The president of the ‘Independence Movement’ Michel Moawad stated that “his hands were stretched out to reach a formula that respects diversity and the fundamentals, and builds on common denominations in Zgharta.”
He announced that there will be no political or electoral coalition with the leader of the ‘Al Marada’ movement, MP Suleiman Frangieh, if it is based on the logic of ‘he has to get aligned with our political views’.

Commenting on Frangieh’s proposal to him, Moawad said: “The logic that says that Michel Moawad will join Suleiman Frangieh if ‘he gets aligned with our political views’, is not to be considered. What is to be considered is to spare Zgharta from the countrywide political rifts, based on the foundations established by President Rene Moawad and President Suleiman Frangieh.”

He added: “Minister Frangieh knows that my approach to political action is not based on proposals and political bribes.” And he reminded that after the election of General Michel Aoun as President, many meetings took place between him and Toni Frangieh, Minister Frangieh’s son, “and the discussions went on from November till February, during which all the discussions were based on the respect of fundamentals, and the consideration that any elections in Zgharta have to be based on the principle of sparing Zgharta and respecting the fundamentals.”

He asked: “Can someone imagine me being an ally to Bachar Assad, or promoting the ‘Army-People-Resistance’ equation? Or supporting Abd El Rahim Mrad for Prime Minister?”

And he said: “My hands are stretched out within a formula that respects diversity and the fundamentals, and builds on common denominations in Zgharta.” Adding: “Minister Frangieh’s proposal for an understanding with Michel Moawad must be under the ideal of sparing Zgharta, not Michel Moawad joining the ‘Al Marada’ block.”

Moawad pointed out that when he offered the project of ‘sparing Zgharta’, he held private meetings with President Aoun and with Samir Geagea, sharing his thoughts regarding the importance of sparing Zgharta. And they agreed on this.

Answering a question, Moawad said: “I call for the widening of the ‘Christian Understanding’ (between Aoun and Geagea), and for diversity within unity. This understanding should not be only between two parties or a closed one. What we call for is that all the Christians agree on the matter of correcting the Christians legislative representativeness. I, as Michel Moawad, hold a particularity, but I am for the Christian Understanding. I am nevertheless not against diversity. I call for diversity amongst Christians, but within a common understanding regarding some fundamentals. And I call for the widening of the Understanding. Similarly, within Zgharta, I call for diversity, but within an understanding regarding some basic Zgharta fundamentals, and for political competition under that roof.”

Moawad also said: “My political choice is to be with the Christian Understanding to correct the unbalance in the country, but I will not accept to be a barricade behind which Nabih Berri sits to weaken the Christians.”

And about the subject of Minister Frangieh preparing for the Presidential campaign starting from Zgharta, Moawad considered that “the equation that says that Frangieh needs the three Zgharta parliamentary seats as a condition to become the President of the Republic; and that if he loses these seats he won’t become a President, is very simplistic. The Presidency does not depend on having a parliamentary seat more or a parliamentary seat less in Zgharta. This just falls under media talks part of elections campaigns.”

Moawad, who refused the saying that ‘Frangieh leaves a seat for him in Zgharta’, said: “If Frangieh says that he guarantees winning all three parliamentary seats in Zgharta, he is not saying the truth. This is not correct. All surveys show a difference of 4000 votes between me and the last person on his list; knowing that surveys in Zgharta play against us, as some people don’t give their opinion in freedom due to personal considerations. Therefore, the saying that he would ‘give me’ a seat is not accurate.”

Addressing MP Frangieh, Moawad said: “Relations within Zgharta should not always depend on outside conflicts and outside incitation of instincts, which are changing. It is not in Zgharta’s interest to be dragged into these instincts and into conflicts with others. These conflicts are tactical and end after the elections. Let us come out of the instincts and look for ways to restore Zgharta’s role, making it at the core of the Christian and national equations, and not be a barricade used by anyone, and not be the Zgharta that we see today, the Zgharta of poverty and misery.”

And he said: “We don’t want Zgharta to become the grave of youth, but we want it to hold a national lustrous status. We have to become convinced that one hand cannot clap alone, and that we have to use all our diversified political, social, cultural and immigration potentials, for Zgharta’s highest good. Thus we must cooperate and compete for Zgharta’s good.

Answering a question about the municipal understanding in Zgharta, Moawad said that he was not satisfied with the outcome and has a feeling of disappointment. But he added that he won’t give up. He stressed that the municipal discussions between him and Toni Frangieh had focused on development, not on names.

Answering another questions, he said: “I am Lebanese first of all, then Christian, and thirdly a Zghortiot. It is from these standpoints that I do politics. I don’t have any election’s problem, whether the elections law is based on proportionality, whether it is ‘mixed’, or any other form. I am comfortable with my personal electoral situation in Zgharta. I am one of those who stood against the ‘Orthodox Law’, and for me the solution is in establishing the ‘Senate Council’ (مجلس الشيوخ), and moving towards a Civil State. I also say that applying the National Pact principles (الميثاقية) in the way it is presented is a constitutional heresy.

He also held that fighting corruption is a path to follow all along, not a slogan to use against a competitor, or silence kept to cover up an ally. And he said: “We are facing structural defects in the Lebanese regime, which is based on the famous ‘National Pact principles’, which translates into mercantilism. Thus, reforms are needed starting with the reactivation of the inspection institutions, because the economic situation is in danger.”

He added: “I am not accusing anyone of corruption as long as I don’t hold clear evidence, but our responsibility is to all stand against corruption.”

He pointed out that the present Cabinet is a continuation of the previous cabinets built on the ‘National Pact principles’, the needed reform will have to start by restricting this to the ‘Senate Council’.

About the elections, Moawad saw that “there is a serious opportunity to come up with a new elections law, and that the problem it is not of a technical aspect, but it is a matter of bringing a balance between the various Lebanese fractions. Let no one think that they could simply reach June 20^th without a new law, and thus force back the law of 1960.” He supported Berri’s optimism to reach a new law before the expiry of the constitutional deadline.

Moawad, who was hosted by the ‘Free Lebanon’ radio station, also said: “The Lebanese public is seeing a whole series of elections law proposals being displayed, but the problem is not in the form of the law (even though some are not acceptable, like the majority law within a large constituency, or proportionality with one constituency for the whole of Lebanon), which means that generally speaking, the real fight is not ideological about the nature of the law. The main problem is that the elections law should first of all allow the Lebanese citizen to be properly represented and have the means to exert accountability. The second problem, which is of a higher importance, is a real balanced participation between the various Lebanese confessions, especially after we adopted the confessional Federalism in the ‘Doha Agreement’.

Moawad said that the sword of the extension of the Parliament’s mandate is waved against the sword of issuing a new law, which law should carry fairness towards all the Lebanese. He reinsured that what was at stake was correcting the unbalance between the Lebanese groups, and stressed that solving the ‘National Pact principles’ problem should not only be within the elections law, but through the establishment of a ‘Senate Council’ with clear powers restricted to all the ‘National Pact principles’ matters: “The solution then is either in the creation of the ‘Senate Council’ or giving the Christians the right to be part of the ‘National Pact principles’ table. The proper Pact cannot be without the presence of the main Christian constituent. And at the same time, it is essential to take all the fears and concerns of Walid Joumblatt into consideration.”

He added: “The National Pact matters should be all centred in the Senate Council. And in the Assembly it should be a majority that governs and a minority in the Opposition. This way we will be able to tackle matters with realism, fight corruption and make our society evolve.”

Answering a question, Moawad saw that “In one way, the elections law plays a role of protecting the Lebanese groups and confessions. There are political groups that promote the ‘National Pact principles’ consideration, which are equal to a ‘Federalism of confessions’, but when it comes to the Christians, these groups become secular and give as discourses on Secularism.”

He added: “Pressurizing us to either accept to go towards a Constitutive Conference or yield to the continuous hegemony is not accepted. No one will accept the equation of either yielding to being of a 2^nd category or going to a Constitutive Conference.”

He pointed out that President Nabih Berri cannot anymore impose the extension for the Parliament after PM Hariri announced his refusal of the extension. In this, Berri lost the majority that could impose an extension, which would have led us to a big national crisis.

About the extension, he stated that there were some who wanted the extension without the prior agreement on an elections law to preserve the present status-quo, and there were those who wanted a new law to be issued first, after which there would be no problem in having a technical extension for just a few months.

Answering a question, Moawad said: “PM Saad Hariri is careful to preserve the unity of his Cabinet, and he is careful to keep a good relation with the Christian fractions and the President of the Republic.”

He emphasized that moving towards proportionality requires the implementation of regulators, amongst which the ‘priority vote’ to be within the Caza. Thus, what is needed is an elections law that protects the balance amongst the all Lebanese components.

He said: “We have not succeeded in fully correcting the present unbalance. The will to correct the unbalance must not be only a Christian demand, but rather a national demand.” And he stressed that real balance and partnership would bring stability to Lebanon, and would allow us to go beyond Confessionalism, because no one can go beyond his confession as long as he feels threatened.

Answering a question he said: “We have a strong President of the Republic, who builds his strength from a large Parliamentary block and a wide Christian Understanding. So, the matter of correcting the unbalance is strongly on the table. But there is a ferocious confrontation against it due to the interests of those who benefit from the present hegemony, as there are parties who get their strength from the extortion of others rights…”

He continued: “If the Christian Understanding was not there and if Aoun was not the President, we would have been in a worst situation. The 1960 Law would have been imposed again without discussions, and so would have all the ‘nominations’. We have today a Christian player who at present cannot impose all his will, but has gained a weight at the level of decision making.”

Moawad confirmed that he is an ally to the ‘Lebanese Forces’, and has an understanding with the ‘Tayyar’. From there, he is asking for the widening of the Christian Understanding.

On the Cabinet’s position about the Islamo-American summit in Riyadh, he said: “The Cabinet is committed to its Ministerial Statement (البيان الوزاري) which is based on 3 points: Keeping Lebanon away from the regional conflicts, respecting the Arab States’ Pact and respecting international law. Thus, Lebanon’s international interest is to stick to this policy, regardless of what would come out from the Islamo-American summit in Riyadh, especially that Lebanon is not a main player in it.”

And about the non-invitation to President Aoun to that summit, Moawad said: “If the reason behind this is to preserve the Lebanese diversity based on Lebanon’s particularities, then the non-invitation is justified.” He added that from past experiences we know that Lebanon cannot hold the role of an effective player at the regional level, thus, our highest interest is to keep distance from taking a party in conflicts.”

Moawad also hoped that Lebanon doesn’t pay the price of Hizbollah’s military and economic adventures and wagering.