Hariri Links Increasing Number Of Ministers to Disrupting Vetoing Third

 Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri (Dalati & Nohra).
Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri (Dalati & Nohra).
TT
20

Hariri Links Increasing Number Of Ministers to Disrupting Vetoing Third

 Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri (Dalati & Nohra).
Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri (Dalati & Nohra).

A prominent political source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the head of Lebanon's Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), former Minister Gebran Bassil, was still obstructing the formation of a new government and disregarding recent European warnings about imposing sanctions on Lebanese officials.

In an official communiqué last week, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has warned Lebanese officials of EU pressure if they continue to obstruct government-making after months of deadlock.

Le Drian warned of “identifying European Union leverage for stepping up pressure on those responsible for the deadlock”, in an allusion to potential sanctions. The statement came after the French minister spoke by phone with Lebanese President Michel Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, the Lebanese political source said that Hezbollah, along with other mediators, communicated with Bassil in an attempt to persuade him to drop his conditions that are obstructing the formation of the government.

According to the source, Bassil insisted on his demands, despite some flexibility shown by Aoun with regards to the vetoing third - a flexibility that remains insufficient without the approval of the president’s son-in-law and political heir.

The source avoided answering a question about the role of Hezbollah and its willingness to pressure Bassil to soften his position. He noted however that Hariri, who conducted a short visit to the UAE earlier this week, was maintaining communication with Berri on the government issue.

In this regard, the political source stressed that Hariri expressed utmost flexibility to any move that would be proposed by Berri, but insisted on Aoun’s consent to drop his condition regarding obtaining the vetoing third in the government.

He added that the premier designate would only accept increasing the number of ministers from 18 to 24, as demanded by Aoun, if the latter relinquishes his insistence on the blocking third.

Hariri, according to the source, remains fully committed to the road map drawn up by French President Emmanuel Macron, which stipulates the formation of a government of specialists and independents, who will work on a reform program as the condition to obtain financial and economic aid.



Tunisia Hands Lengthy Prison Terms to Top Politicians and Former Security Officials

Leader of Tunisia's Ennahda party House Speaker Rached Ghannouchi, center, flashes a victory sign as he arrives for questioning at the judicial police headquarters in Tunis, Tunisia, April 1, 2022. (AP)
Leader of Tunisia's Ennahda party House Speaker Rached Ghannouchi, center, flashes a victory sign as he arrives for questioning at the judicial police headquarters in Tunis, Tunisia, April 1, 2022. (AP)
TT
20

Tunisia Hands Lengthy Prison Terms to Top Politicians and Former Security Officials

Leader of Tunisia's Ennahda party House Speaker Rached Ghannouchi, center, flashes a victory sign as he arrives for questioning at the judicial police headquarters in Tunis, Tunisia, April 1, 2022. (AP)
Leader of Tunisia's Ennahda party House Speaker Rached Ghannouchi, center, flashes a victory sign as he arrives for questioning at the judicial police headquarters in Tunis, Tunisia, April 1, 2022. (AP)

A Tunisian court on Tuesday handed jail terms of 12 to 35 years on high-profile politicians, including opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi and former security officials, a move that critics say underscores the president's use of the judiciary to cement “authoritarian rule”.

Among those sentenced on charges of conspiring against the state in the major mass trial, were Nadia Akacha, the former chief of staff to President Kais Saied, local radio Mosaique FM said. Akacha who fled abroad received 35 years.

Ghannouchi, 84, veteran head of the Islamist-leaning Ennahda party, was handed a 14-year term.

Ghannouchi who was the speaker of the elected parliament dissolved by Saied, has been in prison since 2023, receiving three sentences of a total of 27 years in separate cases in recent months.

A total of 21 were charged in the case, with 10 already in custody and 11 having fled the country.

The court sentenced former intelligence chief Kamel Guizani to 35 years, former Foreign Minister Rafik Abdessalem to 35 years, and Mouadh Ghannouchi, son of Rached Ghannouchi, to 35 years. All three have fled the country.

Saied dissolved the parliament in 2021 and began ruling by decree, then dissolved the independent Supreme Judicial Council and sacked dozens of judges, a move that opposition called a coup which undermined the nascent democracy that sparked in 2011 the so-called “Arab Spring” uprisings.

Saied rejects the accusations and says his steps are legal and aim to end years of chaos and corruption hidden within the political elite.

Most opposition leaders, some journalists, and critics of Saied have been imprisoned since he seized control of most powers in 2021.

This year, a court handed jail terms of 5 to 66 years to opposition leaders, businessmen and lawyers on charges of conspiring as well, a case the opposition says is fabricated in an attempt to stamp out opposition to the president.