The Bteghrin incident, which topped the news at the official and public level over the past few days, took a positive twist  Wednesday when Metn MP Michel Murr said he was ready to reconcile with his brother.
Murr said that he had discussed the issue with Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Nasrallah Butros Sfeir and had designated him to handle the reconciliation with his brother, former Metn MP Gabriel Murr.
Speaking to reporters at Parliament after meeting with Speaker Nabih Berri, Murr said he told Sfeir he was “ready for any sacrifice,” adding that the prelate told him priority in handling the reconciliation process goes to Orthodox religious men, as the Murr family belongs to the Greek Orthodox community.
Murr’s relationship with his brother has been deteriorating since the Metn by-elections in June, as he was not ready to give up his seat at Parliament.
“I will not stand aside, I have been a stamp at Parliament for 40 years,” he said, adding that even Patriarch Sfeir did not want to see him abandon his seat in Metn.
Murr said he does not see himself as his brother’s ally, campaigning in one electoral list during future parliamentary elections, as “the Metn cannot tolerate two from the Murr family.”
Murr visited Berri to inform him about the details of the “so-called Bteghrin incident,” and denied that any MP was prevented from reaching the northern Metn town to attend a lunch hosted by his brother Gabriel, last Saturday.
Speaker Nabih Berri avoided commenting on the Bteghrin episode during his regular Wednesday parliamentary meetings with MPs and instead discussed with them issues related to living circumstances and Parliament’s summer recess.
Berri raised the issue of Thursday’s Cabinet meeting and the relation between the president and the premier, which many are expecting to be tense as the two are in disagreement over how to deal with the restructuring of the Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR).
Berri said that he does not see any possible new disputes between the two leaders over the CDR, as the issue is technical and not political.
Political observers expect a new round of disputes between President Emile Lahoud and Prime Minister Rafik Hariri over the restructuring and new by-laws of the CDR, which is listed on Thursday’s Cabinet agenda.
Observers pointed to Lahoud’s statement Tuesday concerning the Lebanese Army delegation that visited him at Baabda, insinuating that tense relations between Lahoud and the premier will rise again.
Lahoud had said living conditions and socio-economic matters were a “priority” over other issues, and that “infrastructure matters were not basic priorities,” in reference to Hariri’s continuous focus on construction and taxation policies.
Lahoud also told the delegation “allegations about the army costing millions of dollars were all lies,” which was interpreted as a direct response to Hariri.
Analysts suspect that Lahoud’s statements have signaled a new round of disagreements with Hariri, and questioned whether Thursday’s Cabinet session will proceed smoothly.