La Celle Saint-Cloud
No, it's not one of those fantastic Burgundy wines.
La Celle Saint-Cloud is a town in the outskirts of Paris (near Versailles, actually) where the last round of talks between the main Lebanese political leaders took place -- and failed, as it was easy to predict. The new French FM Bernard Kouchner was expecting a breakthrough in a deadlock that has been going on for months. Maybe he thought that the kids would obey whenever umm al-hanoun calls to order.
Other than a pledge of an "honor code" in the use of media (whatever that means) and the rejection of "violence as a political tool" (in Lebanon? Oh really?), the meeting in France was a flop. The March 14 parliamentary majority offered a vague "national consensus" only after the election of a new president, while the March 8 opposition insisted that the formation of a national unity cabinet must precede any settlement of the presidential election issue.
In the meanwhile, no candidates have officially been designated or endorsed by the two different camps. Général Michel Aoun stood for president, but he hardly is a consensual figure that can be accepted by the current majority and it's far from sure that Hezbollah will base its political strategy solely upon Aoun's aspirations.
March 14 can't form the quorum (2/3 of parliamentary seats) to convene the parliament and to elect a new president if opposition MPs boycott the sessions. Some majority exponents have declared that the majority will proceed with the election of a successor to incumbent Émile Lahoud even in case of a lack of quorum. Opposition representatives have replied that the March 8 factions (and possibly FPM) could then form a shadow cabinet. Since Lebanon is not Westminster, this is not one of the most encouraging perspectives.
La Celle Saint-Cloud is a town in the outskirts of Paris (near Versailles, actually) where the last round of talks between the main Lebanese political leaders took place -- and failed, as it was easy to predict. The new French FM Bernard Kouchner was expecting a breakthrough in a deadlock that has been going on for months. Maybe he thought that the kids would obey whenever umm al-hanoun calls to order.
Other than a pledge of an "honor code" in the use of media (whatever that means) and the rejection of "violence as a political tool" (in Lebanon? Oh really?), the meeting in France was a flop. The March 14 parliamentary majority offered a vague "national consensus" only after the election of a new president, while the March 8 opposition insisted that the formation of a national unity cabinet must precede any settlement of the presidential election issue.
In the meanwhile, no candidates have officially been designated or endorsed by the two different camps. Général Michel Aoun stood for president, but he hardly is a consensual figure that can be accepted by the current majority and it's far from sure that Hezbollah will base its political strategy solely upon Aoun's aspirations.
March 14 can't form the quorum (2/3 of parliamentary seats) to convene the parliament and to elect a new president if opposition MPs boycott the sessions. Some majority exponents have declared that the majority will proceed with the election of a successor to incumbent Émile Lahoud even in case of a lack of quorum. Opposition representatives have replied that the March 8 factions (and possibly FPM) could then form a shadow cabinet. Since Lebanon is not Westminster, this is not one of the most encouraging perspectives.
posted by Skylark at 11:15 PM
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