LEBANON: PRIME MINISTER SELIM AL-HOSS TRIES TO FORM NEW GOVERNMENT BUT IS CRITICISED BY RIGHT-WING LEADERS.

Record ID: 415213

  • Title: LEBANON: PRIME MINISTER SELIM AL-HOSS TRIES TO FORM NEW GOVERNMENT BUT IS CRITICISED BY RIGHT-WING LEADERS.
  • Date: 4th July 1979
  • Summary: 1. SV Former Prime Minister Saeb Salam (with cigar) greeting Dr. Selim Al-Hoss and leading him to chair 0.26 2. SV Dr. Al-Hoss leaving 0.46 3. SV Dr. Al-Hoss with Dr. Abdullah Al-Yaffi (2 shots) 1.15 4. GV Parliament building in Beirut 1.20 5. SV Falangist leader Pierre Gemayel entering Parliament 1.30 6. CU Cameraman 1.31 7. GV Deputies leaving building 1.52 8. CU Deputy Sinaan Dweihi making statement in Arabic 2.22 Initials BB/ Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 19th July 1979 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BEIRUT, LEBANON
  • Country: Lebanon
  • Reuters ID: LVA1U5MR390DJ5DGXNZJU3Q9829L
  • Story Text: Lebanon's powerful right-wing parties have criticised moves by the country's Prime Minister, Selim Al-Hoss to end Lebanon's prolonged constitutional crisis. Political and military leaders of the mainly Christian Falangist and National Liberal (NCP) Parties rejected his plans as outdated and unrealistic. They also accused Dr. Al-Hoss of being pro-Palestinian.

    SYNOPSIS: Dr. Al-Hoss was elected last December. Since than his eight-man cabinet, of technocrats has tried to resign twice to let the politicians try and solve the continuing sectarian conflict in Lebanon. On Monday (2 July) he was asked by President Elias Sarkis to form a new government. So Dr. Al-Hoss visited the politicians. One of the first was former Premier Saeb Salam. It is a difficult problem for the Prime Minister. He has held meetings with the leader of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), Yasser Arafat. They discussed the situation in southern Lebanon and Dr. Al-Hoss then visited another former Prime Minister, Dr. Abdullah Al-Yaffi. These meetings with former Premiers are the traditional preliminaries to trying to form a new government. But it is the meetings with Palestinian representatives that have brought the right-wing attack, on Dr. Al-Hoss. The Prime Minister wants his new government to rebuild a non-sectarian army, disarm the various rival militia and regulate Palestinian guerrilla activity in the country. The next meetings were in Beirut's Parliament.

    Falangist leader, Pierre Gemayel was one of the right-wing politicians who criticised the Premier. He said that Dr. Al-Hoss was one of the country's best leaders but accused him of putting his Arab-Palestinian sympathies before Lebanon. So after a round of meetings the war of words in Lebanon continues. After the meetings Deputy Prime Minister, Sinaan Dweihi outlined the present cabinet's views at the end of a day of hard-talking.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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