“Gebran Bassil on Presidential Name Agreement and Hezbollah’s Role in National Consensus”

The head of the Free Patriotic Movement, Representative Gebran Bassil, confirmed that the movement agreed with the opposition forces on a name for the presidency of the republic, while the political project has not yet been completed, stressing the need to agree with everyone, including Hezbollah.

In an interview with Al-Qabas, he pointed out that what he is asking Hezbollah for in the presidential file is to set aside the approach of imposition and confrontation and move towards an acceptable national consensus, or to democratic competition in the parliament through voting, and the movement will be the first to congratulate Hezbollah’s candidate Suleiman Franjieh if he wins. Bassil criticized the current performance of the Shiite duo in the presidential file and the work of the Council of Ministers, saying that it unites Christians and completing this approach inevitably leads to more sectarian tension and sorting. Pointing out that communication is not broken with Hezbollah, but there is no meeting soon on the horizon.

Regarding the relationship with the Gulf states, Bassil said that the current did not once agree to harm them, but today we are facing a greater responsibility with the ongoing understandings in the region, especially with Iran and Syria. He also praised the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, considering that its new policy and the great development in the Gulf would be generalized For the countries of the region, we can see a new Europe in the human sense first, and in keeping with urban development, which will have enormous repercussions on Lebanon, whose importance exceeds the election of a president for the republic and refutes the project of an alliance of minorities.

He considered the Saudi-Iranian understanding and the Saudi-Syrian rapprochement to restore balance in the region without one project prevailing over another. Bassil praised Kuwait’s position, saying that once the initiative was issued by it, it means that it is positive for Lebanon. Because Kuwait never once prevailed over its own interest or sided with a Lebanese team.