The Daily Star, Lebanon
June 3 2005
Aoun announces partial list of candidates for northern Metn
FPM leader starts news conference with moment of silence for slain
Kassir
By Leila Hatoum
Daily Star staff
BEIRUT: Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun announced his list
of candidates for the upcoming parliamentary elections in the
northern Metn district, amidst the country’s dismay over a car
bombing that claimed the life of prominent anti-Syrian journalist
Samir Kassir.
During a news conference in the morning, Aoun called for a moment of
silence for the slain An-Nahar columnist, and said he believed the
murder was an act of vengeance by those Kassir had spent his life
battling.
Kassir was best known for his anti-Syrian writings and unrelenting
attacks against the pro-Syrian Lebanese security apparatus and
authority.
Aoun’s list, announced during a news conference at his home in Rabieh
on Wednesday, was still incomplete but included five names: former
General Edgar Maalouf, former MP Ghassan Moukhaiber, Ibrahim Kenaan,
Salim Salhab and Nabil Nicholas.
However, the list failed to include candidates for the Maronite,
Orthodox and Armenian seats in northern Metn.
Aoun explained the lack of a full list by saying: “The circumstances
didn’t allow us to form one unified list because of our alliance with
the opposing list in northern Metn, which will be declared Friday.”
The FPM list comes one day after Aoun formally unveiled an electoral
alliance with his one-time pro-Syrian rivals in a bid to weaken
leading opposition figure Walid Jumblatt in what is expected to be
the country’s main electoral battle. The two opposition leaders will
square off in crucial polls in the Baabda-Aley district of Mount
Lebanon, which is made up of Maronites, Druze and Shiite voters.
Both Aoun and Jumblatt have sought the backing of pro-Syrian forces,
each hoping to trump the other and gain extra seats in the new
Parliament.
Aoun has allied with Jumblatt’s rival in the Chouf, Druze pro-Syrian
MP Talal Arslan.
When asked whether his incomplete lists implied there were further
alliances to come in northern Metn, Aoun replied there are common
factors between the FPM and the Phalange party, former Interior
Minister Michel Murr and opposition members Nassib Lahoud and Gabriel
Murr.
He added: “We cannot screen the people and the choice goes back to
them whom to vote for and whom to follow.”
Aoun continued it is not acceptable for Lebanon’s diversified
political life to be transformed into one political line controlling
everything.
According Aoun, “this eliminated democracy, and if all of us parties
had a common agreement then our agreement would overrule everything
and delete the role of others.”
Aoun failed last week to reach a deal to run in the elections
alongside the other main opposition parties.
He insisted his differences with the opposition started when he
announced he wanted to reopen files, once in Parliament, into
allegations of government fraud over the past 15 years and bring in
international auditors to go over the accounts.
He said: “The main issue that terrified everybody and will continue
to terrify them is the issue of corruption and unjustified
indebtedness. Those candidates who are against us all took part in
the 15 years of corruption.”