Internal forces with external links are interested in extending Army commander's term

Contrary to what has prevailed since yesterday, when a meeting of the Council of ministers was announced to discuss an agenda postponed from the previous meeting, which was scheduled for Tuesday and has not yet been held, which left the impression that there is some solution on the file of postponing the retirement of army commander General Joseph Aoun, but the council did not address the file, as president Najib Mikati reiterated that the government "will not be a battleground for settling personal scores or individual disputes at the expense of the public good". He said: "some are trying to involve the government in divisive debates of a constitutional and political nature, and that are exceptionally disruptive. But we are determined to continue our work, steering clear of sterile debates that have plagued the Lebanese. The government operates according to what it deems appropriate, not according to agendas some try to impose on fundamental milestones at this critical juncture and any decision the government makes regarding significant issues will prioritize the nation's interest and the imperative of fortifying institutions in this crucial period.

Based on the foregoing, it seems that there is no solution to the issue of the army command yet, especially since the FPM is still at its position and Hezbollah has not yet announced the decisive position, either positively or negatively.

A source in the Free Patriotic Movement believes that there are internal forces that have External links that are interested in extending the army commander's mandate, and criticizes the title "preserving and protecting the institution", which the main goal is to keep General Aoun in office because there is an "agreement in politics" between the forces supporting the extension and Aoun, on the basis that his remaining in command keeps him as a presidential candidate.

The source stresses that the FPM is against the extension in any center of the state, recalling the position of Deputy Gebran Bassil in 2013, who rejected the extension of General Jean Kahwaji at that time, and was against the extension of the governor of the Bank of Lebanon Riad Salameh and Director General of Public Security Abbas Ibrahim. He adds: If the extension takes place or not, Aoun's election requires a constitutional amendment to Article 49, which states that "employees of Grade One civil servants, or their equivalents in all public institutions to the Presidency during their term or office or within two years following the date of their resignation and their effective cessation of service, or following retirement".

But Salameh's extension in 2017 was approved by President Michel Aoun. The source explains: there is a difference between the extension after referral to retirement and the extension at the end of the mandate, where the time period of the army commander in office is determined by referral to retirement and not appointed for a certain period.

The source affirms that the position of the FPM is clear and refuses to violate the Constitution, considering that what is happening is the abrogation of the Constitution.

The source believes that it is not permissible to link any institution to one person, pointing out that a period of 55 days is separated from the date of Aoun's retirement, so during this period, the effort must be focused on electing a consensual president around whom the Lebanese agree, and then things will take their constitutional course.