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إستماع
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In a brief interview, “Shaffaf” asked Dr. Ahmad Fatfat, former Member of Parliament for the “Dinnieh” region in northern Lebanon, and former Minister of Interior (during the 2006 war), to clarify his remarks at a meeting held two days ago by members of botjh the “Likaa Sayedet al-Jabal” and the “National Council to lift the Iranian Occupation of Lebanon” (of which he was the first president). The common meetings are in preparation for the establishment of a “political movement” (“movement,” or “current”, not a “party”) under the slogan of adherence to the Constitution.
Dr. Ahmad Fatfat says:
If we want to establish a new political movement, we must address the Lebanese people with bold and new slogans that tackle the concerns of the Lebanese people and can create a real future. Thus, we must have the courage to raise two very important issues: “peace in the region” and “neutrality.” This means “peace” (with Israel) even if it is a “unilateral peace,” if circumstances allow, because we, as Lebanon, have suffered a lot. Lebanon has paid dearly since 1948 in terms of its wealth, its youth, and its infrastructure because of the Palestinian issue.
We do not give up on the Palestinian cause, it is an important issue for us politically and in terms of media attention, but we must reach a state of “neutrality” that keeps us out of any conflict in the region, regardless of its nature. Those who think that this might cause rejection, there may be some who oppose the idea, but many, especially the younger generation, will accept it, particularly since they have not been affected by the chronic (ideological) issues we suffered from in the past. This is with regard to the issue of “neutrality” and “peace.”
The Alleged Sectarian Pact is Unconstitutional!
On another note, it is important to emphasize the issue of the “Constitution,” but we must specify which constitution we are talking about. Everyone talks about the constitution, even Nabih Berri, but each one interprets it in their own way… The important thing is that when we raise slogans, they should resonate with the younger public.
For a long time, I have pointed out that the Taif Agreement stipulated the establishment of a “Constitutional Council to interpret the constitution,” but Nabih Berri ignored this clause, which calls for the establishment of a Constitutional Council to interpret the provisions of the constitution. In 1992, constitutional amendments were made, and a Constitutional Council was created without this authority. Interpretation of the constitutional provisions was left to the political class, meaning that every politician interprets the constitution according to his mood.
Since Nabih Berri considers himself to represent the parliament, he claims that he has the authority to interpret the constitution. This is part of the hegemony imposed by what is known as the “Shiite duo,” with the so-called “sectarian pact,” which did not originally exist, because the “pact” referred to a “confessional pact” between Christians and Muslims, not a “sectarian pact.” These issues are all interconnected.
Of course, this does not mean that raising the slogan of the Constitution is wrong; on the contrary, it is very important. But who can tell us if this view and interpretation of the constitution is correct or incorrect?