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BEIRUT: Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel
Aoun formally unveiled a political alliance
with his one-time pro-Syrian rivals, in a bid
to weaken leading opposition figure Walid
Jumblatt in what is expected to be the main
electoral battle of Lebanon's crucial polls.
With much at stake in the Baabda-Aley district
of Mount Lebanon, which is made up of
Maronites, Druze and Shiite voters, both Aoun
and Jumblatt have sought the backing of
pro-Syrian forces, each hoping to trump the
other and gain extra seats in the new
Parliament.
Jumblatt's list in Baabda-Aley, which is also
backed by pro-Syrian groups, in his case
Hizbullah, is expected to be announced in the
next 24 hours.
But the resistance group is also supporting
Aoun's candidates in Kesrouan-Jbeil and Zahle
districts in addition to being aligned with
Amal, and Jumblatt's Progressive Socialist
Party and Hariri's Future Movement in the
Western Bekaa.
This latest round of dealmaking between
political parties was sharply criticized by
the influential Maronite Christian Bishops'
Council, which said: "The chaos within the
ranks that we are seeing indicates a neglect
of national principles and a lack of clarity
of options."
It
added Lebanon's elections had been
"transformed into a competition of interests
and personal rivalries."
Aoun has allied with Jumblatt's rival in the
Chouf, Druze pro-Syrian MP Talal Arslan.
Although Aoun had called for a boycott of
polling last week, insisting the legal
framework for
the polls was unjust, he urged voters in
Baabda-Aley to participate and elect his
entire list.
He
again criticized son of slain former Premier
Rafik Hariri, Saad, Jumblatt, Speaker Nabih
Berri and Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan
Nasrallah for what he called "their 180-degree
turn" regarding the 2000 electoral law.
Aoun, who called for competing on electoral
programs and not sects, said: "We cannot allow
the people to remain captives of their sect
and to compete among one another. Only
politicians should compete."
Aoun failed last week to reach a deal to
contest the elections alongside the rest of
the opposition parties. He insisted his
differences with the opposition started when
he announced he wanted to re-open the fraud
files of the past 15 years once in Parliament
and bring in international auditors to go over
the government's account books.
He
said: "The main issue that terrified everybody
and will continue to terrify them is the issue
of corruption and unjustified indebtedness."
He
said: "Those candidates who are against us all
took part in the 15 years of corruption."
But in a scarcely veiled attack on Aoun,
Hariri said: "Some parties left us and forged
an alliance with the symbols of corruption and
(Syrian) tutelage."
Aoun's Change and Reform list is made up of
Aley candidates Hikmat Deeb (Maronite), Issam
Sharafeddine (Druze), Marwan Abu Fadel (Greek
Orthodox), Asaad Abi Raad (Maronite) and Talal
Arslan (Druze).
The Baabda runners are: Shaqib Qortbawi,
Pierre Dakkash, and Naji Gharios (Maronites),
Ghaleb Awar (Druze), Ramzi Kanj (Shiite). Aoun
said the second Shiite seat will be chosen by
the local Shiite community.
By Rita
Boustani
Daily Star
staff
Thursday, June
02, 2005
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