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Government officially revokes decisions

May 15, 2008

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The Lebanese government on Wednesday night announced it would revoke the two decisions that sparked the worst sectarian violence to harass Lebanon since the civil war between 1975 and 1990.

On Tuesday, May 6, the cabinet announced it would open a probe into a private Hezbollah network and would reassign head of airport security Brigadier General Wafiq Chouqair based on allegations of his tie to Hezbollah.

Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah had previously said he regarded the moves as a declaration of war and the ensuing sectarian fighting between rival supporters left at least 65 people dead and 200 wounded, according to AFP.

Around 11:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 14, Information Minister Ghazi Aridi said the government would back down on the decisions in accordance with an Army Command’s statement, which stated that the military would take control of the probe and would question Chouqair but not reassign him.

“There is no winner in what happened, but there is a loser and that is Lebanon,” Aridi stated.

-NOW Staff

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Comments ( 16 )

Posted by
Cedars / Arzeh
May 15. 2008

They put the decision in the Armies hands, the army requested to revoke the decisions !! Period

Posted by
nadia
May 15. 2008

It is abnormal to put the whole responsibility on the governement. In a parliamentary regime, these two decisions should have been discussed first with the defense commission and then within the parliamant. Berry who is a president of parliament bound to protect the rule of law and the rule of the constitution by closing the parliament has preimpted the coup d'etat. I think journalists should put forward this legal responsibility for History. Nothing in the lebanese constitution says that Mr BERRY can close or make an interpretation of the legality of a government. It is not his job. By all means he is the most responsilbe of the crisis and journalists should not downgrade that for the sake of History.

Posted by
Ardziv
May 15. 2008

It is a sad sad sad day. I think the last bastion of the Lebanese Constition i.e. the government has died a MERCY DEATH. Knowing well that Hezballa uses tactics that they have learned from the Israelis it is understood that they were going to use anything (labour demands, communication lines etc...) as a pretext to SILENCE M14 and they have succeeded.

Posted by
Nasroulib
May 15. 2008

Did the government had the choice not to take such a decision a week ago? I do not know, a responsible government couldn’t but take it. Where they surprised by the “ampleur” of the riposte, well PM Seniora said it himself. Did they have the choice not to take the decision they did yesterday? I think not. Look at how lonely they were, no strong Arab initiative, absent European support and faint US motivation, almost absent Lebanese commandment… can they “fight” hizballah alone? NO… do they let it go and harm even more the civil stability in Lebanon? I think they have done the only think a responsible government could have done. Even a resignation, which would have been emotionally an either decision for them, would have been either… but can we imagine in what chaos would have been the country, with no single institution working. They have taken the right decision… and what after? Who won? Well depend on what? What is sure is that the “free independent Lebanon” lost this battle, ye

Posted by
Rania
May 15. 2008

This is madness! No one is thinking about the consequences.Hizbollah is calling the shots now. It is using its tyranic force to set it own policies and take control of our country.I don't understand how can a called "legitimate" and "democratic" government can back away from its decisions and let those savages and barbarics people win. And what about those who have fought during the "war' and have been murdered?? I do not support any of the politicals parties but i am sick of being manipulated!They are all morally wrong, they fight for their own interest, they are megalomaniacs and greedy for power! But for how long are we suppose to bear this situation?

Posted by
paradisgourmand
May 15. 2008

HA will be annoucing another divine victory.....even tought he is now hated and regarded with disgust from fellow lebanese. It is true that he has lost a LOT (specially his status of resistance) but the people of Lebanon has gain nothing now but fear. Iza kel ma da2 el kouz bel jarra, HA will be using his arms and not be punished, while the army is watching passively, then the Lebanoon we know is over..... ALL PARTIES (HOLLY or HEREDITARY) should hand out ALL their arms to the army and THE ARMY should DEFEND ALL the CITIZENS !!!!

Posted by
EDDY
May 15. 2008

Its a wrong call by the government to withdraw these 2 decisions, but i would say that they had no other choice, we all saw how the army reacted and how obvious their incapability of controling the situation its a shame, where is the respect for those soldiers that fell in nahr il bared battle defending lebanon, and on the other hand the US support for the government that they always claimed wasn't very effective, i think its the time for the lebanese to be lebanese and build 1 nation with 1 army a new army, disarm all militias including hizbullah, palestenians camps, we deserve to live iin peace and not cancel our flights to lebanon every summer because hizbullah has done something to burn the whole country , enough is enough.

Posted by
essam
May 15. 2008

The TWO ISSUES WERE WELL KNOWN TO ALL WELL BEFORE THE Decisions WERE ISSUED..THE MOVE & TIMING BY THE GOVERNMENT DESERVE ALL THE PRAISE & SHOULD BE APPLUDED,THE GOVERNMENT REAL GOALS HAS BEEN ACHEIVED IN FULL..HIZBO WEAPONS IS NOW NO LONGER REGARDED AS 'DIVINE' AND IS PART OF THE UN 1559,1701 AND NO WAY BUT TO BE NUMBER ONE ON THE DISCUSSION TABLE BY THE 14th MARCH & GOVERNMENT...THE FREE & SCULLAR LEBANESE HAVE WON BIG TIME IN REAL TERM..HIZBO UNTOUTABLE WEAPONS NO LONGER HOLLY & NOW TOUCHED &THE ONLY HANDS THAT WERE CUT OFF BY HIZBO WERE THE DEATH OF INNOCENT LEBANESE PEOPLE...NOW,LET ANY HIZBO-AMAL MEMBER STAND IN FRONT OF THE MOTHERS OF THE DEAD INNOCENT PEOPLE & TELL THEM THEY HAVE WON ANYTHING...BUT THEN THEY HAVE THE BLOOD OF LIERS IN THEM...

Posted by
Zaza
May 15. 2008

Actually, I think the Lebanese government got exactly what they wanted out of this crisis: It was never about the telecommunication networks, or the Airport security chief... it was simply a prefabricated crisis to force Hizballah to use its arms against other Lebanese and make them come out of their "resistance only" cover. It worked, and Hizballah fell in the trap. I would have thought that Nasrallah would have been smarter and more diplomatic than that... at the end of the day, Hizballah's military winning was no winning at all... because their arms are no longer sacred, and a lot of the pucblic opinion, especially the christians who supported Aoun in his alliance with Hizballah are now quietly thinking twice about it, because they may become the next target if this alliance were to fail one day... and it will. In all of this, I feel bad for the people who lost their lives over this selfish political game on both sides.

Posted by
Phoenician party
May 15. 2008

Hezbollah, Amal and their allies unconstitutional culture of corruption. A million of Lebanese from across our great nation banded together to elect new free government from Syrian regime. We are well-aware how much each one and every Lebanese dedicated himself to this cause, and we know that Hezbollah, Amal and their allies disappoint Lebanese every time and everywhere. It is unconstitutional to have: 1- International and local terrorist organization in the government. 2- Hijacking Lebanon and Lebanese to a regional war by minorities in the government. 3- Having illegal arms in the hands of the terrorists within the country. 4- Allowing war criminals to be candidates of political future. Some may wonder if the extraordinary efforts-walking-door-to-door, making calls, registering, new supporters, volunteering, stuffing envelopes are worth it. Our message of expanding freedom at home defending freedom in the south and Beirut from the terrorist persist as the r

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