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Assassination brings Lebanese government to brink of collapse
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ShareNovember 21, 2006 6:59 PM
ABC News' Kirit Radia Reports: Today's assassination of Lebanese minister Pierre Gemayel brings the government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora dangerously close to collapse. Under the Lebanese constitution, once at least nine of the 24 ministers resign or are otherwise removed from office the prime minister's government must step down.
Five Hezbollah ministers in the Cabinet resigned recently and were joined by another minister with close ties to the Lebanese president, a Syrian sympathizer. After the assassination of Gemayel, seven ministers are now absent from the government, just two shy of the number needed to topple the government.
Siniora's main opposition in Lebanon has been Hezbollah, the Iran and Syrian-backed terrorist group led by Sheik Hasasn Nasrallah, which waged war with Israel for more than a month this past summer. Nasrallah has publicly stated his intentions to topple the Siniora government in order to replace it with one in line with his views.
Few people are quick to point fingers at Hezbollah or Syria, some out of fear of retaliation from the country that dominated Lebanese politics in recent years until 2005. Others, however, say all you need to do is connect the dots.
Misbah Ahdab, a member of the Lebanese parliament, tells ABC News he has no proof of who is responsible for today's slaying, but "you only need to look at who wants to destabilize the Siniora government" -- a reference to Hezbollah and Syria. Ahdab has been a leader of the so-called March 14 movement, a group that banded together in opposition to Syrian influence in Lebanon after the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Ahdab, who was close friends with Gemayel, says some beg him and his colleagues not to provoke similar attacks on themselves by speaking out, yet he feels compelled to do so regardless of the personal risks involved. "We will stand up in defiance of this," he said.
Members of the March 14 movement met today to discuss their response and plan to do so again tomorrow. Lebanese government sources tell ABC News the Lebanese Cabinet will also meet before the end of the week to discuss the situation.
November 21, 2006 in Romney, Mitt | Permalink | User Comments (0)
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