Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri received the President of the Beirut Bar Association, Fadi Masri, on Tuesday, along with the new members of the Bar Council.
Berri and Masri stressed the need to urgently proceed with the election of a new head of state, which represents “an essential condition for the proper functioning of institutions.”
Berri called on officials to “assume their national responsibilities, especially since Lebanon is going through a difficult and dangerous period on more than one level: a presidential vacancy, an economic crisis, Syrian displacement and Israeli aggressions on Lebanon’s southern border.”
During this protocol visit, which took place the day after the election of the new President of the Bar, other issues relating to the Bar and lawyers’ demands were also discussed.
The Speaker of Parliament also received a delegation from the Sovereignist Front.
At the end of the meeting, MP Camille Dory Chamoun declared that “the extension of the mandate of the Army Commander-in-Chief, General Joseph Aoun, is urgent in the current circumstances, due to the ongoing war in South Lebanon.”
Chamoun added, “It is imperative to preserve the military institution, and it is not permissible, in such circumstances, to replace the Army commander.” In his opinion, the appointment of a new Army commander should take place after the election of a president, “as it is the latter who appoints a new army commander, not the other way around.”
In conclusion, Chamoun expressed hope that the issue of postponing the retirement of the Army commander and other security officials will be addressed clearly in the next parliamentary meeting. He also hoped that the government would “work in the same direction, to avoid subjecting the country to a new vacancy, particularly on the security front.”
