A senior political figure, who spared no effort to support the government of Prime Minister Hassan Diab, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the latter “is still acting like he were living on another planet and refrains from interfering at the right time to stop the country from collapsing.”
The senior politician, quoted by his visitors, noted that the government has “demonstrated its inability to address the Lebanese complaints and concerns.”
In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, the sources said that the political leader, who was one of the main backers of the government upon its formation, expressed his discontent with the latter’s performance.
“Its prime minister has placed himself in a political lockdown because of his insistence on some positions that brought him into a series of political clashes,” he reportedly said.
He added that Diab went as far as to clash with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, instead of maintaining a good relationship with the country that has been working to help Lebanon overcome its crises.
According to the sources, the senior political leader believes that the premier’s problem lied in his lack of a clear vision to provide solutions to economic and living problems.
He also affirmed that relying on a government of “technocrats” was not fitting because of the absence of a unified political vision and initiatives that meet the people’s aspirations.
In this context, the political leader noted that the role currently assumed by the head of the General Security, Major General Abbas Ibrahim, was aimed at filling the vacuum left by the government’s inaptness to run political affairs.
The sources emphasized that Ibrahim’s movements were now supported by those who were initially against the security chief’s working on behalf of the government. They said that he was benefiting from his network of relations with all parties, whether in the loyalty or the opposition.
