Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri formally announced on
Tuesday that a presidential session to elect a new president will
be postponed till Friday, namely Nov. 23.
Berri said in an up-to-the-minute statement that the session
would be convened at 1:00 p.m. (1100 GMT) on Friday but he didn't
elaborate the cause for the postponement.
Earlier in the day, international and local media have reported
the postponement, citing a wide range of unofficial sources
including French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and Arab League
Secretary General Amr Moussa.
The fourth delay for the presidential election since September
came as Moussa and Kouchner arrived in the country in a last-ditch
attempt to defuse the political standoff.
Lebanon's parliament had planned to hold the session on
Wednesday to vote a replacement to the incumbent President Emile
Lahoud whose term runs out on Saturday, or Nov. 24.
But until now, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a key opposition
figure, and majority leader Saad al-Hariri have failed to choose a
consensus candidate from a list proposed by Maronite Patriarch
Nasrallah Sfeir.
Many fear that the failure in reaching a deal on the
presidential candidate could result in chaos and violence.
More than 10,000 troops from Lebanon's various security forces
have been brought into the capital to maintain order, while a
similar number of rapid-response troops will be on hand for support
if needed, which could bring the total number of forces on the
streets to 20,000, a security source said.
Also on Tuesday, Army Commander Gen. Michel Sleiman said that
his troops would confront any attempt to destabilize Lebanon, local
news website Naharnet reported.
"Any aggression on security is (tantamount to) national treason,
and any weapon directed against the interior is a weapon of
treachery," Sleiman said, calling on the troops to protect their
homeland.
According to the country's power-sharing system, Lebanon's
president must be a Maronite Christian and is elected by parliament
rather than by popular votes.
A two-thirds majority is required for a candidate to be elected
by parliament in a first round of voting. In the event of a second
round, a simple majority suffices.
(Xinhua News Agency November 21, 2007)
