Army commander: I will gladly lead a coup

Army commander Michel Suleiman has graciously agreed to head a "transitional government" if Syria and Hizbullah prevent parliament from electing a president.

Army Commander General Michel Suleiman has indicated he would accept to head a transitional government in the event MPs are unable to choose the next president before the end of President Emile Lahoud's term in office in November, provided all sides accept his nomination. Former Defense Minister Albert Mansour, told The Daily Star Monday that he has put the idea of heading a transitional government personally to Suleiman, who agreed to head such a government in the event a new president is not agreed upon. "Such a government would be in keeping with established practice, which is for a president to hand over power to a Maronite prime minister, it happened twice before," Mansour said.

Mansour said being appointed prime minister of a transitional government would allow Suleiman to bypass constitutional requirements that prevent grade-one civil servants like Suleiman from being elected to the presidency while still in their post or within two years of their resignation. (Daily Star)

Suleiman started his "coup campaign" with a visit to the patriarch last week, and with an announcement on Monday clearing Syrian intelligence of any involvement in the Nahr El Bared camp.

Lebanese Army Commander Gen. Michel Suleiman on Monday denied charges that Fatah al-Islam terrorists are linked to Syria or to factions represented in the Lebanese government.

Fatah al-Islam, Suleiman said, "is not sponsored by Syrian intelligence, nor it is backed by Lebanese government circles. It is a branch for al-Qaida which had been planning to use Lebanon and Palestinian camps as safe haven to launch its operations in Lebanon and abroad."

Suleiman, appointed to the post by the Syrian regime, has said on more than one occasion that Lebanon's sole enemy is Israel.

It follows from all this that, if Suleiman is made head of an interim cabinet, he will try to impede the Hariri tribunal and anything he feels could threaten Syrian interests.

By agreeing to this, Suleiman has violated the constitution which stipulates that "should the Presidency become vacant for any reason whatsoever, the Council of Ministers exercises the powers of the President by delegation". Not to mention his violation of his duty as a army commander entrusted with defending the country against any threat regardless of where it came from.

Comments

[JoseyWales]

It is now clear beyond doubt that Sfeir is a boob.

As to Albert Mansour he is either a liar or an idiot or both. The constitution is clear, the army commander needs to be out 2 years before being elected prez. Making him PM for a week won't change that.

Also, the Maronite-PM precedent was legal before Taef, not anymore.

Finally anyone remember Mansour saying Aoun was the legal PM then? Mansour is worse than shit.

[Ace]

Looks like the smoke is clearing. Syria has announced their choice for President of Lebanon and to make the Lebanese Government a Military Dictatorship to boot.

Sweet

[Solomon2]

What would happen if Lahoud was assassinated? Wouldn't that mean M14 could remove Suleiman?

[ghassan karam]

All these developments highlight the importance of holding the presidential elections on time. Given the prevailing divisions and the possible outcomes of various scenarios it would seem that there is no choice but to nomibate and elect to the office a strong person who is not a member of either camp. The names that I keep hearing about are only three: Salamah, Rizk or Khattar, are there others. I do not know much about any of the above three and I imagine many others are like me, It would be helpful if someone can put together a short description of the background and political leanings of each. I have not been able to find anything on Khattar.

[Shunkleash]

AH HAH!! GI JOE has spoken and as usual he (like all the other bunghole pols in lebanon) think the sheep will continue to eat the bitter grass. Unfortunately for them not this time. Our Superb double decker PM should immediately send him a letter. I humbly propose the following draft for consideration

Dear General Mamoul,

Whereas we appreciate very much your desire to give your blood, soul, bones and stuff to become George Hamilton II we must unfortunately ask you to withdraw your candidacy and/or shut up. Furthermore, since you are, for the moment, general of the army perhaps you could spare a moment or two to finish the job in Nahr al Bared instead of playing with your political balls.

Yours faithfully

Foud "Iluvsaudi" Saniora

p.s. We have a lot of nice cheap Syrian rope if you need to tighten any more nooses.

Warm regards to all

[AK]

Shunkleash, you have outdone yourself this time. Brilliant! Thanks for the laugh!

[Tony]

I have heard Charles Rizk and Demanios Khattar in interviews and both come across as intelligent and capable and possibly even independent....if they are in fact the men most likely, I would like to know what their vision is for the country - as Blacksmith Jade suggested a while ago - views on environment, economics/trade, deregulation, workplace reform etc as for Riad Salameh, I don't know too much about him - can anybody shed some light please?

[AK]

I have never heard of Demanios Khattar. Who is he?

[ghassan karam]

AK,
All what I have uncovered is that he was a member of the Mikati government, that he is relatively young and is a graduate of possibly an Ivy league university in the US and that he appeared on the May Chidiac program in May. I cannot find the transcript or even any commentary on the show.

[Bad Vilbel]

Yup (To the general sentiment around here). I posted about this yesterday on my blog. The coup is pretty much in motion. And it's no surprise whatsoever. Several people here predicted exactly this to happen several weeks ago.

And yes, Sfeir is beyond being a boob. He's been annoying the shit out of me with his "consensus" this and that (be it for the Metn election, or for president). He clearly does NOT get it, and is still living in the delusions of preserving the height of the Maronite sect, even when his actions are undermining both Lebanon, and the sect itself.

And Shunkleash, that was GOLD!

Who the fuck is Damianos Khattar? I've never heard of him either.

[Mark]

Shunkleash,

Your rants are always a pleasure to read. You truly are a wonder with words.

[fubar]

(LA Times) BINT JBEIL, LEBANON . . . And then there is the miracle tree. A Hezbollah official, who gives his name as Abu Mohammed, stands on a stage inside the building and tells the story of the tree as visitors walk in.

Hezbollah officials, he explains, commissioned an artist to make a monument to the war dead of this border town. The artist carved their names on wooden placards and nailed them to the tree trunk. He sprayed it with chemicals and placed it on a block.

Suddenly, about two weeks before the first anniversary of the war, the monument began sprouting leaves, even though it wasn't getting any water or sunlight, Abu Mohammed says. Exactly 43 leaves sprang to life, one for each of the town's combat casualties, he maintains.

Hezbollah's Al Manar television began spreading word of the phenomenon and visitors flocked here to see a miracle.

"Let this be proof to all those who doubt the divine victory," Abu Mohammed says over the public address system. "The pure blood of the martyrs has watered the earth."

. . .

Shaheen, the psychologist, drove with her two adolescent sons more than an hour from the coastal city of Tyre earlier in the morning. Then she came again by herself, just to marvel at the tree. She says she's not particularly religious. Unlike most of the women here, she doesn't don the hijab, or head scarf, signifying Muslim piety.

"You have to live in the south to understand," she says. "You have to be from south Lebanon."

***********

A miracle, damn, now how in the heck is the govt. supposed to compete with that...

[Bad Vilbel]

Sadly, there really isn't a force, in the universe, stronger than that of religion and fanaticism.

You really can't compete with that.

[R]

unfortunately, this could be the last nail in the coffin of our ill-fated republic. The army has so far performed throughout the recent troubles with (barely) the minimum level of neutrality to keep the country and itself as an "institution" in one piece. Now that this jackass has decided that he wants to follow the footsteps of a certain psychopathic predecessor - the constitution be damned (all praise consensus!) - who knows how bad things will get... And if the idiots in March 14 react with their usual level of incompetence and lack of political foresight, then we are screwed. Again.

[JoseyWales]

My 1 1/2 cents based on rumor and hearsay.

Riad Salameh: Elias Sarkis II, competent but silent, especially and understandably during al-Medina scandal, BUREAUCRAT.

Sleiman: Lahoud II ??? Can ANYONE be as bad as shit Lahoud??? Dunno.

Damianos Kattar: MBA type, (partly??) english educated which makes him a Maronite novelty. Quotes GE's ex CEO Jack Welch on leadership (is that deep?)

Charles Rizk: Got his start in the Chehab days, was director of the ministry of information (propaganda) forever. From Chehab to 2006 was a kiss-ass to power, including Lahoud's. Distanced himself from Lahoud when the winds shifted. Major social-climber and SOB, though reputed very smart.

[Bad Vilbel]

Josey,

Not much to choose from there, huh?

Quoting Jack Welsh is probably deeper than most of the Lebanese political "elite" can handle as it is. :)

But again, who exactly is this Kattar? What's his claim to fame? What previous posts has he held? I've never heard of him. Is he from some party?

We all know Suleiman is the Army commander.
I know Salameh is the Bank of Liban guy.
I know Rizk from his various ministries.

[JoseyWales]

More on Albert Mansour:

The piece of shit was DEFENSE Minister when the Syrian army and Lahoud's men entered Baabda and the Defense ministry to finish off PM Aoun's tenure in 1990.

Now Mansour cites the Maronite PM precedent?? Bear in mind there was a precedent to Aoun also. The hypocrisy of this character belongs in Ripley's Believe It Or Not.

[Tony]

Khattar was the Finance Minister in the Mikati Govt.