CBE, banks to launch card tokenization on Android mobile apps    CIB completes EGP 2.3bn securitization for GlobalCorp in seventh issuance    Mobile wallet transactions in Egypt surge 72% in Q2 2025 to EGP 943.4bn    Right-wing figures blame 'the Left' for Kirk killing, some urge ban on Democratic Party    Ex-IDF chief says Gaza war casualties exceed 200,000, legal advice 'never a constraint'    Egypt's Sisi ratifies €103.5m financial cooperation deal with Germany    Egypt's FM heads to Doha for talks on Israel escalation    Israeli strike in Doha escalates regional tensions, threatens Gaza ceasefire talks    Egypt strengthens inter-ministerial cooperation to upgrade healthcare sector    Egyptian government charts new policies to advance human development    Egypt, Spain discuss expanding health cooperation, support for Gaza    Egypt advances plans to upgrade historic Cairo with Azbakeya, Ataba projects    Egyptian pound ends week lower against US dollar – CBE    Egypt expresses condolences to Sudan after deadly Darfur landslides    Egypt hosts G20 meeting for 1st time outside member states    Lebanese Prime Minister visits Egypt's Grand Egyptian Museum    Egypt to tighten waste rules, cut rice straw fees to curb pollution    Egypt seeks Indian expertise to boost pharmaceutical industry    Egypt prepares unified stance ahead of COP30 in Brazil    Egypt recovers collection of ancient artefacts from Netherlands    Egypt harvests 315,000 cubic metres of rainwater in Sinai as part of flash flood protection measures    Egyptian, Ugandan Presidents open business forum to boost trade    Al-Sisi says any party thinking Egypt will neglect water rights is 'completely mistaken'    Egypt's Sisi, Uganda's Museveni discuss boosting ties    Egypt, Huawei explore healthcare digital transformation cooperation    Foreign, housing ministers discuss Egypt's role in African development push    Greco-Roman rock-cut tombs unearthed in Egypt's Aswan    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Lebanese Christian party rallies against Sunni prime minister
Published in Ahram Online on 09 - 07 - 2015

Hundreds of supporters of a Lebanese Christian politician protested in Beirut on Thursday against the Sunni prime minister they claim is marginalising Christian influence, stirring tensions in a country in crisis over war in neighbouring Syria.
Michel Aoun accuses Prime Minister Tammam Salam of taking decisions without cross-party consensus and usurping powers reserved for the president - a post set aside for a Christian but vacant since last year due to the wider political crisis.
Aoun's critics, including other Christian leaders, say his motivation is personal. A presidential hopeful, he wants his son-in-law, Brigadier-General Shamel Roukoz, appointed as army chief when the job needs filling in September.
Aoun, 80, is an ally of Hezbollah, a powerful Lebanese Shi'ite group backed by Iran that is fighting alongside President Bashar al-Assad in Syria. Hezbollah has said it backs Aoun's political position, but is not taking part in the rally.
Balance and consensus has kept Lebanon stable since the 1975-1990 civil war but has also frequently led to paralysis. Under the system, the president must be a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunni and the Parliament speaker a Shi'ite.
Supporters of Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) waved its orange flag as groups on foot and in cars honking horns made their way towards the Grand Serail government headquarters in central Beirut, where Salam was holding a cabinet meeting.
The army had blocked roads using armoured vehicles and metal barriers as the protesters chanted and took pictures on their smartphones. Soldiers watched in the shade.
"All parties should agree on laws," said 21-year-old student Charbel Khoury. "They are taking everything from us. As Christians we should act, we should not stay at home. We are only a small number in the region."
All of the main political parties, including the Saudi-backed Future Movement of Sunni politician Saad al-Hariri, are represented in the Salam cabinet, which was formed last year after the country spent 10 months without a government.
The government's existence has spared Lebanon a complete vacuum in the executive arm, helping shield it from further fall-out from the four-year-long Syrian war that has driven more than one million refugees over the border into Lebanon.
Political sources in parties allied to Aoun said his ministers would not resign, even as one of them threatened further escalation. "We will stay in the street until the government is toppled if it continues in this way," Walid Khoury, an FPM lawmaker, was quoted by local media as saying.
While rivalry between Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shi'ite Iran has helped to fuel conflict in the region, their allies in Lebanon have sought to contain tensions. Hezbollah and Future are holding regular talks to help do that.
http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/134934.aspx


Clic here to read the story from its source.