The Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) and the Lebanese Forces (LF) agree on the need to avoid a vacancy at the head of the military institution by extending for one year the term of its commander-in-chief, General Joseph Aoun, who retires in January 2024.
PSP leader Teymour Joumblatt received a delegation from LF’s parliamentary bloc, the Strong Republic, led by MP Ghassan Hasbani, on Tuesday for talks on the pressing issue.
Both parties agreed on the priority of avoiding a vacancy at the head of the Army in the current exceptional context.
At the end of the meeting, Hasbani explained that the visit was part of the bloc’s tour to sound out political forces on the possibility of voting in favor of the bill it had presented to the House providing for the prolongation of the service of officers holding the rank of major general.
“Lebanon is exposed to the risk of military conflict, and the stability of the military institution should be preserved and kept safe from any dysfunction so that it can continue to defend Lebanese territory, ensure border security, and maintain its same stance and decisions,” Hasbani said.
He stressed that the “exceptional context” in Lebanon calls for “exceptional measures.”
According to him, if efforts to extend the mandate of the Army commander are not successful at the Council of Ministers “within a reasonable period of time,” Parliament will handle the issue. “Legislation remains the safest approach and is the only way to preserve the (military) institution until the election of a President of the Republic,” he argued.
“The same applies to the appointment of the Chief of Staff, for which we must work through the appropriate constitutional mechanisms to ensure the continuity of the Army and its hierarchy,” Hasbani added.
For his part, MP Hadi Abou el-Hosn affirmed that the PSP supported the LF bloc’s initiative and was committed to facilitating the process of extending Joseph Aoun’s mandate.
Abou el-Hosn said discussions also covered the need to appoint the members of the Military Council, noting that “it is just as important as the extension of the Army commander’s mandate.”
In addition to Hasbani and Abou el-Hosn, the meeting was attended by LF MPs Melhem Riachi and Nazih Matta, and members of the PSP-led Democratic Gathering bloc, Faysal el-Sayegh and Raji Saad, in addition to Teymour Joumblatt’s advisor, Houssam Harb.
