Lawmakers say they hope to include all Christian sects, deny they aim to counter Qornet Shehwan Gathering

Sabine Darrous
Daily Star staff

Though falling short of promulgating a name or agreeing on the group’s ultimate structure and role, around 15 Maronite figures moved Tuesday toward forming what is essentially a counter to the Qornet Shehwan Gathering of opposition Christian politicians.
The gathering, held behind closed doors at Parliament and lasting two and a half hours, bears witness to the fact that not all Christians are represented by Qornet Shehwan and that there are many in the community with pro-Syrian tendencies.
However, after speculation that up to 40 MPs could become members of the new group, the turnout of only 15 indicated that considerable efforts await the politicians.
Participants at the meeting contacted by The Daily Star said that the gathering will expand to comprise members of other Christian sects.
Meeting in the offices of the Finance and Budget Committee were Health Minister Suleiman Franjieh, Defense Minister Khalil Hrawi and MPs Samir Azar, Robert Ghanem, Ghattas Khoury, Qaisar Mouawad, Sayed Aql, Emile Lahoud Jr., Nader Sukkar, Mikhail Daher, Qabalan Issa Khoury and Ghassan Ashqar, who had gathered last week for an initial “consultation” session at Azar’s office.
Joining them Tuesday were Tripoli MP Jean Obeid and three members of Chouf MP Walid Jumblatt’s parliamentary bloc, namely George Deeb Neameh, Nabil Boustany, and Minister of State for Administrative Development Fouad Saad.
Participants decided to hold a second meeting on Aug. 27.
Both Franjieh and Hrawi are believed to be behind the launching of this new group, in an apparent attempt to outflank the Christian opposition and voice support for a pro-Syrian political line.
Meeting participants said that Franjieh declined to chair Tuesday’s meeting, seeking to avoid speculation that he wanted to use the group to advance his political aims, such as a run for the presidency.
According to supporters, the delay in officially launching the new Maronite group is due to the presence of diverging views among its members, which they believe will require further consultations and meetings.
Some members have not fully decided to take part in the gathering, cautiously awaiting further details concerning the aim, final form and structure of the group, as well as its relationship with senior officials.
Among its members, some are close to President Emile Lahoud while others boast sound relations with Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
One of the key issues addressed was the need to expand participation so as to include nonparliamentary figures from the Maronite community.
Although members concluded by pledging to include Christians, some participants suggested allowing individuals from all sects to join if they shared the group’s political views, an idea that was met by opposition by other members who wanted to limit the group to Maronite MPs to avoid future complications.
One of the main topics to be discussed by the group is the
so-called “Christian marginalization,” which they believe has increased since the signing of the Taif Accord that marked the end of the civil war.
According to its organizers, the group will throw its support behind the Syrian presence in the country and Syria’s role as guarantor of “sovereignty and independence.”
A source at the meeting said that Tuesday’s meeting had been “a consultation meeting” between Maronite MPs, who addressed all kinds of issues facing the country.
He said that such a group was needed both on the Christian level and on the national level to find solutions to the many problems facing society.
The member denied that the group’s aim was to counter-attack Qornet Shehwan Gathering and said that Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Nasrallah Butros Sfeir would approve of such an initiative as he usually gave his blessing to “any positive work.”
Members presented their proposals for defining the group’s name and mission as preliminary steps towards creating a founding document.
Other Maronite legislators, such as Bsharri MP Gebran Tawq, refused to join the group’s ranks, saying that the presence of different bodies claiming to represent Christians would only serve to deepen existing divisions in this community.
Tawq said that the group had been created to counter the Qornet Shehwan’s influence, but he expected it to backfire, strengthening “the opposition group and give it more power
in the eyes of the Christian community.”
He said that Sfeir would refuse to give his blessing as the notion did not reflect his political position, unlike Qornet Shehwan, which reflects the prelate’s major stances on the local front.

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