Bashar negotiating on behalf of "opposition"

Aoun may think the list of demands is in his "pocket", but the truth of the matter nobody cares what Aoun thinks or has in his pockets. The person "negotiating" with the Lebanese parliament's majority is Syrian President Bashar Assad through the French. Of course, Assad delivers talk to Sarkozy and his folks, but terror and threats to March 14.

On Sunday, when pressure supposedly mounted on the regime to act before "last-chance-Monday", Sarkozy placed another call to Assad, during which the latter demanded a Lebanese government where his allies have veto power.

Monday passed, the session was postponed, despite a strange last-minute compromise to elect Suleiman without a constitutional amendment. March 14 went to the session thinking the impossible could happen, to then find Berri accusing Hariri of violating an agreement on the makeup of the cabinet giving the "opposition" the blocking vote. Hariri, who has allowed his people wage verbal war against Berri's people, reportedly denied the agreement had taken place, and later, Kouchner confirmed that Berri made it all up to justify not holding a session.

March 14's secret plan that some reports talked about did not see the light. It was replaced by continued French mediation between them and Assad. Sarkozy's threat did not translate into anything of consequence. Instead we got a joint statement signed by France, the US, Saudi Arabia and the EU urging unconditional elections in Lebanon, while the regime is still being engaged without any form of real pressure.

The Assad regime's lackeys, meanwhile, continue threatening March 14 with murder. On Sunday, former minister Wiam Wahab predicted that David Welch (who had just concluded a visit to Beirut) will not be able to protect the parliament's majority or their homes if they decide to elect a president through a simple majority. In a sign that the regime could not care less about Suleiman's candidacy, Wahab hinted that Aoun could be elected president in the spring, and threatened to unleash the opposition's "public" on March 14.

Comments

[fed up lebo]

thruth be told thats probably the best thing that could happen to us lebanese. Let the people who actually can take the decision negotiate with each other and cut out all the insignificant bit part players who love to shove a microphone in front of them and feel all high and mighty and stupid.
am absolutely convinced that we as a people cannot agree on anything our opinions are way too different

[JAS]

What role do neighboring states play in determining who the candidates and elected officials of the United States shall be? ZERO.

But there is an example in which a Palestinian immigrant assassinated one of our Presidential candidates. Sirhan Sirhan murdered Robert Kennedy.

[Bad Vilbel]

I was reading Aoun's pronouncements about him being the sole negotiator for the opposition and about him being the only human with the right to tell the Lebanese people whether there will be elections or not. It just never ceases to amaze me, after all these years, how full of himself Aoun is. This man takes megalomania to new heights.

"No one can decide on anything outside of the document's parameters…If there were no negotiation here (Rabiyeh), there will be no elections in parliament," he warned.

He said he was the only one entitled to announce to the Lebanese people that there will be no presidential elections if agreement was not reached.

"If we weren't able to reach an understanding now, I don't think we'll be able to do so in two weeks or three or even one month or two. I think the issue has become clear. Let's take a long break," until next March to elect a president, he said.

Just wow!! I'm speechless when I read this kind of thing.

[Andre]

Aoun's statements are ludicrous. He has not made any contributions to the ongoing debate to try and facilitate the way out of the crisis, his proposals are unconstitutional and undemocratic and now that no one is buying his agenda, he has decided to play "it's me or the highway" instead of showing maturity and playing the hand that has been dealt. This is what is exasperating, the country is on the verge of the abyss and leaders like the general are playing with fire!

[Bad Vilbel]

And yet countless sheeple think he's the second coming...I really don't understand how grown ups, with any common sense, can be so blind as to still find any coherent logic to the General.

[Fawzan]

No I think Aoun has a point. When Bashar and France finish talking, Iran and HA still need to OK the deal. He is their mouthpiece and the buck stops with him. Sad as it may be, on this one he is right. I can't see any solution here, and if the M14 folks accept all the conditions that are layed, we need to boot them out and get a new fresh group to represent the cedar revolution. Alas, I can't see anyone standing in line for that role!

[Bad Vilbel]

Boot them out???? Since when do we hold our leaders accountable? They're not going anywhere, my friend...Not as long as Lebanon and its people are the same as they've been for the past several centuries.

[Amir in Tel Aviv]

'Strategic Assessment':
A publication by the Center for Strategic Studies // Tel Aviv University:

http://www.tau.ac.il/jcss/sa/volume9_3.html

Some of it about HZB and the 2006 war.

[danny]

Fawzan,
Are you serious? "When Bashar and France finish talking, Iran and HA still need to OK the deal. He is their mouthpiece and the buck stops with him".???
You are kidding, right? Please in this case I think your judgement is all together flawed and wrong!
The buck stops in Syria. Not Iran or HA. Iran needs Syria to keep HA alive... Also, my friend if you for one second thought that Syria is negotiating alone without Iran's eavesdropping and input then you are watching a hollywood fiction movie!
Come on now! Buck stops with Aoun? Here's another incredibly absurd, statement if you pardon me saying that! Nothing but hot air has stopped near Aoun. If you might, please go back two years and put together all the threats eminating from the "orangehead" and his comments especially in the past year...Where has it gotten him???

The Butchers of Damascus are the masters of this game with Iran being the bankroller. Without Syria, Iran's isolated island of God's warriors would be suffocated!!

Syria is being threatened, caressed and cajoled by the West and Oil rich arab bretheren...We'll see where this saga will lead us. As for Aoun, this is Lebanon. I'm sure that they can spin a victory tale from total disaster a la "Divine Victory" series9when the time arrives...