Nazem al-Khoury: Suleiman Remains a Centrist, His Stances are not Political

Environment Minister Nazem al-Khoury, who is close to President Michel Suleiman, said Sunday that the head of state has remained a centrist and it was not in the interest of any party in Lebanon to cut ties with the Syrian regime.

“We haven't yet reached the stage of cutting relations and we hope we don't,” al-Khoury told An Nahar daily in an interview. “This is not in the interest of any party.”

He made his remark following a question on a memo handed to Suleiman by the March 14 opposition that urged him to expel the Syrian ambassador from Lebanon and freeze the friendship and cooperation treaty signed between the two countries.

Neither the president nor the government are compelled to implement the memo, he said.

The minister also denied that Suleiman was changing his policies and being biased in favor of the opposition, saying he has always been a centrist and remains to be so.

Suleiman “is committed to his proposal,” al-Khoury told An Nahar, saying it is the right of any political party to support or criticize his stances.

The parties have also the right to have political opinions, but the president's opinion is patriotic and stems from his commitment to the Constitution and the national interest, he added.

Asked about relations between Suleiman and his Syrian counterpart Bashar Assad, al-Khoury told An Nahar: “Ties are still on and steady.”

“Historically, bilateral relations have faced hurdles … and it's normal in the current internal situation and the instability in Syria to have a certain tension,” he said.