Lebanon: Former PMs Criticize Nasrallah

Siniora, Salam and Mikati speak following their meeting on Monday (NNA)
Siniora, Salam and Mikati speak following their meeting on Monday (NNA)
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Lebanon: Former PMs Criticize Nasrallah

Siniora, Salam and Mikati speak following their meeting on Monday (NNA)
Siniora, Salam and Mikati speak following their meeting on Monday (NNA)

Former prime ministers Fouad Siniora, Najib Mikati and Tammam Salam accused on Monday Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah of undermining the premier’s right to announce the Lebanese position at the Arab and Islamic summits in expressing solidarity with Arab countries.

Their strongly-worded statement came in response to comments delivered last week by Nasrallah, who said the Lebanese delegation's stance at the Makkah summits is "rejected and condemned," noting that "it does not conform to the government's policy statement or dissociation policy."

Mikati, Siniora and Salam said that according to Article 64 of the Lebanese Constitution, the Prime Minister should represent the government and speak on its behalf.

In a statement issued after their meeting at the residence of Salam in Beirut, the three ex-PMs expressed their support to the decisions issued at the summits, held under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz.

They also stressed the importance of solidarity among Arab states in the face of foreign threats and interventions.

Siniora, Mikati and Salam expressed regret at Nasrallah’s remarks against the right of the Prime Minister to represent Lebanon’s stance in the two summits.

Amid the ongoing tension between Hariri’s Mustaqbal Movement and Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, the three former officials called on President Michel Aoun to intervene to put an end to what they termed “provocative practices” that are undermining the presidency’s prestige and position.

They also stopped at “some surprising political stances and practices launched by some ministers and politicians, which aim to open debate and divisive issues that are not useful to open them, especially since they had been settled in the Taif Accord and in the Lebanese Constitution.”



Salam: Armed Parades Witnessed in Beirut are Unacceptable

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. (Reuters)
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. (Reuters)
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Salam: Armed Parades Witnessed in Beirut are Unacceptable

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. (Reuters)
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. (Reuters)

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Saturday that the armed display witnessed in the streets of Beirut in the past few hours are “completely unacceptable under any circumstances or justification”.

In a statement on X, the Prime Minister added that he had called for the immediate intervention of the Ministers of Justice and Interior to identify, apprehend, and refer the perpetrators for justice.

A group of armed men appeared on a street in the capital, Beirut, during Ashura commemorations.

On Friday, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun warned against “internal enemies who exploit sectarian tensions to serve their interests in coordination with external forces”.

The President denied recent reports claiming that armed groups had illegally infiltrated into Lebanon, or that preparations were underway for cross-border incursions along the Lebanese-Syrian border.

The President reiterated the need for solidarity among the Lebanese in order to confront any challenges and boost stability and prosperity.