Aoun calls for dialogue, not diatribes
'Factions can easily solve all standing issues,' fpm chief says
By Adnan El-Ghoul -Daily Star staff
Friday, March 03, 2006
Interview
"The national dialogue is not the type of conference during which one party has to admit its defeat or surrender its will to the dictates and decisions of one winner; we have no winners or losers," Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun told The Daily Star in an interview.
Speaking of the national dialogue that kicked off Thursday, Aoun added that the success or failure of the dialogue depends on whether the parties carry with them preset conditions and ready-made decisions, or whether they go to the negotiating table free of all presumptions regarding any controversial issue.
"These issues must be discussed openly, honestly and with transparency with the aim to reach national consensus on how to advance and save the country; one cannot be serious about reaching consensus without being ready to find common ground on all issues," Aoun said.
The March 14 Forces had already declared they would not discuss the presidency issue inside the conference, which they said must not assume the function of Parliament.
Aoun said he could not agree more. "However, if they want to solve the presidency issue through Constitutional means and not through national dialogue, let them try again. They will still need two thirds of Parliament to amend the laws or elect a new president."
Some parties and groups have voiced their support for Aoun as the only "accepted candidate" under the circumstances to replace President Emile Lahoud in case the latter decided to resign voluntarily. The majority, on the other hand, accept Aoun as one of several candidates.
"I am ready to delay announcing my candidacy until the so-called majority names its candidate," Aoun said. "They cannot agree on one candidate while insisting on ousting Lahoud first; probably they want to have a vacant presidency to pass some decisions and laws without anyone checking."
The only option available to the majority, according to Aoun, would be to dissolve Parliament, call for early elections and let the new legislative council amend the Constitution or elect the new president.
"Instead of continuing to pursue blind alleys," Aoun said, "the only alternative is to participate seriously in the national dialogue, in which the Lebanese factions can easily solve all standing issues in a short time."
Although representing a large section of Christian Maronites, Aoun said the presidency needs a national consensus; it does not belong to one sect but to the Lebanese people.
Aoun believes he has "the best chances to be the next president, and that the U.S. and France or any other foreign power cannot veto" his candidacy because the presidency is an internal affair only the Lebanese should handle.
Referring to the petition which was signed by MPs saying they were forced to extend Lahoud's term, Aoun recalled his famous statement "during hard times," when he said: "They can crush me but they cannot force me to sign against my will.
"Contrary to firm dedication to the country and people, some gutless legislators signed a petition admitting they have betrayed their constituencies' trust and worked against their will under foreign pressure," he said.
Aoun defended his joint pact with Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, saying the manner in which the FPM reached a joint understanding with Hizbullah had set an example for any similar dialogue on the national level.
"We were far apart from Hizbullah's position on many crucial issues, but we managed to bridge the gap and reach a documented agreement," Aoun said. "Unlike other parties, who claim to be allies and leave things between them vague and unclear, we developed the idea of writing down what we agree about."
He stressed that the joint understanding was neither an alliance nor a battle against any other party. "In this agreement, the FPM foiled all attempts by some parties to corner Hizbullah and form a front against the resistance," he said. "Fronts would lead to confrontation, whereas round tables lead to dialogue and mutual understanding."
"We discussed the role and fate of Hizbullah's weapons, the relations with Syria and the remnants of the last epochs of the war, namely the fate of the Lebanese detainees in Syrian prisons and the criteria to be used to facilitate the return of the Lebanese families who took refuge in Israel following the liberation of South in may 2000," Aoun said.
"Some critics focus on Hizbullah's regional ties and commitments, but I believe the party's leadership when they say they will only use the arms in defending Lebanon and not Iran or Syria," Aoun said.
He added that following the liberation of Shebaa Farms and the freeing of Lebanese prisoners, Hizbullah does not object to granting the central authorities full control over all defense issues.
He added that Hizbullah's attachment to other regional parties does not bother the FPM. "Walid Jumblatt's Progressive Socialist Party has ties with the International Socialist organization and sits with members from the Israeli Labor Party; why should we deny Hizbullah to have good relations with other parties?"