Geagea Says March 14 to Submit 'Conditional' Extra-Budgetary Spending Law

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Wednesday accused Hizbullah and “the Aounist top brass” of being involved in the recent attempt on his life “through their role in misleading the investigation,” revealing that the March 14 forces will soon submit a draw law authorizing government to resort to extra-budgetary spending under certain conditions.

Speaking to reporters following talks with visiting Assistant U.S. Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman in Maarab, Geagea said: “The March 14 forces will submit a draft law that would authorize government to resort to extra-budgetary spending under extraordinary circumstances and within a period not exceeding 30 days, on condition that it pledges to submit a draft state budget to parliament.”

And as he condemned the other camp’s “pressuring of President Michel Suleiman to sign an unreasonable decree,” he called on the government to resign, describing it as a “government of corruption.”

Geagea stressed that “the parliamentary elections must take place on time and according to the constitutional timetable,” but noted that “the other camp clearly does not want elections to take place.”

Commenting on the recent assassination attempt against him, Geagea said “there are two parties involved in the assassination attempt.”

“I don’t know if Hizbullah and the Aounist top brass are actually involved or have implicated themselves through their attempt to mislead the investigation and aid the culprits, the same as they did in all the assassination attempts Lebanon has witnessed,” Geagea added.

Separately, Geagea said his discussions with Feltman tackled “the situation in the region, especially the events and developments in Syria, without discussing a specific date for the end of the crisis.”