Cabinet Drafts 3-Year Extension Bill for Lahoud at Syria's Behest

The cabinet drafted a bill Saturday that set the stage for a 3-year extension of President Lahoud's term in power at Syria's behest in defiance of widespread domestic rejection and international opposition spearheaded by the United States and the European Union.
The bill was drafted in an hour-long extraordinary session held at 10 a.m. Beirut time. President Lahoud was in the chair for the first 20 minutes, during which he thanked government ministers for the confidence they have given him for a new 3-year term that stretches until Nov. 23, 2007.
Lahoud then asked Premier Hariri to head the rest of the session and left. The cabinet then drafted a request for an extraordinary sitting of the Parliament to amend article 49 of the constitution for a "single, exceptional once" and give a 'yes' vote to the extension.
Only Druze leader Walid Jumblat's three cabinet members dared to register opposition to the bill – Marwan Hamadeh, Ghazi Aridi and Abdullah Farhat. Four other members of the 30-man cabinet were absent.
The move reflected Syria's defiance of an international campaign to stop its intervention in selecting Lebanon's president and a near unanimous Lebanese rejection of a Lahoud extension.
The U.S. White House, French President Jacques Chirac, Britain and Germany, have all called for the election of a new president in conformity with the Lebanese constitution free of any intervention by foreign powers.
Hariri, a dead-set Lahoud foe, was reported by the local media Saturday of having been coerced into attending the cabinet meeting and signing the amendment bill in a stormy meeting Friday night with Syria's military intelligence chief in Lebanon, Brig. Gen. Rustom Ghazaleh, in Anjar.
Media reports said Hariri simply could not risk a clash with Syria. So he had to steer the Lahoud extension bill to parliament and then "goes home" once the legislators give their unquestionable yes.
The reports spoke of enormous Syrian pressure being brought on bloc members of Hariri and Jumblat in parliament to go along with the extension drive.
But An Nahar said Jumblat's 16-man bloc had pledged to support his stance no matter what. Jumblat left his Beirut residence to his ancestral mansion in the Chouf town of Moukhtara late night Friday for the marriage of his elder son Timour on Saturday.
Naharnet News Desk