Lebanon's Cabinet reviews bilateral pacts with Syria

By Nafez Kawas
Daily Star correspondent

BEIRUT: The Cabinet tackled Wednesday the Lebanese-Syrian bilateral agreements ahead of Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s expected visit to Damascus next week when the premier would be accompanied by a ministerial delegation that would re-evaluate the accords with its Syrian counterparts.

However, the government which convened at Baabda Palace failed to conclude discussions over a procedure to fill the vacant state administrative positions as ministers only agreed to appoint full timers rather than contractors.

The proposal submitted to the government by a ministerial committee headed by Hariri preserved, in accordance with the Constitution, the ministers’ right to propose candidates and the government’s right to approve them based on requisite qualifications.

The government is scheduled to convene again next Monday to continue its evaluation of the procedure as Hariri is scheduled to leave to Spain on a two-day official visit.

Prior to the Cabinet meeting, President Michel Sleiman held closed-door talks with Hariri.

Following the Interior Ministry’s announcement of April 4, 2010, as a deadline for submitting candidacies in the upcoming municipal polls for the Mount Lebanon district to take place on May 2, Sleiman and Speaker Nabih Berri reiterated that the electoral process would take place on time.

The president’s and the speaker’s stances also followed the announcement over the past few days of the Amal Movement-Hizbullah and Progressive Socialist Party-Lebanese Democratic Party alliances in the upcoming elections, enforcing belief that the polls would take place on time and based on the current law.

Earlier Wednesday, Sleiman highlighted the importance of adopting reforms in the upcoming municipal elections but stressed that it was more more important to hold the electoral process within the legal deadline.

“If we can hold the elections coupled with reforms, this will be good; and if we cannot, the reforms will not escape and will be implemented in the next elections,” he said.

“Reforms are important but more importantly is to hold the elections which will be the top reformist and democratic step that follows,” Sleiman added.

Last month, the Cabinet approved the amended electoral law after a long round of discussions before transferring it to parliamentary committees for evaluation.

The reforms include proportional representation in all districts, a 20-percent female quota and pre-printed ballots.

However, parliamentary committees have failed to conclude discussions over the draft law, delaying its submission to Parliament for ratification, and leaving no time for the implementation of reforms in the upcoming elections.

Similarly, Berri stressed Wednesday that the municipal elections would be held on May 2 while dismissing the possibility of Parliament postponing the elections. “If there is a wish to postpone the elections, and then let the Cabinet assume responsibility for it and send a law proposal to Parliament,” Berri added.

According to the Constitution, Parliament could pass a law amending the deadline of the elections either based on a law proposal submitted by the Cabinet or by no less than 10 MPs.

Source: The Daily Star.
Link: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=113556#axzz0kU6m8sre.