Ya Libnan » PSP

Bassil says March 14 is represented in the cabinet

syh — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 11:03:09 +0000

Energy Minister Gebran Bassil said in an interview with An-Nahar newspaper published on Friday that “March 14 is represented in the government, but with new faces.”

“We feel that we are facing a more violent resistance against our reform path than before,” Bassil said in a possible reference to the ministers that represent the Progressive Socialist Party ( PSP) which is headed by MP Walid Jumblatt.

Jumblatt who was a key member of March 14 alliance defected to the Hezbollah led alliance in August 2009 and in 2011 he voted in favor of PM Nagib Mikati as the new prime minister .

Bassil also said that the government did not carry out what it was expected to do.

“Hezbollah is postponing the battle inside the government and neutralizing itself,” Bassil added.

“Hezbollah cannot just sit down and and watch the mistakes being committed; the Resistance cannot fight Israel at the border and not fight corruption inside the government.” He said

Reported circulated in Beirut last Thursday about heated verbal clashes that took place during Wednesday night’s cabinet session between Progressive Socialist Party and Free Patriotic Movement ministers.

This would not have been the first time that a member of the PSP clashed with FPM ministers. The two groups clashed over the energy plan that was presented by FPM’s Bassil before it was amended and approved by the cabinet and parliament last September.

Similarly today MP Michel Aoun said that the cabinet is not one color government and called on Hezbollah to fight corruption inside the cabinet .

Aridi, Nahhas, Bassil clash during cabinet meeting

syh — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 05:11:42 +0000

The weekly session of the Cabinet Wednesday saw a heated debate over the disputed transfer of funds from the Telecommunications to the Finance Ministry, as representatives of the Free Patriotic Movement and the Progressive Socialist Party clashed verbally over the issue.

Telecommunications Minister Charbel Nahhas, a representative of the FPM, has so far refused to transfer telecoms revenues to the Finance Ministry.

Nahhas’ refusal came under fire from Public Works and Transportation Minister Ghazi Aridi. Aridi’s criticism of Nahhas prompted the latter’s colleague in the FPM, Energy Minister Gibran Bassil, to take up his defense.

The lengthy debate, which took place during a session that lasted for more than six hours, saw Bassil snap back at Aridi and accuse him of spending funds on infrastructure works, particularly “asphalting roads,” without the prior approval of the government.

Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who presided over the meeting held at the Grand Serail, didn’t intervene to put an end to the debate and the session ended without reaching an agreement over the issue. However, ministers denied the argument had taken place when speaking to reporters as they left the meeting.

Wednesday’s debate wasn’t the first between members of the FPM and the PSP, who have disputed several ministerial resolutions recently, with the fiercest debate taking place over a proposal to develop Lebanon’s electricity sector, based on a plan authored by Bassil.

Last month, PSP ministers refused to endorse Bassil’s proposal without introducing amendments to the plan, a position that Mikati backed, fueling tension between the prime minister and the PSP on the one hand and the FPM on the other.

Hezbollah and PSP chiefs met again

syh — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 13:56:21 +0000

Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, met with Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) leader, MP Walid Jumblatt in the presence of Minister of Public Works and Transport, Ghazi Aridi and Wafik Safa who is in charge of Hezbollah security and coordination between both parties.

Neither the time , nor the location of their meeting was disclosed

According to a statement issued by Hezbollah , the meeting covered discussions of regional and local issues: Palestine and the completion of prisoners exchange with Israeli , the situation in Syria, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), the economic and social situation.

They also discussed the bilateral relationship between the two parties, expressing their satisfaction about its development and their desire to raise the level of coordination and communication at all levels in order to face the next phase’s challenges, in an atmosphere of honesty, dedication and transparency similar to that in which the above mentioned subjects were discussed.

Nothing in the statement was mentioned about the outrage of the Druze community over Hezbollah’s takeover of the strategic 888 hill near Aley and its occupation of Toumat Niha hills in the Chouf region.

Nothing was also mentioned about Jumblatt’s stances over STL and the situation in Syria which conflict with Hezbollah’s stances

Lebanese Forces and Progressive Socialist Party still talking

selbedo — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:41:40 +0000

A delegation from the Progressive Socialist Party on Thursday visited Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea and handed him over an invitation to attend a conference about “Supporting Civil Rights of Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon” to be held on January 13, 2010.

Answering a question on whether the visit signals that the relation between LF and PSP is still fine, the delegation’s spokesman said: “The relation is persistent with all of the political factions we were allied with and with all of the new factions which we are trying to build bridges with, in an attempt to find common grounds among the Lebanese.”

Meanwhile Geagea said in an interview with Al Watan Al Arabi that the warrants prevent the normalization of relations with Syria and any progress in relations between the U.S. and Syria will not take place at Lebanon’s expense.