Speaker Nabih Berri announced on Thursday evening that he intends to convene a parliamentary session in the first half of December, “with a full agenda.” This agenda will include the Lebanese Forces (LF) bill aimed at extending the term of office of Army Commander-in-Chief General Joseph Aoun, who retires on January 10. Other bills, also aimed at avoiding a vacuum at the head of the regular armed forces, will also be considered.
In an interview with Al-Jadeed television, Berri stressed that “if the Lebanese Forces boycott the meeting, they will be contradicting themselves.”
The opposition which includes the LF and the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) has been boycotting parliamentary sessions since October 2022, arguing that, according to the Constitution, the parliament’s primary role is to elect a president, not to legislate.
However, to avoid a vacancy at the head of the army at a time when Lebanon is embroiled in a war with Israel, the LF has submitted a bill to the House to this effect. It has agreed to participate in a legislative session to be convened by Berri to vote on extending Joseph Aoun’s term in office.
The Speaker of Parliament and all political forces are in favor of this option, with only the leader of the FPM, Gebran Bassil, opposing it for reasons linked to the party’s personal interests.
However, Berri hopes that the government will first try to resolve the issue of extending General Aoun’s mandate at its own level. “There is only one alternative: appointing a new army commander-in-chief or extending General Aoun’s term. There is no third choice and there will be no transitional period,” he said.
The Speaker was thus indirectly replying to Bassil. In order to get rid of Joseph Aoun, Bassil wants a new commander-in-chief to be appointed, or the highest ranking officer to head the army until a president is elected and a government is formed to subsequently make the appointments.
However, Bkirki is vehemently opposed to the appointment of an army commander-in-chief in the absence of a president. The Maronite Patriarchate believes that such a measure would set a serious precedent, contrary to the spirit of the National Pact, and has conveyed this message both to the Speaker of Parliament and Hezbollah.
As for Bassil’s second suggestion, it has no chance of being accepted because the most senior officer is close to him.
Nabih Berri dismissed the two leaders of the FPM and LF. “Gebran Bassil wants an appointment and Samir Geagea (leader of the Lebanese Forces) wants an extension, and people get angry with me when I say that the problem relates to the Christians themselves,” he said. This was also his way of saying that the solution should come from the Christians themselves, especially from Bkirki.
Asked about the explosive situation in southern Lebanon, the Speaker, who is also the leader of the Amal movement, said that “Hezbollah has abided by the rules of military engagement since the first day (of its war against Israel on 8 October). Its targets are military, while the Israeli enemy continues its massacres,” he added, referring to the civilians, including two journalists, killed by the Israeli army.
He also said that the humanitarian truce that comes into effect in Gaza on Friday morning extends to Lebanon. “If it is broken, it will be broken in Lebanon, because what is happening in Lebanon is happening in Gaza,” he said.
