NowLebanon, Lebanon
June 21 2008

Minister Ogassapian refuses Lebanon’s return to `open arena’
June 21, 2008

Minister of State for Administrative Development Jean Ogassapian said
he feared the Doha agreement was `being subjected to dangerous
setback.’

`There is a genuine fear that Lebanon will be again turned into an
arena for the settlement of regional accounts,’ Ogassapian told New TV
on Saturday, `particularly in light of the phase of Syrian-Israeli
negotiations, the European openness to Syria, the developments in the
Iranian nuclear file, and anticipation the outcome of the US
presidential elections.’

The minister refused to `freeze the interests of Lebanon while waiting
for the regional development’ as the situation of the Lebanese citizen
only grew worse with every passing day.

`The opposition wants to show that disagreement on the government
technical and procedural, but the process of gradually imposing
[their] conditions¦ reveals that the opposition has unclear aims
that obstruct the formation of the government, and which will only
reflect negatively on Lebanon and its future,’ he added.

On Prime Minister Fouad Siniora’s responsibility in forming the
government, Ogassapian said the premier would persist as long as he
had the confidence of the majority.

And finally, on whether the claim that Israel’s possible withdrawal
from the Shebaa Farms ultimately aimed at disarming Hezbollah,
Ogassapian said the two issues were not related.

`The matter of the Farms is separate from that of Hezbollah’s weapons,
which is the subject for an internal Lebanese national dialogue led by
President Michel Sleiman,’ he concluded.

-NOW Staff