Pietton Hints Rejection of Berri’s Call for Parliamentary Sessions

French Ambassador Denis Pietton has hinted that Speaker Nabih Berri’s calls for parliamentary sessions to renew the mandate of the Central Bank governor are unconstitutional.

In an interview published by An Nahar daily on Sunday, Pietton said: “With respect to the renewal of Central Bank governor Riyad Salameh’s mandate, the authorities of institutions should be respected on the basis of separation of powers.”

The ambassador seemed to be supporting the March 14 coalition’s stance that holding a parliamentary session to renew the mandate in the absence of the cabinet would mean granting the legislature executive authorities.

The renewal “could be carried out either through a mobile draft-law or an extraordinary cabinet session,” Pietton said.

He told An Nahar that Premier-designate Najib Miqati’s mission hasn’t been easy after the failure to form a national unity cabinet or a government of technocrats and over the demands of Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun.

“Lebanon is in need for a political authority that assumes its responsibilities,” he said.

“There are signs about a tendency to form the cabinet,” the ambassador said, adding that Miqati is keen on exercising his authorities as premier-designate and respecting the powers of the president.

Pietton also called for a national dialogue among the different political parties not only on the country’s defense strategy but also on all pending issues.