Habboush and Nabatieh municipalities refuse to receive Minister Fadi Makki

SOUTH LEBANON — The municipalities of Habboush and Nabatieh refused to receive Administrative Development Minister Fadi Makki during planned visits on Monday, a municipal source told our correspondent in south Lebanon.

Makki was scheduled to visit the Habboush municipality and meet with its head of the municipality and council members. However, the municipality decided not to receive him due to political differences between the minister and the Shiite political duo compromised of Hezbollah and Amal Movement, the source said.

"This is not the first time. It is the third time that the municipality has refused to receive him for the same reasons," the source said.

According to the source, the municipality’s doors were closed at the scheduled time of Makki’s visit, "a move that reflected the position of the head of municipality and municipal council members, as well as that of the main political parties and forces active in the town."

The municipality of Nabatieh also refused to receive Makki on Monday for similar reasons, the source added. The source stressed that Makki was not prevented from entering his hometown and that he remained present there. He also invited local officials and political figures to a lunch gathering, but representatives of the concerned parties and official bodies did not attend, according to the source.

Makki’s visit comes amid continued political divisions over his positioning and relationship with the Hezbollah-Amal alliance duo.

Although he is Shiite, Makki has not always aligned himself with Hezbollah and Amal ministers. During government disputes over the disarmament of Hezbollah, he has remained inside Cabinet sessions while other Shiite ministers boycotted or withdrew. Makki’s stance has been closer to the government’s position that state institutions should handle national security decisions.

Reporting contributed by our correspondent in the south, Muntasser Abdallah.