After the killing of Gibran Tueni, the Lebanese government's house of many mansions is slowly turning into a house of cards, reports Hicham Safieddine Lebanon inched closer towards a political deadlock over how it must be governed by the various factions participating in its coalition government this week. Disagreement over how to respond to the assassination of journalist and politician Gibran Tueni, which led to the suspension of membership of Shiite ministers representing Amal and Hizbullah, escalated despite efforts to mediate between the in fighters. Following the 12 December death of Tueni, an emergency government meeting convened. The government called on the Security Council to extend the mandate of the international investigation commission into the death of former prime minister Rafik Al-Hariri to include assassinations and attempted assassinations of other victims, the last of whom was Tueni, that have plagued the country since October 2004. The government also called for the establishment of a court with an international character. But unlike major past decisions, this one passed by a majority vote, rather than a unanimous one. Ministers from the Al-Hariri bloc and it allies, Druze leader Walid Jumblatt and the Christian Phalanges, supported the decision. Ministers of Shiite parties Hizbullah and Amal objected to the decision and warned that it will lead to further internationalisation of the crisis and erode the implicit understanding to govern Lebanon according to consensus rule rather than majority rule. Hizbullah's leading Member of Parliament Mohamed Raad said the government's decision verged on being a "national sin". He stipulated that Hizbullah would only return as an active member of the governing coalition if the principle of unanimity is restored as the mechanism for decision making in matters of importance. But Prime Minister Fouad Siniora argued against a consensus only formula in taking cabinet decisions. "The constitution is clear," Siniora said following a meeting with Maronite church leader Nasrallah Sfeir. "Unanimous decisions inside the council of ministers is the preferable way to go... [but some] issues require two-thirds majority if there was no full agreement on them." Efforts to bridge the gap between the two sides have so far failed. An attempt to call for solidarity against the dangers facing Lebanon was initiated by Tueni's father Ghassan, who unexpectedly visited House of Parliament Speaker and head of Amal Party Nabih Berri. Tueni the father, a dean of journalism in his own right, had given a touching speech during his son's funeral in which he called for burying all "resentments along with Gibran". But with all sides apparently unwilling to compromise, his pleas are unlikely to cause a rapprochement soon. It remains to be seen whether external factors will work towards widening the already existing divisions. UN Resolution 1644 has already extended the mandate of the investigation for another renewable six months and reiterated its call on Syria to cooperate fully with the investigation. German prosecutor Detlev Mehlis stepped down as head of the investigative commission after occupying his post for two terms and will serve only as caretaker until the appointment of a new successor. Uncertainty over the character and direction the new commissioner will take is bound to leave many politicians mulling their next step with more caution. Mehlis was praised by Al-Hariri supporters as trustworthy and professional, but his detractors pointed out many loopholes in his report. Mehlis himself had followed his stepping down with a statement published in Saudi Arabia's newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat in which he said he was confident that Syria was behind the attack on Al-Hariri. But little has emerged from his investigation that directly implicates the Syrian regime. How the new commissioner, rumoured to be Belgian judge and International Criminal Court prosecutor Serge Brammertz, is going to handle the case is yet to be seen. The politically-paralysed Council of Ministers is not the only centre of power under threat. Youth organisations that mobilised the public during mass demonstrations in downtown Beirut in the wake of the killing of Al-Hariri last February sprung to action again following Tueni's death. The youth wing of the Christian Phalanges has called for setting up another tent rally in Martyr's Square to demand the resignation of President Emil Lahoud. The presidential file has been on the back burner for a while, and front runner for the presidential seat former general Michael Aoun has criticised the new pressure against Lahoud. But as the Lebanese witness their leaders sink further into disagreement, all institutions of power, including the presidency, may turn into a house of cards.
