Sleiman denies FSA bases exist in Lebanon

President Michel Sleiman denied Wednesday the presence of Syrian rebel military bases in Lebanon.He was responding to a claim made a day earlier by the leader of the Marada Movement. Sleiman, speaking to a delegation from the Journalists Union at Baabda Palace, was asked about the claim by Zghorta MP Suleiman Franjieh that the Free Syrian Army had five bases in north Lebanon. “My information is that there are no bases,” Sleiman said. “This doesn’t mean that security is in good shape in Lebanon. There is unrest. But I have no information from the heads of security bodies, all of whom I have met,” about military bases, he added. “Syrian opposition members in Lebanon have not formed a military presence inside the country. The Lebanese Army is engaged in monitoring [the situation], and when it is confirmed that any such presence exists, there will be raids and searches of any suspect areas,” Sleiman said. The president said he was saddened by the failure Tuesday to convene the Cabinet, which lacked a quorum due to the no-show by ministers from the Free Patriotic Movement. They were angered by the lack of intra-governmental solidarity over draft legislation to deal with contract workers at Electricite du Liban. “Unfortunately, we are wasting the opportunity [to make progress] because of very petty behavior, which doesn’t help anyone – instead, it hurts the country,” he said. Asked about his stance on the formation of a committee to eliminate sectarianism from politics, as stipulated by the 1989 Taif Accord, the president said he supported such a move but stressed the importance of a proper parliamentary election law. “When [a committee] is formed, it will find solutions. But before this, there’s the election law … Taif and democracy will not be bolstered unless there is a modern election law, not the one based on the 1960 legislation.” The 2005 and 2009 polls were governed by the electoral districting adopted in 1960, based largely on the “small” district, at the level of the qada. Asked about the sit-in by supporters of Sheikh Ahmad Assir in Sidon, Sleiman promised the authorities would take the “steps they see fit [against the protest], to reassure people.” The sheikh’s supporters have been criticized for blocking traffic in parts of Sidon with their protest, which is demanding a solution to the issue of Hezbollah’s arsenal. The Daily Star