Iran-US Reconciliation, A Global Achievement

November 16th, 2013 - by Ali Mousavi Khalkhali

Why hasn’t your government been formed yet?

It is very clear why it has not been formed yet. The volume of problems is so high that this has suspended all of our plans. It is like we have been forgotten. Even we ourselves have forgotten ourselves and we have been involved in matters which have no relation with our problems and do not untie the knots. I do not intend to put the blame on anyone but I want everyone to save us from these troubles. Whatever we have hitherto done has been faced with a deadlock. No one knows what will happen to Lebanon if this situation continues.

How much of an effect do developments in the region have on the establishment of your government?

They have huge impacts and I warn against their negative effects. The regional developments and the conflicts which exist between the disputing parties in the Middle East are all on our negotiating table as issues which we are confronted with. This issue is entangled with the destiny of our government. Any government, not only ours, will be faced with the same problem if it intends to continue its task. Meanwhile, if a sudden incident happens which is beyond our presumptions, it would question all of our principles. We are all faced with new equations. Any development in the region has direct effects on us. That is why it is not surprising that everybody in Lebanon’s political scene awaits the results of these developments because all of the regional plans, efforts and achievements directly affect us. That is why I believe that the situation in Lebanon is very complicated and worrisome. For example, just as the disputing parties in Syria have not been able to affect the US-Russian agreement with regard to Syria and the designers and supporters of this agreement pursue their own activities and have stood against the pressures and this issue has become a challenge for many of the influential countries in Syria, we are faced with the same situation as well.

So, do you believe that even the US-Russia agreement on the issue of Syria impacts the developments in Lebanon?

Certainly. There is no doubt that it has its own effects. It is true that this agreement is about Syria’s chemical dossier but its agreements are beyond this issue. That is why we need time to see how effective its dimensions are. In fact, this issue is an agreement made between the two main poles of the Cold War wherein many issues have remained of which no one is aware and it is this issue that is the cause of concern for all of us in Lebanon, because anything that happens in Syria would directly affect Lebanon.

What are the impacts of the closeness of Iran-US relations on the developments in Lebanon?

Such closeness is undoubtedly considered as a global achievement. Moscow is not far from this closeness, but it wants to have time to find itself in this equation and maintain its reputation at the global level. Russia knows well that everything in the region is changing. This is a fact that everyone admits to. The playing cards are changing and this issue has created a new equation. There is no doubt that the closeness of Iran-US relations will have direct effects on Lebanon including the issue of the formation of the government. Certainly when two parties which have had disputes since long ago move closer to each other, many problems of the region will be solved, including the establishment of the government in Lebanon.

There has been growing optimism about the establishment of the government in Lebanon. What happened that caused the atmosphere of pessimism to return and the influential forces in the formation of the government to grow distant from each other?

Yes, the March 8^th and March 14^th forces had gotten closer to each other to establish the government but suddenly everything returned to square one. Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary General of Hezbollah, felt that the other party, meaning the March 14^th alliance, was playing with him. That is why he was not willing to play in a game whose winner would only be the March 14^th alliance. The March 14^th forces do not agree with the formation of a government with Hezbollah’s participation based on the 9-9-6 plan which was proposed by Walid Jumblatt. They want a government based on 8-8-8. The other party has rejected this idea. That is why fiery speeches have returned to the political talks of the Lebanese parties. This issue has reduced the chance of the establishment of the government and this now depends on other issues such as Hezbollah’s withdrawal from Syria and the enforcement of the Baabda declaration. But this is not right. There were no such excuses in the past when a government was supposed to be established.

How effective are the positions taken by Mr. Saad Hariri?

Saad Hariri is also dissatisfied with this situation. Despite the fact that he is in France, he still supervises the conditions as the head of the al-Mustagbal faction and one of the leaders of the March 14^th alliance. Recently I had a two-hour meeting with him in Paris. He is not happy with the fiery speeches made by Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah but he says that he will do anything in his power for the government to be established.

There are rumors that the March 14^th movement intends to remove its support from you for the establishment of the government. Do you confirm these statements?

They have never stated that they would support the prime ministership of anyone without certain conditions. The March 14^th movement neither supported Saad Hariri or Fouad Siniora. The rumors about my removal are not correct either. Some have attempted to defeat our efforts but they will not succeed in the end.

What conditions would you expect to be prepared for you to introduce your government?

What everybody desires is that no harsh political statement be made against each other. They should also create conditions that would consider the sensitivities and the current situation of the country and the region. No condition should be proposed which has no relation with the establishment of the government and which would only complicate the matter. Meanwhile, some propose contradictory conditions which are not to anyone’s benefit. I ask everyone to prepare the ground for the establishment of the government because this situation is leading the country towards instability and will be to everybody’s disadvantage. Of course, Mr. Michel Suleiman, the President, is fully cooperating with me and helps me in dealing with the problems.

Do you believe that the conditions of the March 14^th alliance have created challenges in the establishment of the government and have complicated the situation?

The March 14^th movement demands a hasty establishment of the government. I can even say that it insists that the government should immediately be formed. Their positions are aimed neither at cooperating with others’ positions nor at closing all the doors to complicate the consultations to solve the problem of the establishment of the government. The March 14^th movement insists that a government based on 8-8-8 should be formed. This is while the other party insists on the formation of the government based on 9-9-6 which is not approved by the March 14^th alliance. The two sides must negotiate with each other without pressuring each other so that the problems would be solved and the process of the formation of the government would be facilitated.

It is said that Mr. Hariri has asked you to form a government of political majority. Is this report right?

Even if it is right, it would be impossible to do. The formation of the government without the presence of the March 8^th and March 14^th movements would mean directing the country towards unrest and instability. Nowhere in the world could a democratic government be formed without the presence of the influential parties and powers of that country. It is the same in Lebanon. Even if he has made such a statement, it is because a long time has passed since I became responsible for forming a government. Perhaps he intends to increase pressures over the establishment of the government. But everyone knows that the formation of a government without the presence of a powerful and influential party like Hezbollah would not be possible at all.