Lebanon Chief of staff appointment simmering slowly

"Maurice Sleem's position is incomprehensible," said Joumblatt-affiliated deputy Wael Bou Faour, referring to the Minister of Defense’s refusal to propose candidates for vacant positions in the Military Council [the decision-making body of the army, including the Chief of Staff]. Outgoing Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Druze Leader Walid Joumblatt share Bou Faour's sentiment. Sleem's stubbornness reflects the position of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) [to which he is close], which suffered a setback with the one-year extension of Army Chief Joseph Aoun’s term.

If Sleem's position is essential in selecting the future Chief of Staff, the outgoing Council of Ministers seems on guard to override his veto. According to reliable sources, if the outgoing Minister of Defense insists on refusing to make appointments, the outgoing Council of Ministers could consider that he failed his duties and take the necessary measures. But for this to happen, the quorum of a government session must be achieved. This is where ongoing contacts come in to smooth over a significant Christian obstacle: Marada's refusal to any appointments amid the presidential vacancy, led by Sleiman Franjieh.

To that end, a meeting was held on Tuesday evening between Marada deputy Tony Franjieh and Bou Faour. "We reiterated our principled position of refusing to fill vacant positions before addressing the leadership vacuum," said a close associate of the Zgharta leader. However, he pointed out that the meeting took place "in a positive atmosphere."

"Despite this position, they [the Marada] are aware of the importance of appointing a Chief of Staff to ensure the smooth functioning of the army," revealed Bou Faour. He suggested that the Marada may be willing to compromise a week after a dinner between Sleiman Franjieh and Joseph Aoun at the latter's home in Yarze. Tony Franjieh went to the Serail on Wednesday for a meeting with Najib Mikati, indicating that things are going smoothly.

The Mikati-Sleem contention continues. As the Marada and the PSP tried to reconcile their views on the army number two, Najib Mikati and Maurice Sleem had a showdown. Ater a Council of Ministers during which the outgoing head of government harshly criticized the outgoing Minister of Defense, the latter retaliated with a statement issued by his press office. While saying he was "astonished" by the Premier's virulent remarks [who had stated that "the Maurice Sleem page was turned" in his eyes], Sleem said he was "willing to submit candidates to fill vacant positions in institutions affiliated with the Ministry of Defense, provided that the process is preceded by a broad agreement."

He wanted to remind everyone that the appointments in question concern first-category positions, "while the Prime Minister keeps repeating that he will not make these appointments before the election of a president." In response to the statement, government sources criticized "the contradictory positions of the minister, who opposed the extension of Joseph Aoun's mandate and advocated for the appointment of a new army chief and members of the Military Council."

The Aounist movement wants to file an appeal against the law that extends the security apparatuses heads’ term by one year. The FPM needs to score this goal in the nets of its detractors. In just a few days, it has suffered two setbacks. In addition to Joseph Aoun remaining in his post, the FPM lost a new round against the general on Tuesday. The public prosecutor at the Court of Audit decided to close the case for lack of evidence, regarding violation of the law or regulations in the case of Qatari donations to the military institution, and arms sales without the knowledge of the outgoing Minister of Defense. In these two cases, the orange movement had accused Joseph Aoun of "corruption" and "violations of the laws in force." At a time when all these charges have fallen by the wayside, the army received fuel on Tuesday as part of a new Qatari donation.

This article was originally published by L'Orient-Le Jour.