now embracing a document intended to mitigate Sunni-Shi'i animosity. The editorial also reiterated the Future Movement's bill of particulars against Hezbollah, the incurson into West Beirut on May, the closing down of downtown for a year and a half, the close of parliament, etc.
In my earlier post I noted that the MOU seemed to come as a surprise to Saad al-Din al-Hariri. That has now been confirmed. Hariri has distributed a lot of money in the Sunni community, including to Salafi groups, and one has to assume that he has been reeling in his clients. He would want to deny Hezbollah coup de theater that it sought, as well as to thwart a divide and conquer strategy by the Shi'i party.
Other Sunni reaction:
Jama'a al-Islamiyya.
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