MP Fadi Aawar said that the Lebanese Democratic Party made its final decision to resign from the Najib Miqati’s government.

MP Fadi Al -Aawar to Al-Manar Website:
We Decided to Resign from Gov’t and Pass a No-Confidence Vote
Our Alliances Are Fixed Just Like Our Political Stance
Our Firm Position Should Be Motive to Be Properly Represented
Miqati Should Have Followed Example of Allies, Made Sacrifices

Member of the Mountain Unity parliamentary bloc and Lebanese Democratic Party deputy head MP Fadi Aawar said that the party made its final decision to resign from the Najib Miqati’s government, hours after it was declared born, revealing that the bloc tends to give the government a vote of no-confidence at parliament.

In an exclusive interview with Al-Manar Website, Aawar stressed the party’s fixed stance and its support to national causes including the resistance should have been a motive to represent the Lebanese Democratic Party in the government in a proper manner. He denied however that his party’s decision would have any negative effects on its alliances.

Aawar renounced the protests that followed MP Talal Areslan’s resignation and said this matter should not be taken to the street as it is only limited to politics.

WE WILL PASS A VOTE OF NO-CONFIDENCE IN THE GOVERNMENT
Aawar explained to Al-Manar’s Website the Lebanese Democratic Party’s stance of the new government headed by Najib Miqati, pointing out that the party has made its decision not to participate in the government as announced by MP Talal Areslan. He stressed the trend was to pass a vote of no-confidence in this government, "and this initially how we’re going to deal with the coming stage.”

Aawar pointed out that the Lebanese Democratic Party’s position was only related to the formation of the new government, and that it has no effect the relationship with the allies.
 “This stance came to reject the marginalization of the party by Prime Minister Najib Miqati,” he said.

THIS WAY OF DEALING IS UNACCEPTABLE
To those who say that the ministerial void was unbearable and that the various political sides should have offered concessions in order to reach the happy ending and form the government, MP Aawar said the stance of the Lebanese Democratic Party in this regard was clear since the beginning.

Aawar stressed that “the political stance of the party that supported national causes and the resistance should have been enough reason to have the party represented in this new government in a more appropriate.”

When the names of the 30 appointed ministers were announced on Monday, MP Talal Areslan was given the post of Minister of State (Minister without portfolio); something that he found inappropriate.

Aawar pointed out that “Prime Minister Najib Miqati decided to give portfolios to people who often change convictions according to their own interests. We will not accept this.”

The government would not have seen light Monday if it were not for House Speaker Nabih Berri’s wise move to sacrifice one Shiite candidate for a Sunni candidate. The National Covenant stipulates that Muslim cabinet seats are equally distributed between Shiite and Sunni ministers, and in this case, there should have been six Shiite minsters and six Sunni ministers. However, Berri’s move to save the day, gave Sunnis seven ministers and Shiites only five. The Speaker’s move was hailed as a positive precedent and an example that should be followed in similar cases.
 
Asked about the reasons that prevented the Lebanese Democratic Party from making concessions for the sake of the country’s higher interest, Aawar said that the party represented a political standing given its historical stature. “Our position is tact and historic,” he added as he also asked about the standards that require the party to accept a ministerial seat without portfolio. 

“Let whoever want the state portfolio take it. We will not take it. We’ve resigned from the government and we’re not even considering the possibility of taking part in it. period.”

OUR ALLIES OFFERED CONCESSIONS… UNLIKE MIQATI
The Lebanese Democratic Party’s deputy head said that facts have proven that the allies had actually made huge concessions in relation to their shares in the government. He noted that it was the first time in Lebanon’s history in which the Sunnis are represented with seven portfolios in the government.
 “This precedent has become possible thanks to the sacrifices made by Hezbollah and the AMAL movement,” he stressed.
 “We had wished that the prime minister would have followed their example and made sacrifices for everybody’s interest,” Aawar went on to say.

The Lebanese lawmaker emphasized, meanwhile, that the Lebanese Democratic Party’s alliances were fix and stable. “Our alliances will not be influenced by this issue,” he stressed.
“Our alliances are strong and fixed, just like our political position,” he said, adding that “we have absolutely no problem in this regard with any of our allies.”

BLOCKING ROADS USELESS
Asked about MP Talal Areslan’s press conference, in which he accused Miqati of being a substitute for ex-PM Saad Hariri, whom he said “could still return back to the government on a white horse,” Aawar said: “This was only addressed to Najib Miqati, no one else,” in reference to the party’s allies represented in the government. “Although we respect the majority of the government’s constituents, however we will not pass a confidence vote in it,” he added.

Aawar concluded his interview with Al-Manar Website by stressing the uselessness of blocking roads in protest to Areslan’s appointment as state minister. He said supporters, who took to the streets and cut off roads, were reacting emotionally.
 “There is no justification for such acts,” he said. “We have a peaceful political agenda,” he concluded.