Obama told me so: 03/01/15

Sunday, 1 March 2015

Machnouk: I won’t sign civil marriage contracts

Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk remained adamant that he will not sign civil marriage agreements in Lebanon.

Jumblatt, Nusra reach agreement on Idlib’s Druze

An agreement has reportedly been reached between Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt and Nusra Front...

Current mechanism to govern Cabinet session: Berri

BEIRUT: The Cabinet will meet this week under the current decision-making system, Speaker Nabih Berri said Sunday, as Prime Minister Tammam Salam scrambled to resolve a widening row over the controversial mechanism that has thrown the government into paralysis.

Meanwhile, the Future Movement and Hezbollah will begin Monday discussing a mechanism to facilitate the election of a new president, as the presidential deadlock has entered its 10th month with no solution in sight.

“The presidential election issue is a main topic on the agenda of Monday’s dialogue session,” a member of the Future-Hezbollah dialogue team told The Daily Star, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Asked if officials from the two rival influential parties would also discuss other topics, including a joint national strategy to fight terrorism, he said: “The dialogue agenda is open to discuss any issue that might be brought up.”

Monday’s will be the seventh round of talks held by the Future Movement and Hezbollah since December, focusing mainly on defusing Sunni-Shiite tensions exacerbated by the 4-year-old war in Syria.

Berri, according to visitors at his Ain al-Tineh residence, said he expected the Cabinet to convene this week under “the mechanism used to make Cabinet decisions, coupled with a change in spirit and practice.”

“I personally prefer resorting to the Constitution, which calls for consensus in the first place in making decisions, but if this proves difficult to achieve, we will go to voting,” Berri was quoted by visitors as saying. He added that the ministers who do not like voting can object or withdraw from the session.

Berri said that the two ministers representing the Amal Movement in the Cabinet would register their reservations should the current decision-making mechanism, which requires unanimous support from all 24 ministers on the Cabinet decisions, continue to be utilized.

“But we will not obstruct the Cabinet’s work,” he said. The speaker said Salam, who is pushing for a change in the current mechanism, supports a consensus on Cabinet decisions that falls short of unanimity and avoids obstruction.

He accused the paralyzed Cabinet of hampering Parliament legislation “because it did not open an extraordinary session for Parliament.”

Salam stepped up his consultations with the Cabinet parties with the aim of reaching a new formula on the government’s decision-making that would clear the way for a Cabinet session Thursday, sources close to the premier said.“A Cabinet session this week is still up in the air. Prime Minister Salam is continuing his consultations to reach a formula based on consensus rather than on unanimous support from all the 24 ministers on the Cabinet decision,” a source told The Daily Star.

A meeting between Salam and Kataeb Party leader Amine Gemayel could be held in the next two days to explore a solution the crisis over the decision-making mechanism. Former President Michel Sleiman, who opposes changing the current mechanism, might attend the meeting.

Salam last month suspended the Cabinet sessions following a heated debate between a number of ministers over a mechanism to govern the government’s decisions during the 9-month-old presidential vacuum.

Salam, backed by most ministers, is demanding a change in the current mechanism, which requires unanimous support from all 24 ministers on the Cabinet decisions. He argued that the mechanism has hindered the government’s productivity due to disagreement among ministers on decisions taken by the Cabinet.

But the three Kataeb ministers and three ministers loyal to Sleiman and Telecoms Minister Butros Harb oppose the change, saying the Cabinet should serve in a caretaker capacity until a new president is elected.

Salam stressed that addressing the crisis should be based on Article 65 in the Constitution which calls for consensus on Cabinet decisions. “This consensus is a priority in our National Pact [on power-sharing] and our Constitution is based on consensus,” he said.

Article 65 of the Constitution states that the Cabinet can only be activated if two-thirds of the ministers are present and that decisions must be made unanimously. However, in cases where a consensus cannot be reached, the Constitution requires that a simple majority vote be conducted.

For his part, Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai warned of attempts to devise a Cabinet mechanism to replace the presidency, renewing his call for a quick election of a president.

“We call for the election of a new president today before it is too late. The presidential vacuum is not a cause for devising an alternative to the presence of a president. The presidency is indispensable, even for one moment,” Rai said during his Sunday sermon in Bkirki, north of Beirut. “These two practices, an alternative mechanism and dispensing with [the [presidency], are a clear violation of the Constitution.”

Could Lebanon’s activists follow in Greek footsteps?

BEIRUT: Dozens of students, activists and scholars sat around with attentive ears last week listening to Tina Strikou, a member of Syriza, the left wing party that came to power in Greece this year, as she recounted the tale of her group’s political triumph. Lebanese civil society members had perhaps the most to learn from Strikou, as she explained how Syriza’s victory was due to a strong grassroots base, a quality many social movements in Lebanon notably lack.

Strikou, who is a member of Syriza’s Foreign Affairs committee and a master’s candidate at the American University of Beirut, suggested that the absence of a popular base might be part of the reason Lebanese civil society has yet to gain significant traction.

One month before the Greek legislative elections of 2012, Syriza, a coalition of leftist parties, announced its readiness to take over the government and lead the country. The party had previously spent eight years working with local committees to set political priorities and demands, which eventually became the base of their political platform.

It may be that Syriza is setting the trend in Europe, as the year-old Spanish populist party Podemos could receive 28 percent of votes in the next parliamentary elections, according to recent polls.

In Lebanon, the notion of general assemblies and local committees is relatively nascent and rarely factors into the action plan of most civil society groups. Social campaigns tend to adopt a top-down approach to advocacy, in which people are called to take to the streets.

“I don’t think there can be political change without the people organizing themselves and being the subject of change,” Strikou told The Daily Star in an interview after her talk.

The grassroots will only be ready to engage in a struggle if the cause is chosen by them and not imposed, she said.

“I think it is very important that they discuss what they see as important and urgent political issues and decide on some common positions and actions,” the Greek activist said.

This horizontal approach to activism might even help overcome one of the greatest obstacles facing civil society campaigns in Lebanon: sectarianism.

“It might be a good idea to make participatory movements before touching on this issue,” Strikou suggested, referring to sectarianism. “It is up to the people to determine how they will deal with this problem, and what their priorities really are.”

Named “Coalition of the Radical Left,” it is unlikely that Syriza will make drastic changes to the Greek economy and political system.

“It is rather about these small things that make people’s lives better and that brings back the democratic aspects that the system has lost,” Strikou said, referring to the party’s work.

In terms of democratic development, Lebanon lags behind Greece, with activists divided between the radical left, which concerns itself with geopolitical matters, and progressive democrats, who are more attentive to liberal reform issues.

“I think that on the left and the progressive [in Lebanon,] there are many people who are willing to move forward and build a better future,” Strikou said. “Maybe we should not classify them as left and progressive, but simply as people who really seek a better future.”

Strikou’s call is in line with the broad demands shared by various Lebanese activists, who have so far failed to spur a movement on the national scale. Lebanese activists are rarely divided on issues concerning secularism, transparency, gender equality, labor rights and economic security, so, following Strikou’s suggestion, they could rally together to form a joint leftist-progressive action plan.

Studies conducted by international organizations paint a grim picture of the socio-economic obstacles standing in Lebanon’s path to social equality.

According to the U.N. Development Program, 28 percent of Lebanese live under the poverty line. According to Credit Suisse 0.3 percent of Lebanese own half the country’s wealth and the World Economic Forum ranked Lebanon as the eighth worst country in terms of gender equality.

Issues related to security and geopolitics notwithstanding, problems related to social disparity could serve as a common denominator for Lebanese activists from across the spectrum, as the economy was for Greek leftists in particular.

But unlike the Greek example Strikou laid out, in Lebanon, post-Civil War activists have questioned the merits of actually running for elections and breaking into the dominant political class as opposed to mobilizing anti-establishment movements against politicians.

From Syriza’s experience, the two are never mutually exclusive, according to Strikou.

The party took a risk and supported the Greek youth riots of 2008, using the movement to bolster its political development. As Strikou explained, Syriza’s success was the result of both political and grassroots levels working in tandem.

“You cannot take the government before being part of a movement,” Strikou said. “If you do not take part in the movements, you will not gain the trust of the people and you will not be able to build a constant relationship with them and eventually mobilize them.”

Maronite Church urges couples to have more kids

Future and Nasserites slowly coming together

For the first time in years, the Future Movement commemorated the passing of rival Popular Nasserite Organization...

Hundreds march for civil marriage, secularism

BEIRUT: Hundreds of students and activists, many from the American University of Beirut, marched Sunday from the university campus to the Interior Ministry to demand that Lebanon support civil marriages.

Standing in front the Interior Ministry near the Sanayeh public park, protesters shouted slogans calling for secularism and civil rights. Protesters held banners targeting Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk, who they accused of blocking official recognition of civil marriage contracts performed in Lebanon.

The protest, which attracted activists from all ages and groups, was called for by several civil society organizations and two clubs at AUB, the Secular Club and the leftist Red Oak Club.

Ali Sleem, one of the protest organizers, said that the protest was about human rights. “Civil marriage is considered one of the collective rights, and we’re very much interested in it.”

While the majority of Lebanese citizens are married under religious auspices, some opt for civil, secular services. While the country officially acknowledges civil marriages between Lebanese citizens performed abroad, the government has said there is currently no legal mechanism to recognize unions performed on Lebanese soil.

The Interior Ministry had issued a statement last month saying that the 1936 law that legalizes civil marriage also stipulates the need for an official process regulating the practice. This process must be decreed by the Cabinet before the law can be implemented, the statement said.

But last year, the High Committee for Consultations in the Justice Ministry approved the civil marriage of Nidal Darwish and Kholoud Succariyeh, which took place after the couple removed their sects from their official documents.

Since then, more than 50 couples have been wed in civil ceremonies held in Lebanon. Most of the wedding contracts, however, still lack formal recognition by the government.

Some civilly wed couples have had children, Sleem said, but the government has refused to provide official paperwork for the families.

Aside from legal rights, many see the civil marriage issue as part of a larger national dialogue about the role of religion in Lebanese society.

“Civil marriage, in our opinion, is one step further toward a secular state, which is definitely something we want,” said Aya Adra, an AUB student and member of the leftist Red Oak Club.

“It’s also about freedom of choice and freedom of belief,” she said.

Pictures of the protest were reposted across social media Sunday afternoon, with many activists, media personalities and even public figures praising the demonstration.

Massoud Maalouf, the former Lebanese ambassador to Poland, Chile and Canada, was among those who tweeted his support for the civil marriage agitators.

“I’m completely for it,” he told The Daily Star. Civil marriage, Maalouf said, would help Lebanon move toward “eradicating confessionalism from our lives.”

Maalouf said that he, like many who support civil marriage, is not against religion but rather hopes that a secular framework can be established in Lebanon. “We have to eradicate confessionalism from our system. We cannot do it overnight. We have to do it step by step. The first step in that is civil marriage,” Maalouf explained.

But Sleem said that not all who advocate for civil marriage are strict secularists. Many interfaith couples who could be forced to convert in a religious ceremony opt for civil marriages.

Sleem said that student clubs and rights groups would continue to push for the recognition of civil marriages in Lebanon. A coalition of groups continues to hold seminars and information sessions about civil marriage to raise awareness about the cause, he said.

Further protests, he added, are being scheduled. “This is not our last march,” he said.

Omar bin al-Khattab College director found dead

Lebanese Army thwarts fresh jihadi infiltration attempt

The Lebanese Army continued to repel attempts by Syria-based militants to infiltrate Lebanese territories in search...

Assyrians in Lebanon stand in solidarity with their kin

BEIRUT: A sea of parishioners stood before their priest Sunday morning at the St. Georges Assyrian Church in Jdeideh, hands clasped in prayer for the lives of their kin whose fate in Syria was still uncertain. The priest presiding over Mass made an elegiac call for solidarity as members of the Syriac Union Party, a political entity representing Assyrians in Lebanon, stood outside the church gate collecting donations meant for families fleeing the carnage in northern Syria.

Women clad in black scarves flooded the aisles and embraced, their menfolk looking on. “God help them,” one cried.

“What is happening to our community is very painful,” said Father George Safar, the priest of the Jdeideh church.

Last week a Syrian activist group reported that at least 220 Assyrian Christians were abducted from their homes by ISIS in villages along the Khabour River in Hassakeh province, where the community had a significant presence. The area, comprising 11 villages, was reclaimed by the extremist group from Kurdish forces last month. The mass kidnapping has exhorted the Assyrian community in Lebanon to act; many of them have relatives in the Syrian province who were killed, kidnapped or forced to flee.

“We are passing a difficult time,” Syriac Orthodox Bishop of Mount Lebanon and Tripoli George Saliba told The Daily Star. “They are part of our nation, and we are doing what we can for them.”

Hundreds of Assyrians marched in Downtown Beirut over the weekend in solidarity with their abducted brethren, chanting slogans in their native Aramaic and carrying signs that read: “Assyrians are the indigenous people of Mesopotamia,” “We demand action from the United Nations,” and “Save the Christians of the Middle East.”

The Assyrian presence in Lebanon was marked by two waves, first during the 1970s and after the 2011 Syrian uprising, according to community leaders. The exact population in Lebanon is undocumented, but formal estimates put the number between 30,000-50,000. Considered a minority in Lebanon, the community does not have formal representation in the Parliament, a reality the Syriac Union Party has been lobbying to change for years.

The Interior Ministry had instructed General Security Wednesday evening to facilitate the entry of Assyrian refugees fleeing Hassakeh to Lebanon, considering their plight an exceptional humanitarian case, a ministry source told The Daily Star.

Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk had discussed the matter with Prime Minister Tammam Salam and Social Affairs Minister Rashid Derbas, and formally gave the order to allow the inflow of Assyrians to Lebanon, at a time when the government was tightening entry restrictions for Syrian nationals seeking entry.

According to the president of the Syriac Union Party, Ibrahim Mrad, about 500 Assyrians arrived to Lebanon in recent days, entering either from the Masnaa border or the Abboudieh crossing in the north.

“When the kidnapping happened the community here were afraid for the safety of their loved ones, because we were hearing ISIS was using them as human shields,” he said.

The majority who fled Khabour have settled in Qamishli, near the Turkish border, and the city of Hassakeh, where fighting is at a minimum for the time being, Mrad said.

Kino, the nom du guerre of a senior member of the Syriac Military Council, the armed wing of the Syriac Union Party protecting Assyrian-populated areas in northeast Syria in cooperation with Kurdish forces, told The Daily Star refugees would likely seek asylum in Iraq or Turkey rather than Lebanon, which is further away.

“Right now ISIS controls the northern basin of the Khabour, and an advance to the city of Hassakeh is unlikely,” he said, describing the Feb. 23 attack on the town as a “surprise” which caught the Syriac militia unawares.

“Their numbers were too many,” he said.

State Minister Nabil de Freij has also been working behind the scenes to expedite the entry process for Assyrian refugees, paying visits to both Machnouk and General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim, accompanied by Assyrian community leader in Lebanon Bishop Yatron Guliano.

De Freij told Al-Mustaqbal newspaper that border control had been notified about the ministry decision, adding that at least 5,000 Assyrians are expected to come to Lebanon and will likely stay with relatives or in homes provided by their church.

Mrad held a meeting with Lebanese Christian parties Friday, including the Free Patriotic Movement and the Lebanese Forces, and formed a committees to oversee relief work in coordination with the Assyrian Church.

“More important than food is finding a place for them to stay,” he said. “The rent in Lebanon is very high.”

Will presidential election crisis be internationalized?

Will Lebanon’s presidential election crisis eventually be internationalized as the only way to end the 9-month-old vacuum in the country’s top Christian post?

This question is being asked as the U.N. Security Council prepares later this month to review the implementation of U.N. Resolution 1701 that ended the 34-day war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006.

The Security Council’s regular report on the resolution is expected to highlight the risks entailed by the continued presidential vacuum and its repercussions on the situation in Lebanon.

The Security Council’s move might provide the first signal about the possibility of “internationalizing the Lebanese presidency” after the country’s top leaders have failed to resolve this issue, political sources said.

Western diplomatic sources have conveyed Western powers’ concerns over the possibility of Lebanon facing security incidents, particularly on the southern front. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could decide to overturn the tables there in light of his strained ties with U.S. President Barack Obama, as well as his opposition to the ongoing negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program.

A recent public opinion poll conducted by Time magazine showed that 72 percent of Israelis do not trust that Obama would guarantee to them that Iran would not produce nuclear weapons.

Based on these security concerns, the sources referred to the rising international calls on Lebanese officials to elect a president who can shield the internal political situation and provide cover for military and security forces who are facing, in addition to the southern front, major challenges on the eastern and northern fronts as gunmen attempt to infiltrate into Lebanon from the Lebanese-Syrian border.

This matter necessitates an overall security-military plan of action which can be secured only with the presence of a full-fledged political authority, starting with the presidency and the presence of a higher defense council that is headed by the president.

According to the Western sources, a new development has emerged in the presidential issue: an international call to elect a president before June.

However, Lebanese political circles asked whether international powers, which do not stop calling on Lebanese leaders to quickly elect a president, have enough time to follow the Lebanese crisis in light of fast-moving regional developments and their preoccupation with drawing up plans to settle the explosive situation in other Middle East countries.

Until a presidential breakthrough is achieved, the Western diplomatic sources said, international attention will remain focused on the role of the Lebanese Army and the other security forces in fighting terrorism. The Lebanese Army has proved that it is an ideal military force that can inflict big losses on terrorist groups.

Political sources told The Daily Star that European military delegations would arrive in Beirut over the next few days to discuss with Lebanese officials ways of supplying the Lebanese Army with the weapons and equipment needed to protect the border against all kinds of terrorism and reinforce border positions to prevent any infiltration attempts.

Meanwhile, Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai has conveyed to the Lebanese officials he has met since his return from a visit to the Vatican a serious papal concern over the presidential vacuum and the fate of the presidency and the country’s pluralistic setup, political sources said.

The sources added that Rai stuck to his decision not to enter into the bazaar of names of presidential candidates, but he held the local parties and their external allies responsible for the failure to elect a president.

“The priority of Bkirki [the seat of the Maronite Church] from all the ongoing dialogues is the election of a president,” the sources said.

They added that a number of Lebanese politicians have left for some decision-making capitals for talks on the presidential impasse.

Sources familiar with the ongoing dialogue between the Future Movement and Hezbollah said Monday’s session between the two sides would discuss, in addition to the implementation of the security plan in Beirut and the southern suburbs, the presidential vacuum and the need to end it as soon as possible in light of the international advice in this respect.

The Future delegation to the dialogue will raise several proposals, including one made by MP Walid Jumblatt, who was supported by Speaker Nabih Berri, on the need to give a national dimension to the presidential election issue rather than confining it to the Christians, the sources said.

How Is Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's Washington Visit Playing In Israel?

Audio for this story from All Things Considered will be available at approximately 7:00 p.m. ET.

The prime minister is headed to Washington to address Congress despite objections from the White House. Host Arun Rath speaks with NPR's Emily Harris iabout how Israelis regard the controversial trip.

Copyright © 2015 NPR. All rights reserved. No quotes from the materials contained herein may be used in any media without attribution to NPR. This transcript is provided for personal, noncommercial use only, pursuant to our Terms of Use. Any other use requires NPR's prior permission. Visit our permissions page for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by a contractor for NPR, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of NPR's programming is the audio.

Kerry Tries To Calm Tensions Over Netanyahu Visit

Secretary of State John Kerry testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Wednesday. Carolyn Kaster/AP hide caption

itoggle caption Carolyn Kaster/AP

Secretary of State John Kerry testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Wednesday.

Carolyn Kaster/AP

Secretary of State John Kerry, apparently hoping to patch a rift sparked by GOP lawmakers' decision to invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress without first consulting the White House, says the administration doesn't want the speech to become a political football.

"The prime minister of Israel is welcome to speak in the United States, obviously. And we have a closer relationship with Israel right now in terms of security than at any time in history," Kerry said on ABC's This Week, adding, "We don't want to see this turned into some great political football."

That's a step back from comments made last week by National Security Advisor Susan Rice, who said Netanyahu's planned address before Congress on Tuesday would be "destructive to the fabric of U.S.-Israeli ties." Netanyahu is also expected to make a speech before the influential American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, in Washington on Monday.

The Israeli leader, who NPR's Jackie Northam says is expected to slam efforts by the Obama administration and five other world powers to reach an agreement with Iran that would limit its nuclear program, also appeared over the weekend to be trying to ratchet down the controversy.

"I would like to take this opportunity to say that I respect U.S. President Barack Obama," Netanyahu said, speaking to reporters at Jerusalem's Western Wall on Saturday. On Sunday, he boarded a plane bound for Washington.

In a separate interview, Kerry said he believed the U.S. needed to give Iran "the benefit of the doubt" as negotiators work toward a long-term nuclear deal, The Associated Press reports.

The AP says: "Kerry stressed that Israel [is] safer as a result of the short-term nuclear pact that world powers and Iran reached in late 2013, and he described that improvement as the 'standard we will apply to any agreement' with the Islamic Republic."

Kerry's remarks came on the same day that South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham told the annual policy conference at AIPAC that he distrusts Iran, saying "they lie, they cheat, they aren't trustworthy, they kill Americans, they would destroy Israel tomorrow if they could."

6 In 10 Young Republicans Favor Legal Marijuana, Survey Says

A user prepares to roll a marijuana cigarette on the first day of legal possession of marijuana for recreational purposes in the District of Colombia on Thursday. Alex Brandon/AP hide caption

itoggle caption Alex Brandon/AP

A user prepares to roll a marijuana cigarette on the first day of legal possession of marijuana for recreational purposes in the District of Colombia on Thursday.

Alex Brandon/AP

Nearly two-thirds of Millennials who identify as Republican support legalizing marijuana, while almost half of older GOP Gen-Xers do, according to a recently released Pew survey that could be an indicator of where the debate is heading.

While the Pew Research Center survey published on Friday shows a 14-percentage point gap between Republicans and Democrats under the age of 34, six-in-10 GOP-leaning Milinneals still said they favor legalizing cannabis. Seventy-seven percent of surveyed Democrats in the same age group held that view.

For those aged 35 to 50, the same 14-percentage point gap between Republicans and Democrats was evident, but the respective percentages were somewhat lower. In that age group, 47 percent of Republicans favored legalization, as opposed to 61 percent of Democrats.

As Pew notes: "The debate over marijuana also comes ahead of the 2016 presidential election, when both political parties are fighting over the coveted Millennial vote as this group of eligible voters swells in size, even if its members do not consistently show up on Election Day."

The survey follows controversial decisions in Alaska and the District of Colombia. They join Colorado and Washington State. Medical marijuana is legal in some other states, such as California and Minnesota.

The survey on attitudes on marijuana legalization by political affiliation largely mirrors a survey Pew conducted a year ago concerning same-sex marriage. It showed that 61 percent of self-identified Republicans under 30 favored allowing gays and lesbians to marry, as opposed to 77 percent of Democrats in the same age group.

FPM co-founder launches new political party

BEIRUT: Former Free Patriotic Movement co-founder and retired general Issam Abu Jamra launched Thursday a new party called “The Independent Movement," and accused mainstream Lebanese political parties of affiliating themselves too deeply with foreign powers.

In a press conference held at the new party’s headquarters in Baabda, Abu Jamra accused his former party of becoming “dependent on a regional axis” when it was orginally created to fight against such dependences.

The retired general said MP Michel Aoun’s party had also shifted from countering feudalism to becoming “the stronghold of feudalism,” centered around one political family.

He invited all people who possess no affiliation with any of the mainstream political parties to join the new movement, saying "to all the free and the loyal in the country, we say: Come for the interest of all of Lebanon before freedom transforms into dependence, disrupting democracy becomes victory, money is lost to monopoly and politics becomes hereditary."

Abu Jamra clarified that his party stands against “all illegitimate weapons” and any intervention in foreign countries, an indirect reference to the FPM’s ally Hezbollah.

“No to religion in politics, no to weapons outside the framework of the state and a thousand yeses to coexistence and equality between men and women,” he said. “Lebanon is a nation for all its people without discrimination.”

Abu Jamra’s speech also touched on Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who has been in office since 1992.

“Why don’t we forbid the re-election of the Parliament speaker the same way we do for the President?” he wondered, calling for constitutional and legal amendments.

The 78-year-old retired general left FPM in 2010 after his calls for drastic reforms within the party clashed with some its leadership.

Abu Jamra is a fierce critic of current Energy Minister Gebran Bassil, who is the son in law of Aoun. Abu Jamra accused Bassil of corruption in 2010 and said a “coup” against him should take place inside FPM.

Patriarch slams 'intentions' to replace presidency

Hariri backs Salam on new mechanism

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri Monday implicitly backed premier Tammam Salam’s bid to change the government’s...

Hundreds march in favor of civil marriage

Protesters held banners targeting Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk, who had been fiercely criticized for refusing to approve civil marriage contracts performed in Lebanon.

A big white banner carried at the head of the march read: “Release the civil marriage documents. Here.. Now.”

Standing in front the Interior Ministry near the Sanayeh park, protesters shouted slogans calling for secularism and civil rights.

The protest, which attracted activists from all ages and groups, was called for by several civil society organizations and two clubs at AUB, the Secular Club and the communist Red Oath Club.

However, activists claim that the law is enough for marriages to be issued, citing the already approved marriage of Nidal Darwish and Khouloud Sukkarieh.

Last year, the High Committee for Consultations in the Justice Ministry approved Darwish and Succariyeh’s civil marriage in the country, which took place after the couple removed their sects from their official documents.

The move prompted a number of couples to follow suit and there are currently roughly 60 couples who have opted to perform their civil ceremonies in Lebanon, according to activists.

Machnouk was also slammed Sunday for changing his position on civil marriage since 2013.

He had announced his support for optional civil marriage in Lebanon in 2013 Facebook post, after Future Movement leader Saad Hariri had backed Darwish and Succariyeh’s move.

However, in an interview with LBCI’s Marcel Ghanem in January, Machnouk said that “Cyprus is not far,” implying that couples insisting on civil marriage can visit the nearby island and have it done there.

Generally, Lebanese couples wishing to have a civil marriage travel to places such as Cyprus or Turkey. While the Lebanese state fully recognizes civil unions preformed outside Lebanon, those done within Lebanon remain problematic.

A protester in Sunday’s march carried a printed out Machnouk’s initial pro-civil marriage Facebook post on a sign, with writing under it asking: “Are you a hypocrite?”

Several pro-civil marriage legal experts and former interior ministers have argued that Machnouk’s stand on the matter contradicts the law.

Army foils infiltration attempt near Arsal

The Lebanese Army Sunday foiled an infiltration attempt by jihadi militants near the northeastern town of Arsal, a...

Grand Mufti says Cabinet deadlock 'troubling'

Lebanon opens borders to Assyrians fleeing ISIS

Assyrian Christians fleeing ISIS are welcome to take refuge in Lebanon because their humanitarian case in exceptional,...

Lebanon opens borders to Assyrians fleeing ISIS

BEIRUT: Assyrian Christians fleeing ISIS are welcome to take refuge in Lebanon because their humanitarian case in exceptional, Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk said.

Al-Mustaqbal reported Sunday that Machnouk, after discussing the matter with Prime Minister Tammam Salam and Social Affairs Minister Rashid Derbas, gave the order to allow the inflow of Assyrian refugees from Syria.

Machnouk told the daily that the case of the Assyrians fleeing massacres meets the “extreme humanitarian cases” exempted from the recent government policy to stop allowing refugees in.

Al-Mustaqbal also reported that State Minister Nabil De Freij had been making efforts in this direction.

De Freij visited Machnouk and the chief of General Security Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim accompanied by the leader of the Assyrian community in Lebanon Bishop Yatron Guliano.

The minister told the paper that border control was notified of the decision, saying around 5,000 Assyrians are expected to flee to Lebanon, and they will stay with relatives or in homes provided by the church.

Around 220 Assyrians were abducted from their homes by ISIS in northeastern Syria last week.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Assyrians were kidnapped from 11 villages in the Hassakeh province, and that thousands more have fled their homes to avoid capture.

The activist group said 29 of the kidnapped were released, while others are to be tried by ISIS’s Sharia court.

On Saturday, hundreds of Assyrians marched in Downtown Beirut in solidarity with their brethren.

The marchers chanted slogans in their native language and carried signs that read: "Assyrians are the indigenous people of Mesopotamia," "We demand action from the United Nations," and "Save the Christians in the Middle East."

The protesters began their afternoon march at Martyr's Square and headed towards the U.N.'s nearby ESCWA building, calling on the U.N. to take immediate action and protect their communities.

Cabinet deadlock to be resolved this week: Salam

BEIRUT: Prime Minister Tammam Salam will announce the makeup of a new decision making system in the Cabinet within the next couple of days, he said in comments published Sunday.

Salam told Al-Hayat newspaper he was still discussing the issue with various political factions.

“The results should appear in the next two days because nothing is 100 percent clear yet,” he said.

Salam decided earlier this month to halt Cabinet meetings until the different political factions agree on a new system for making decisions. The weekly Cabinet session for the last two weeks were suspended.

Since President Michel Sleiman's term ended last May, the national unity Cabinet has been tasked with approving laws and decrees.

The 24-member body requires unanimous approval to pass legislation, creating difficulties in getting decisions through the Cabinet.

Salam assured that the cabinet will not adopt any system that contradicts the Constitution, which he said states that the first choice should be unanimous consent.

Article 65 of the Lebanese Constitution states that the Cabinet can only be activated if two-thirds of the ministers are present and that decisions must be made unanimously.

However, in cases where a consensus cannot be reached, the constitution requires that a simple majority vote is conducted.

Al-Mustaqbal newspaper quoted sources close to Salam also Sunday as saying that the new decision being cooked will state that a decree will only be discarded when more than one political faction votes against it.

Education Minister Elias Bou Saab confirmed the news to Al-Mustaqbal, explaining that it would prevent factions from exchanging vetoes due to political tensions.

The sources suggested that Salam might call for a Cabinet session next Thursday, where he will make the new announcement.

“In the exceptional circumstances that we’re passing through due to the presidential vacuum, consensus is needed more than ever,” the prime minister told Al-Hayat. “However, we have warned against disruption... which has recently taken an uncomfortable turn.”