TASHNAQ SECRETARY GENERAL MEKHTARIAN: STRONGLY COMMITTED TO ALLIANCE WITH FPM
Al-Tayyar
oliticalNews/en-US/128822767140482498.htm
March 23 2009
Lebanon
In an inteview with Assafir newspaper, Tashnaq Secretary-General
Hovig Mekhtarian stressed that his party was strongly committed to
it’s alliance with the Free Patriotic Movement and would support MP
Michel Murr for an Orthodox seat in Metn, but no other candidate on
Murr’s list.
Asked about the possibility of Tashnaq accepting Future Movement Leader
Saadadine Harriri’s offer of an election alliance, Mekhtarian said
that the party would announce it’s decision in this regard upon the
return of Harriri from his latest trip abroad; "Then we will explain
to the people about our viewpoint whether it is negative or positive,"
he told Assafir.
Mekhitarian told Assafir in an interview published Monday that his
last meeting with Phalange Party’s central committee coordinator,
Feudal leader Sami Gemayel, did not come up with any electoral result,
adding that he didn’t expect to reach an understanding with the party
given the current political and electoral circumstances.
The Phalange offered a "certain cooperation proposal but … we can
say that there is nothing serious," Mekhitarian said. "With all my
respect to Sheik Sami, the possibility of understanding requires a
higher level of dialogue, particularly with (former) President Amin
Gemayel". He said he was ready to meet with Gemayel if the latter
wanted to visit Mekhitarian.
Assafir also quoted Sami Gemayel as saying that he does "not understand
what prevents the Tashnaq from having a good political relationship
with the Phalange."
The Murr-February 14th Alliance are desperate to secure the
support of strong FPM ally, Tashnaq, which represents the bulk of
Lebanese-Armenian voters, in the hope that this can effect the outcome
of the elections in Metn, Zahle and Beirut 1 in their favour.