GEMAYEL TO DISCUSS POLL PACT WITH MURR – AND EVEN TASHNAK
By Hussein Abdallah
Daily Star
Feb 12 2009
Lebanon
BEIRUT: Former President Amin Gemayel said on Wednesday that he
will be soon meeting with MP Michel Murr to discuss possible ways of
cooperating in the upcoming parliamentary elections, scheduled for June
7. Speaking at a news conference at the Phalange Party headquarters
in Beirut, Gemayel added that he was also open to cooperating with
the Armenian Tashnak Party.
"Despite deep wounds, we are ready to cooperate with the Tashnak
based on the circumstances of the electoral battle," the former
president said.
Gemayel’s relations with the Armenian party reached their lowest level
during the Metn by-election in 2007, when the majority of Armenians
voted against Gemayel, who was running to replace his slain son,
former Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel.
The former president lost the election to MP Camille Khoury of the
Free Patriotic Movement (FPM).
Gemayel’s announcement came in line with earlier remarks by Murr, who
said that his main allies in the qada of Metn would be the Phalange
and Tashnak.
The Phalange leader also urged FPM chief MP Michel Aoun to return to
his principles.
"I wish Aoun would return to being himself. We were together when we
fought for independence and sovereignty. I wish Aoun would return to
the principles that brought us together on March 14, 2005," he said.
He added that people would have to choose in the elections between
a party that wants positive neutrality for Lebanon and another party
which wants the country to be part of regional alliances.
Gemayel also defended Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir
against recent criticism by March 8 politicians.
The last such criticism was made by Aoun, who said on Tuesday that
the patriarch "does not speak for the Christians."
"Bkirki should not be criticized … We cannot forget that the Cedar
Revolution of 2005 was launched on the basis of Bkirki’s stances in
2000," Gemayel said, referring to a Maronite Bishops statement which
called on Syria to withdraw its troops from Lebanon.
Earlier this week, Sfeir had warned against "historical mistakes"
if the March 8 Forces would win the majority of seats in the upcoming
elections.
The patriarch’s position drew criticism from Aoun, who accused him
of siding with the March 14 alliance.
Also Wednesday, March 14 leaders who gathered at Future Movement
chief MP Saad Hariri’s residence in Qoreitem urged their supporters to
participate heavily in the February 14 mass rally to commemorate the
fourth anniversary of the murder of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
A statement released after the meeting called on the Lebanese people
to "reject all threats and reiterate their commitment to Lebanon’s
independence and sovereignty."
"Your participation in commemorating our martyrs will prove your
loyalty to Lebanon and your support to the international tribunal to
try suspects in the Hariri murder," it added.
Earlier on Wednesday, Hariri told Al-Massira magazine that Syrian
would not be allowed to restore its hegemony over Lebanon. "No matter
how hard it tries, Syria will not go back to exercising hegemony over
Lebanon," he said in remarks to be published on Thursday.
Later in the day, Hariri told dignitaries of the North who visited
him in Qoreitem that the March 14 Forces will run in the upcoming
elections to enforce state formation in Lebanon.
Also Wednesday, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri told students who
visited him at his residence in Beirut that he supported an electoral
law that is based on proportional representation. The current law is
based on a majority-vote system.
The speaker earlier said that he was forced to accept such a law to
satisfy the Maronite Church and his Christian allies.
Berri stressed that a new law would lead to the "gradual elimination
of sectarianism from the hearts, minds and souls."
"The process of eliminating sectarianism should start in schools … It
all starts when we begin to learn from the same history book," he said.
On a separate front, President Michel Sleiman returned to Beirut
on Wednesday following a brief visit to Bahrain and the United Arab
Emirates.
Lebanese no longer required to reveal religion on civil status records
BEIRUT: Interior Minister Ziyad Baroud issued a memorandum on Wednesday
instructing personnel at the ministry to grant citizens the right to
cross out their confessional identity from all population registries.
The memo stated that the registrar should accept any request to replace
the confession on the civil status registry records with a slash sign
( / ).
"Every citizen has the right not to disclose his confessional
identity in the civil status registry records or request to replace
such identity [in case already disclosed] with a slash sign," the
memo said. "This right is derived from the Lebanese Constitution, the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as other international
agreements that Lebanon had ratified."
Article 9 of the Constitution states: "There shall be absolute freedom
of conscience. The state in rendering homage to the Most High shall
respect all religions and creeds and guarantees, under its protection,
the free exercise of all religious rites provided that public order
is not disturbed. It also guarantees that the personal status and
religious interests of the population, to whatever religious sect
they belong, is respected."
Item B of the constitution’s preamble states: "Lebanon is Arab in
its identity and in its association. It is a founding and active
member of the League of Arab States and abides by its pacts and
covenants. Lebanon is also a founding and active member of the
United Nations Organization and abides by its covenants and by the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Government shall embody
these principles in all fields and areas without exception."
Article 18 of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states:
"Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion;
this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and
freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or
private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice,
worship and observance."
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
