SFEIR: POLL RESULT AVERTED TAKEOVER BY IRAN, SYRIA
By Therese Sfeir

Daily Star
June 12 2009
Lebanon

Siniora wants Hariri to be premier

BEIRUT: Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir said in comments
to be published Friday that had the opposition won the June 7
parliamentary polls, "Syria and Iran would have taken control of
our country." "They [the opposition] wanted to take over Lebanon,
but now President Michel Sleiman rules Lebanon," the patriarch told
Al-Massira magazine.

Sfeir said that while Syria withdrew its troops from Lebanon,
"it still has some ambitions in Lebanon."

Syria ended its 30-year military presence in Lebanon in 2005,
amid a wave of anti-Syrian demonstrations in Lebanon following the
assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri.

Many blamed the killing on Syria, but Damascus has repeatedly denied
involvement.

On Thursday, former US President Jimmy Carter, currently on a visit to
Damascus, told Syrian President Bashar Assad that Lebanon’s elections
were "a real success."

Carter said he had wished to hold talks with Hizbullah officials,
but added that they "refused to meet with us."

Carter headed an elections monitoring mission during Lebanon’s
elections on Sunday.

In other news, the European Union’s foreign policy chief Javier Solana
will arrive in Beirut Friday for a two-day visit, during which he will
meet with President Michel Sleiman, Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh,
Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and Speaker Nabih Berri.

Sleiman and Siniora held talks at Baabda Palace Thursday. Siniora
told reporters following the meeting that he nominated Future Movement
leader MP Saad Hariri to head the new government.

Solana will also meet with the members of the Loyalty to the Resistance
parliamentary bloc.

The chief of European diplomacy will hold a news conference at the
Rafik Hariri International Airport on Saturday, before leaving the
capital.

Hariri said Thursday that he was willing to offer Hizbullah and
its allies in the opposition "guarantees," in return for forming an
"efficient government."

During an interview with the Financial Times, Hariri said: "What is
needed at this point is for the majority to offer the opposition some
guarantees on specific issues, and to form a cabinet that is capable
of fulfilling these guarantees."

The Future Movement leader also held Israel responsible for hampering
peace efforts in the Middle East. He described Israel’s statements
about the Lebanese elections as "absurd."

Hariri also rejected claims that the election of US President Barack
Obama helped him and his allies in the March 14 Forces to win the
elections.

In other developments, the Cabinet will convene on Friday for the first
time after the elections. The session, which will be held at the Baabda
Palace, will see the discussion of the 2009 draft budget. Sleiman
met with Speaker Nabih Berri’s political aide, MP Ali Hassan Khalil,
on Thursday to discuss the issue.

Meanwhile, Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt condemned
"attacks launched by some parties against the Armenian community."

In a statement Thursday, Jumblatt criticized those "who are describing
the Armenians and the Tashnag party as outsiders."

The PSP leader noted that the Armenians contributed to building
the Lebanese state and were one of the pillars in establishing the
national pact. "A disagreement between the Tashnag party and another
political party does not make the Armenians outsiders," he added.

Separately, Siniora stressed Thursday his keenness on preserving the
unity of the Lebanese and principles of Arabism.

Addressing visitors in the Sidon town of Majdalyoun, Siniora said:
"We want to protect the Lebanese people’s unity, their Arabism,
and the unity of Muslims."

"We also want to preserve coexistence, regardless of the misbehavior
of some parties," Siniora added.

Meanwhile, Lebanese Forces (LF) leader Samir Geagea reiterated his
rejection of the vetoing third in the Cabinet. After a meeting with
Siniora on Thursday, Geagea said: "Our stance is clearly against the
veto power in government because it brings nothing new."

Meanwhile, MP Marwan Hamadeh warned that the majority March 14 alliance
would not accept the re-election of Berri as Parliament speaker unless
a number of issues, including the premiership and cabinet formation,
were settled.

In remarks published by pan-Arab Ash-Sharq al-Awsat Thursday, Hamadeh
stressed the need for a "complete basket," rejecting the re-election
of Berri before settling other issues.

In a news conference Wednesday, Former Minister Nassib Lahoud said
the elections "confirmed that the Lebanese people can rely on the
democratic game as a peaceful means for governance."

However, Lahoud added that the March 14 Forces would have been able to
achieve a wider majority if it had avoided major mistakes, especially
in the districts of Metn and Kesrouan.

Lahoud called on the March 14 Forces to "rectify their practices and
mistakes in order to benefit from experiences of the past phase."