Lebanon’s former speaker Hussein Al-Husseini died on Wednesday at the age of 86.
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati declared three days of national mourning after the announcement.
The parliamentary session aimed at electing new Lebanese president, which was schedueled on Thursday, was adjourned shortly for the next week after the news of Al-Husseini’s demise emerged, local media reported, noting that thenew date was set for January 19.
‘Taif Godfather’
Al-Husseini was one of the founders of the Amal Movement and played a key role in brokering the Taif Agreement, which brought an end to the Lebanese Civil War in 1990.
Born in 1937 in Baalbeck district’s Shmustar town, Al-Husseini obtained a diploma in Business from Cairo University in 1963.
He was elected as a Member of Parliament in 1972. He was a speaker between the years 1984 and 1992.
He was known as the ‘Taif godfather’ as he played a key role in the 1989 accords which ended the 15-year civil war in Lebanon.
National Figure
Speaker Nabih Berri hailed Al-Husseini as “a great national figure who devoted his life for the country, its people, its national identity and integrity,” he said in a statement.
“Today Lebanon has lost an authentic national and constitutional stature,” Mikati said, adding that “al-Husseini’s presence constituted a milestone in the history of parliamentary work in Lebanon.”
Talking on behalf of Hezbollah’s Parliamentary bloc, Head of Loyalty to Resistance bloc MP Mohammad Raad offered condolences to the family of Al-Husseini, saying his life was full of contributions to the Lebanese political and national affairs.
“Loyalty to Resistance bloc voices grief for losing such a national figure,” Raad said in statement carried by Al-Manar.
For his part, former PM Saad Al-Hariri said Lebanon has lost a great man of Taif statesmen who represent moderation and adopt the path of dialogue and national consensus.
Source: Al-Manar English Website
