Suleiman: Interior Minister Should Stand at an Equal Distance from All Sides

President Michel Suleiman praised on Friday the Christian-Islamic summit held at Bkirki on Thursday saying that it should bolster dialogue and coexistence among Lebanese.

He said during the inauguration of a hall at St. Joseph University in Beirut: “While we fear the consequences the Arab developments may have on their own people, we are satisfied that reforms in these countries are leading to the drafting of laws that Lebanon had adopted since its formation.”

However, this has not prevented challenges from arising, the most recent of which is the ongoing problem over the formation of a new government, he added.

“The delay in formation has been a burden on more than one field and the disputes have prevented the prime minister-designate from taking decisive action in this matter,” the president stressed.

Suleiman stated: “Lebanon has no choice but to launch deep dialogue over how to implement the Taif agreement.”

This demands that the interests of the country be served, not those of various parties and factions, he said.

“The Interior Minister should stand at an equal distance from all sides in order to ensure the staging of honest and free elections, similar to the last ones that were held,” he added.

“Lebanon will not return to infighting due to the vigilance of its sons and their support of the capable state and commitment to dialogue and moderation,” Suleiman stated.

Meanwhile, Suleiman’s circles have unveiled that “crippling demands” were further delaying the formation of the cabinet despite consensus on nominating retired Internal Security Forces Maj. Gen. Marwan Charbel for the interior ministry post.

The circles told As Safir daily in remarks published Friday that no major progress was made on the level of consultations between the different parties involved in the formation of the government.

While the circles did not confirm or deny that Suleiman retracted his agreement in principle on naming Charbel as interior minister, they said there are “crippling demands.”

“Anyways the obstacle doesn’t lie with the president. It is somewhere else,” they added.

The report came as hopes for the imminent formation of Premier-designate Najib Miqati’s government faded after squabbling over the distribution of portfolios.