The delay in the promotion of colonels and the gaps that could arise within the military institution, especially with the impending retirement of a considerable number of generals, has prompted mediators to act between Baabda and Ain al-Tineh. There are concerns that the Presidency of the Council of Ministers might not raise the decree to the Presidency of the Republic for signature within the allowed timeframe for it to be effective at the beginning of July. In recent years, with the emergence of the "94" cycle issue, it has become customary to raise promotion lists for all officers to be signed by the Presidency of the Republic, except for the colonels' lists, while preserving the right to promotion for deserving candidates.
According to "Al-Akhbar," two parties have entered into the discussions: the first is Minister of Defense Maurice Sleem, who is in communication with various parties. The second is Deputy Speaker of Parliament Elias Bou Saab, who informed "Al-Akhbar" that he is working on developing a settlement centered on "resolving all pending files at once." The success of Bou Saab’s initiative depends on the unique relationship he shares with Ain al-Tineh, in addition to the ongoing understandings between the Free Patriotic Movement and the Amal Movement since the parliamentary elections.
In this context, Bou Saab is trying to secure breakthroughs on a set of outstanding files, which, according to official information, range between 6 and 7 files, with the solution coming in the form of a "comprehensive package." "Al-Akhbar" learned that among the files Bou Saab is working on, alongside military promotions, are the "forest wardens" who passed the Civil Service Council examinations, for whom the Presidency of the Republic has refused to sign their appointment decree for more than three years under the pretext of not "observing sectarian balance."
Additionally, there are the "appointments of the Court of Cassation," for which Minister of Finance Youssef Khalil has refrained from signing at the request of Nabih Berri, leading to the freezing of decrees to appoint 6 presidents of Cassation chambers, names that the Supreme Judicial Council had managed to designate months ago. This issue has been compounded by the second presidency's complaint about "disrupting the sectarian balance" in the general assembly of the "Court of Cassation" following an exceptional fatwa issued years ago which permitted the appointment of another Christian judge to head the first chamber instead of the president of the Supreme Judicial Council, raising the members of the General Assembly to 11 (6 Christians and 5 Muslims) instead of being evenly divided, which was the principle adopted in the recent appointments.
Informed sources about the consultations told "Al-Akhbar" that one of the proposed solutions to settle the dispute would entail reducing the number of chambers from 11 to 10, allowing the president of the Supreme Judicial Council to head one of the chambers, thus returning to the text of the fundamental law. Alternatively, a second option could involve returning to 10 chambers without the president of the Supreme Judicial Council leading any chamber, but rather appointing a judge to handle cases in their stead.
Bou Saab's success in securing a breakthrough in this file effectively shifts the ball into the court of the president of the Supreme Judicial Council, Suhail Abboud, who is now the subject of complaints from the majority of political forces. This breakthrough would also lay the groundwork for resolving other files. It has been reported that Bou Saab has been tasked with this mission by President Aoun, having visited Ain al-Tineh a few days ago to discuss the proposed solutions with President Berri.
