Bassam Hashem told Al-Manar Website that financing STL is a national betrayal adding that Miqati can pay tribunal from his own pocket

Bassam Hashem to Al-Manar Website:
Walid Jumblatt Exceeded Limits…
Financing STL... National Betrayal!
Jumblatt’s Positions Change with Seasons
Miqati Can Pay Tribunal from His Own Pocket
We Believe Miqati Will Come Out of Tunnel
We Must Question UNSC over Violating Laws
Who’s Walid Jumblatt to Assail Patriarch?

The head of the political education unit within the Free Patriotic Movement Bassam Hashem said that the ministerial differences were a result of the different roots and priorities of the government’s constituents, and spoke of some headlines that unified these constituents, including the necessity to back the Resistance and respect the army-people-resistance golden trio, in addition to the commitment to Lebanon’s agreements with Syria.

In an exclusive interview with Al-Manar Website, Hashem denounced the sectarian logic adopted in dealing with the issue of the “Sunni officers” which obstructs the possibility to hold those who violate the laws accountable. He noted that the FPM’s call to question some officers cannot be against the Sunni sect, and expressed belief that Prime Minister Najib Miqati would be able to come out of this tunnel at the end of the day.

Hashem declared that the Free Patriotic Movement rejects the option to finance the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. He wondered how it could be possible for Lebanon to finance a tribunal which is seeking to create chaos in the country. He stressed it was time to question the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for creating the tribunal in an illegal way and violating the Lebanese constitution and law. He backed Former Minister Wiam Wahhab in his call for the premier to finance the tribunal from his own pocket, in case he insists.

While he did not find strange the latest stances made by the head of the National Struggle Front MP Walid Jumblatt, given that the latter’s positions change with seasons, he stressed that the Lebanese leader exceeded his limits in his way of dealing with the Christian church, and wondered how could Jumblatt allow himself to assail the Maronite Patriarch as he did.

BETWEEN MUTUAL INTERESTS AND HEADLINES
The head of the political education unit within the Free Patriotic Movement Bassam Hashem told Al-Manar Website that the ministerial differences were a result of the different roots and priorities of the government’s constituents. He said that excessive discussions for the various topics within the government were only natural, and noted that what happened with the electricity plan set by Energy Minister Gebran Bassil is a clear sample for this reality.

Hashem highlighted that the Free Patriotic Movement raised the plan, through the Energy Minister, and noted that the plan concerns all Lebanese without exception, and regardless of their sects. He admitted that Prime Minister Najib Miqati was besieged from the part of some political sides, such as the Future party which is seeking to portray him as subject to the will of the head of the Change and Reform parliamentary bloc MP Michel Aoun, something that creates some problems. He said political pressures from this kind were playing an essential role in obstructing the possibility to reach agreements within the government, but stressed there were some red lines which cannot be violated.

Hashem spoke of some headlines that unified these constituents, including the necessity to back the Resistance and respect the army-people-resistance golden trio, in addition to the commitment to Lebanon’s agreements with Syria. He also noted that the government’s constituents agreed that the cabinet must fulfill its promises towards the people, and therefore should give its priority for the people’s everyday problems and concerns.

MIQATI WILL COME OUT OF TUNNEL!
Answering a question about the relationship with Prime Minister Najib Miqati in light of press reports about a battle taking place between the FPM and the premier over claims that the FPM was targeting “Sunni officers,” Hashem said such rhetoric was not healthy. He said that the problem resides in the sectarian rhetoric adopted by some politicians, which turns the simple demand to hold accountable any officer to targeting a specific sect. He pointed in this context to the presence of specific laws that sponsor the officers’ performance, in the meaning that the officer who doesn’t behave as he should and violates the rules of conduct must be held accountable.

Hashem pointed in particular to the conduct of Internal Security Forces’ chief Brigadier General Ashraf Rifi who launched a coup against the political authorities when he managed the occupation of a building owned by the Telecoms ministry. He recalled how Rifi refused to fulfill the orders of his administrative boss, the interior minister, and even those of the head of the state. Yet, he was not held accountable, Hashem said, as he pointed that the FPM was only calling to hold the violators accountable.

Hashem denounced the sectarian rhetoric in dealing with this cause which obstructs the accountability process. He expressed belief that Prime Minister Najib Miqati was a national statesman and therefore will fulfill his conscience at the end. “We understand that Miqati might be considering some conditions imposed on him especially that the party which is unable to believe that it has lost power is seeking to impose a status-quo in the Sunni field. However, we’re convinced that Miqati will be able to come out of this tunnel at the end of the day.”

LET MIQATI PAY FROM HIS POCKET
Concerning the calls to finance the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, the FPM official noted that MP Michel Aoun has announced his firm position when he rejected such hypothesis. He recalled that the creation of the tribunal was unconstitutional, and pointed that the United Nations Security Council has violated all legal and constitutional norms when it created this tribunal without getting the approval of the President of the Republic as required by the Constitution, which given the President and only the President the authority to sign such agreements. “Then Prime Minister Fouad Saniora appointed himself a President and immediately submitted the agreement to the UNSC without even getting the Parliament’s approval, as stipulated by the Constitution,” he noted.

Hashem stressed that the priority for the FPM was not to finance such tribunal but to question the UNSC over this way of violating all laws. He called the international institution to reconsider its decision to illegally create the tribunal, in a flagrant violation to the Lebanese community.

Hashem also said that personally, he backs Former Minister Wiam Wahhab in his call for PM Najib Miqati to finance the STL from his own pocket in case he insists to do so. He stressed, however, that the FPM was not against justice in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri’s case as well as other political assassinations. “Yet, we’re convinced this tribunal will not yield to the truth, as it is a politicized tribunal. The proof is that it is protecting the false witnesses and seeking to create chaos in the country. How could we finance a tribunal which, we know, is seeking to cause chaos?”

NATIONAL BETRAYAL!
Hashem expressed hope PM Najib Miqati would be committed to financing the STL without being open for deep discussions. He said Miqati’s duty was to protect the Lebanese constitution, before anything else. “They have to respect our constitution, and our duty is to resist any attempt to undermine it. We have no right to surrender in this regard,” he said. He stressed time was appropriate to question the UNSC over this illness.

Answering a question about the possibility to indirectly approve the STL budget, Hashem stressed that he was behind General Aoun in this context, and recalled that Aoun has rejected such hypothesis. “They want to ruin the country through this tribunal, and want us to financially contribute in this process. This is unbelievable,” he said. “This tribunal was famous for protecting false witnesses and fabricating indictments, based on a false analysis of the Telecoms sector, despite proofs that Israel has infiltrated this sector.”

He concluded that financing this tribunal would be a national betrayal. “This is a farce. We cannot remain quiet over this flagrant violation of laws. We should resist these attempts.”

WHO’S WALID JUMBLATT?!
To conclude, the FPM official tackled the latest stances made by the head of the National Struggle Front MP Walid Jumblatt and whether they were signaling a new change of policy. He said that Jumblatt was known for not having solid and stable positions, given that his stances are always threatened of a potential change. He said it was obvious that Jumblatt was reconsidering his political choices, perhaps in light of the Syrian crisis. Yet, he stressed that the FPM was committed to its beliefs, regardless of Jumblatt’s rhetoric and logic.

Yet, Hashem said he hoped Jumblatt would have not allowed himself to “teach” the Maronite Patriarch what to do. “Who’s Walid Jumblatt to assail the Maronite church?” Hashem wondered. “We used to respect the religious values and references of our Druze brothers. All what we ask Jumblatt for is to behave with us just like we do with him,” he said.

Hashem concluded that Jumblatt has exceeded his limits in dealing with the Christian church. “It’s a shame that Jumblatt attacks the Maronite Patriarch,” he regretted.