Nabih Berri to Asharq Al-Awsat: Lebanon Is Headed to Worse Situation if We Don't Immediately Address Crises

 Lebanese parliament Speaker Nabih Berri chairs a parliament meeting at the UNESCO Palace in the capital Beirut, on April 21, 2020. (AFP)
Lebanese parliament Speaker Nabih Berri chairs a parliament meeting at the UNESCO Palace in the capital Beirut, on April 21, 2020. (AFP)
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Nabih Berri to Asharq Al-Awsat: Lebanon Is Headed to Worse Situation if We Don't Immediately Address Crises

 Lebanese parliament Speaker Nabih Berri chairs a parliament meeting at the UNESCO Palace in the capital Beirut, on April 21, 2020. (AFP)
Lebanese parliament Speaker Nabih Berri chairs a parliament meeting at the UNESCO Palace in the capital Beirut, on April 21, 2020. (AFP)

Lebanon's parliament Speaker Nabih Berri warned the country would be headed to a worse situation if accumulating crises are not addressed.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, he said this week is "decisive" in determining the course of events.

He said attention would be focused on the constitutional council's decision over the appeal filed by the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) over the parliamentary electoral law.

Officials and parties have been warning against the potential postponement of the elections that are set for March 2022. The Lebanese Forces (LF) has warned that it may take to the streets if the polls are delayed.

Berri noted the "major international interest" in Lebanon holding the elections.

"This is normal and it should also be normal and necessary for us to insist that they are held," he added.

He predicted that the constitutional council will announce its decision on Monday or Tuesday at most.

This in turn, will set in motion a new dynamic in the country regardless of whether the FPM appeal is accepted or not, he continued.

Moreover, Berri said that new efforts are underway to find solutions to problems, but the government crisis is still stalling.

He called for exerting serious efforts to resolve crises endured by the Lebanese people, "otherwise we will be confronted with a worse situation."

On Saturday, LF MP George Okais called on people to be ready to "head to the streets" should the elections be postponed or cancelled.

The elections are a "pivotal" junction and "necessary condition" to introduce change to the ruling authority in Lebanon, he added.

Any change takes place through elections, he remarked.

It is necessary to provide guarantees that the elections will be held, he went on to say.

The corrupt authority should be prevented from usurping the voice of the Lebanese people, urged the MP.

Okais warned against attempts to postpone the parliamentary and presidential elections, which are also set for 2022.

The LF opposes the extension of President Michel Aoun's term, he stressed

Mustaqbal MP Mohammed al-Hajjar warned that some sides are working on obstructing the parliamentary elections.

The movement insists that they be held on time, he stated.

"If they are not held, for whatever reason, then we will resign from parliament," he revealed.

The international community is using all its means to ensure that the polls are held because it wants to change the political class, he added.

Some sides claim that they want the elections be staged, but they are in fact working against them, he noted.

The FPM had on Saturday hoped that the constitutional council would approve its appeal.

The movement said it had appealed "flagrant legal and constitutional flaws" in the electoral law. It hoped the council would accept its appeal over an article that had deprived expatriates of their right to elect six lawmakers who would represent them at parliament.

The FPM stressed that it rejects any concession over these rights and that it deems any obstruction of state institutions as a form of blackmail

Furthermore, the movement had appealed the parliament's recommendation to hold the polls in March instead of May, as has been the case for years.

It also objected against allowing expatriates to vote for the entire 128-member legislature, instead of six seats allotted to them. It explained that such a move goes against a law that had dedicated the six seats to the expatriates. The seats represent all sects and form a new electoral district that is added to the ones designated to citizens residing in Lebanon.



Türkiye Urges US to End Support for Kurdish Fighters in Syria

Members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) deployed in the streets of Qamishli, in Al-Hasakah province, northeastern Syria (AFP)
Members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) deployed in the streets of Qamishli, in Al-Hasakah province, northeastern Syria (AFP)
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Türkiye Urges US to End Support for Kurdish Fighters in Syria

Members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) deployed in the streets of Qamishli, in Al-Hasakah province, northeastern Syria (AFP)
Members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) deployed in the streets of Qamishli, in Al-Hasakah province, northeastern Syria (AFP)

Türkiye has reiterated its demand that the United States abandon its support for the Kurdish-led People’s Protection Units (YPG), which form the backbone of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan urged the US to reassess its alliances, particularly in the fight against ISIS in Syria. He argued that Washington should not feel compelled to support the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and its Syrian affiliate, the YPG, which Ankara considers a national security threat.

Fidan criticized the US policy of relying on the SDF to guard ISIS detainees, describing it as a “toxic issue” in US-Türkiye relations. He also warned that the YPG/SDF’s attempts to establish an autonomous region in northeastern Syria would make reconciliation with the Syrian government impossible.

While Türkiye insists on halting US support for the YPG, White House National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes acknowledged a recent call by jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan to disband the group and lay down arms, describing it as a significant development.

He expressed hope that this move would reassure Türkiye about US partners in northeastern Syria—the YPG/SDF—in the fight against ISIS. Hughes’ remarks, however, reaffirm Washington’s continued support for the Kurdish fighters, despite Türkiye’s objections and Ankara’s willingness to assist the Syrian government in taking over the responsibility of securing ISIS prison camps.

Meanwhile, Turkish forces and Ankara-backed Syrian factions have been engaged in clashes with the SDF in eastern Aleppo for the third consecutive month, particularly around Tishrin Dam and Qarah Qozak Bridge. SDF-affiliated media reported on Friday that the group had shot down four Turkish drones in the area amid escalating tensions.

In response, Turkish artillery bombarded villages in western Ayn al-Arab (Kobani) on Friday.