By Joseph A. Kechichian Senior Writer – Gulf news

 

Beirut: Former Lebanese President Michel Sulaiman announced the formation of a new political party that he would be heading at a gathering of Lebanese political figures on Sunday.

The Republic Forum party (Liqa Al Jomhouriya) would be a centrist party that would strive to provide an alternative for Lebanese in a deeply polarised society where the two main political alliances are the pro-Syrian March 8 group and the anti-Syrian March 14 group.

In his detailed “National Document”, Sulaiman pledged to: 1) improve the 1990 Taif Accords that ended the 15-year-long civil war in which 150,000 Lebanese lost their lives 2) implement a decentralisation plan to empower local authorities 3) introduce a new electoral law that would represent everyone in the country fairly.

Under a prominent banner that read “Only the State” (Al Dawla Faqat), the gathering assembled leading political, diplomatic, military, economic, media, cultural and social figures, though current tenors were absent. The only head of a party present was Sami Gemayel (Phalange), although others dispatched their lieutenants. Minister of the Interior Nouhad Machnouk represented Sa’ad Hariri, Atef Majdalani (Future Movement) stood in for Fouad Siniora, Ghazi Al Aridi (Progressive Socialist Party) represented Walid Junblatt, Antoine Zahra (Lebanese Forces) represnted Samir Geagea, and Hagop Pakradounian (Tashnag) represented Hovig Mikhitarian.

Sulaiman’s allies in the forum included Minister of Defense Samir Moqbel (who represented Prime Minister Tammam Salam), Minister for Displaced Persons and former Judge Alice Shabtini, and the Sports and Youth Minister Abdul Mutalleb Hinawi. Deputy Yassin Jaber who was part of the Amal Movement represented Speaker Nabih Berri. Farid Makari, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament was present as well, along with a slew of former ministers, and several religious, political, economic, academic, civil society and media figures.

The Syrian crisis featured prominently at the forum in which Sulaiman stressed the importance of the August 2012 “Baabda Declaration” which aimed to shield Lebanon from deadly regional conflicts.

He singled out Hezbollah, which he said violated the declaration by fighting alongside Syrian regime forces next door.

In a moment of sheer candour, Sulaiman argued the president should be given more powers. Under the Taif accords, the presidency was stripped of many powers in an effort to maintain constitutional impartially.

He said he sympathised with the current prime minister, Tamam Salam, who along with House Speaker Nabih Berri, shouldered much of the burden of the country’s political problems.