The term of Lebanese President Michel Aoun is under threat due to the policies adopted by his son-in-law Caretaker Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, member of the Strong Republic (Lebanese Forces) parliamentary bloc MP Wehbe Katisha told Asharq Al-Awsat.
“Aoun has two choices of either taking a firm stance so that we reach the stage of state-building or continue with his mission in inheriting Bassil” the presidency, Katisha said Friday.
The lawmaker warned that a government vacuum would lead to the collapse of the economy, a reflection of continuous calls made by several economic entities to salvage the country, the closure of thousands of commercial companies and institutions and the rising deficit and unemployment.
Katisha said the government crisis has two dimensions: The first is internal due to the political role played by a party to delay the announcement of the lineup and paralyze the country, and the second is external amid a regional veto preventing the formation of a new cabinet.
Without mentioning Iran, the deputy said that foreign interference in Lebanese politics has renewed an internal dispute on Lebanon’s identity.
Katisha, a retired general, also held Bassil, who heads the Free Patriotic Movement, responsible for “wasting the last opportunity to form the government when he surprisingly announced that the March 8 Sunni representative of the Consultative Gathering would be part of the presidential share.”
A breakthrough seemed possible last Saturday as Jawad Adra emerged as a candidate thought to be acceptable to all sides. However, Adra refused to agree to exclusively represent the Hezbollah-backed Sunni MPs, and it was reported that Bassil has claimed Adra would effectively serve as part of the president’s cabinet share.
In his remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Katisha also ruled out a military confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, saying Israeli strikes on Hezbollah and Revolutionary Guards positions in Syria have replaced conventional warfare that includes an Israeli army invasion.
