Jeers North - This Should Make Your Night
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Amal and Hizbullah quit cabinet
Amal and Hizbullah ministers have just resigned from the Lebanese cabinet.
The resignations come after the fourth consultations session held today failed to reach a settlement, with Hizbullah and its allies insisting on a national unity government, and March 14 refusing to give them veto power over cabinet decisions.
But most importantly, the resignation comes after the UN delivered a draft outlining the Hariri tribunal.The cabinet was expected to discuss the draft soon before sending it to parliament to pass as a law.
The ministers said their resignation was due to the "authorities insistance on imposing pre-conditions and pre-determined results for the consultations." Of course this makes no sense, since Hizbullah and Amal are the ones who set the agenda and refused to discuss anything but their own demands on the negotiations table.
The news of the resignation interrupted a post I was preparing on the UN draft, which itself was subject to intense negotiations at the UN, with Russia reportedly succeeding in putting limits on the jurisdiction of the tribunal.
I have not read the draft yet, but Reuters quoted a "Lebanese official" as saying that the tribunal would "have no power to try or question heads of states as the killing would not be defined as a 'crime against humanity' or a 'terrorist attack'. "
The New York Times reported this differently, implying that the text is ambiguous on this matter.
The final draft stakes out no clear position on whether top leaders will be liable to prosecution by the court or whether they can claim head-of-state immunity.
Whatever it is, the failed Saturday talks were reportedly "very strained, particularly over the issue of the international tribunal." There were earlier rumors that suggested March 14 had agreed to giving Hizbullah and Aoun veto power in return for their endorsement of the tribunal's draft. Marwan Hamadeh denied those rumors, saying that the tribunal is "a moral — not political issue and Rafik Hariri's blood will not be sold on any negotiating table."
Today's resignation probably confirms that the intention was not so much a greater participation in the cabinet as much as it was to obstruct decisions on issues such as the tribunal. Jumblatt during those sessions often asked Hizbullah why they were so afraid of the tribunal, especially that former chief investigator Mehlis had not pointed the finger at Hizbullah, and Hizbullah's ally Bashar Assad seems to be off the hook after Russia's intervention.
The five Hizbullah and Amal ministers had suspended their membership in the cabinet for many weeks after the cabinet endorsed the formation of the tribunal. In their resignation statement today, they said they won't "cover what's against our convictions, and that hurts the national interest."
Many would argue that the rule of law can never hurt the national interest, but not Amal and Hizbullah, whose own interests seem to be at stake.
Update. Siniora has rejected the resignation of the five ministers, which he heard about through the media. Nasrallah's deputy Mohammad Raad described it as a "warning" to March 14. Siniora summoned the cabinet to discuss the draft this Monday, but Lahoud has refused, alleging he needed more time to review it with his "legal team."
Technorati Tags: Amal, Hezbollah, Lebanon, March 14, Rafik Hariri
Posted by Abu Kais at 11:22 AM | Permalink |
