Aoun: Saniora Will ‘Pay the Price of his Stubbornness’ and Will be ‘Forced to Leave Quickly’
 Gen. Michel Aoun criticized Prime Minister Fouad Saniora’s refusal to resign, saying his government is bound to collapse any time, As Safir reported Thursday.“Saniora will pay for his stubbornness and this could happen any time…then he won’t even have time to gather his belongings because he will find himself forced to leave quickly,” Aoun told the daily.Aoun’s comments came after Saniora said at a press conference Wednesday that his government will not resign despite calls by the opposition to do so.
“As long as the cabinet enjoys parliament’s support, democracy will continue and the government won’t resign,” Saniora told reporters before heading to Stockholm to attend a donors’ conference on Lebanon there. “I tell Saniora that a government reshuffle should have taken place at the end of 2005…but that never happened,” Aoun said. He said Saniora’s government can no longer depend on outside support to stay in power. “You have to know that you can no longer rely on outside support as your government is weak in all aspects,” Aoun told the daily. “We have warned of the dangers of the government’s persistence. Since you didn’t feel concerned, we now retain the option of choosing the right time to achieve the desired change.” The leader of the Free Patriotic Movement also took a jab at the parliamentary majority, which he said it fears a constitutional vacuum in case the current government resigns. “This fictitious majority cannot rule forever,” he said. He also described the government as a “government of destruction and economic collapse.” “Those who are responsible for devastation cannot build a country and save the economy,” he said. |
| Beirut, 31 Aug 06 |
