Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora sought yesterday to calm mounting worries over the power vacuum intensifying Lebanon's yearlong political turmoil and pledged to work for a compromise president.
In his first comments since President Emile Lahoud stepped down without a successor, Saniora defended his government, saying it will continue to function according to the constitution.
"Our main goal in the coming stage, which we hope will not take longer than a few days, will be to exert all possible efforts ... to end this situation as soon as possible," Saniora said.
He spoke after a meeting with Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir, the head of the influential Maronite Catholic Church yesterday. Under Lebanon's division of power, the presidency is held by a Maronite, and mediators had sought Sfeir's help in finding a figure for the presidency who would be acceptable to all sides.
Saniora dismissed a declaration by Lahoud before departing the presidential palace at midnight on Friday in which he handed over security powers to the army, saying the country is in a "state of emergency."
"There is no state of emergency, and there is no need for that. The army is doing its part in tandem with the other security forces," he said.
"There is absolutely no need for any Lebanese to be concerned about the security situation, the army is doing its work and is in full control of the situation on the ground" he said.
The capital was calm and shops opened for business yesterday as the nation awoke without a president, following a tumultuous day that intensified fears of street violence between supporters of Saniora's pro-Western government and the pro-Syrian opposition led by the militant group Hezbollah.
"Lahoud's term ends in a republic without a president," read the headline of Lebanon's leading An-Nahar newspaper. Another daily, Al-Balad, printed an empty photo frame on its front page, symbolizing the political vacuum.
The departure of Lahoud, a staunch ally of the Syrian regime during his nine years in office, was a long-sought goal of the government installed by the parliament's anti-Syria majority, which has been trying to put one of its own in the presidency.
Hezbollah and other opposition groups have blocked legislators from electing a new president by boycotting ballot sessions.
The fight has put Lebanon into dangerous, unknown territory: Both sides are locked in bitter recriminations, accusing the other of violating the Constitution, and they are nowhere near a compromise on a candidate to become head of state.
In the absence of a president, Saniora's government, which the opposition considers to be illegal, takes executive power under the Constitution. Saniora sought to ease Christian concerns at having their top position in the government vacant, saying "nobody can take the place of the president."
The army command refused to comment on the developments. Military chief General Michel Suleiman, has sought to remain neutral in the political chaos, and Lahoud's statement did not give it political powers.
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
RSS