Berri slams March 14 for picking up bad March 8 habits

House Speaker Nabih Berri slammed the March 14 coalition for their reaction to the country’s current crisis, saying their actions would create no positive outcomes. “The path the opposition has chosen will get the country to a dead end, and that is the least I can say about such behavior,” Berri sources quoted him as telling his visitors. “Berri’s statements were very clear, he is saying that boycotting dialogue is of no use to any party in the country,” the sources told The Daily Star. Berri was also quoted as saying that “March 14 acquired the bad habits of the March 8, instead of acquiring the good qualities of their rivals.” “The speaker is trying to be objective... he often conducts self criticism to identify his mistakes, and he is now pinpointing the faults of the opposition,” Berri’s sources said. According to the speaker, March 14’s decision to boycott all activities in which Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s Cabinet takes part will not stop the government from fulfilling its tasks. “The Cabinet must continue its tasks by following up citizens’ affairs on all levels, especially in the hard circumstances the country is witnessing,” Berri was quoted as saying. The opposition Tuesday declared it will not participate in any national dialogue sessions and parliamentary or political meetings linked to the government and its officials until the resignation of the Cabinet. Their decision comes amid sharp tension in the country after the assassination of a top security official, Brig. Gen. Wissam al-Hasan who was murdered last Friday by a massive car bomb in the Ashrafieh area of Beirut. From DailyStar