Today, Wednesday, the Lebanese newspapers focused on the visit of the former President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, to Syria, where he met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad 14 years after his previous visit, discussing the impact of the visit on the presidential election, noting, according to its sources, that President al-Assad stressed not to interfere in this file. And that Syria has allies in Lebanon, and it is advisable to talk to them.
As for the official public information, the Syrian President stressed that “Lebanon’s strength lies in its political and economic stability,” stressing that “the Lebanese are capable of creating this stability through dialogue and consensus, and most importantly by adhering to principles and not betting on changes,” pointing out that “Lebanon’s stability is in favor of Syria.” and the region in general.
On the presidential front, newspapers reported that after setting the date for the next session to elect the president on June 14, meetings, contacts, and consultations intensified between the parliamentary blocs to resolve their positions before the date of the session, while the head of the Marada Movement, Suleiman Franjieh, delivered a perhaps important speech on June 11 during the commemoration of the massacre. Ehden in the palace of President Suleiman Franjieh in Ehden.
“News” | Nabih Berri: We will vote for Franjieh, not with a blank card
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri put an end to speculation and rumors, which had circulated since the date for the next session to elect the president was set on June 14, that the duo (Amal and Hezbollah) would vote with a blank card. Berri confirmed: “We will vote for Suleiman Franjieh. We will all vote for him. We and our allies. None of us said they would vote with a blank card. We voted with the white paper before announcing our candidacy for Franjieh. If they had accepted the dialogue that I called for twice, we would not have reached where we are today.
When asked if his position was categorical and final, the Speaker of the Council replied: “Didn’t we nominate him? We nominated him. If we don’t vote for him, we will have abandoned him. There may be other blocs that want to vote with a white paper because they are not satisfied with the candidates. This is a political position. We are not in this position ».
And he was asked, is he afraid of disrupting the next session due to the abundance of obituaries that haunt it? Answer: “There are those who said before and are still saying in the other team that they will disrupt the session if their candidate does not win. They asked us to set a session, so we appointed it. Then let us see.”
Will the president’s election session be as he insisted it be? Berri replied: “This is what I do not know. They said they now have a serious candidate. Let us see.”
When asked about the division of the parliament in the way that accompanies the sessions to elect the president, he attributed the reason to the election law, “which is the worst election law we have known. Mini Orthodox. I have not heard, and no one in the world has heard, that the parliament should be prevented from legislating and the government from meeting due to necessity.
On the eve of Berri’s invitation to next week’s session, the Hezbollah and Amal movement duo began coordination sessions to study the steps and options that could be taken in confronting the plan of the other team seeking to overthrow Franjieh’s candidacy, after the “intersection” between the Free Patriotic Movement and the opposition forces over the nomination of former minister Jihad Azour, who The other party considered him “a challenge candidate and a maneuver to push him to give up Franjieh’s support and go to agree on a third candidate.” Al-Akhbar learned that these meetings will expand to include the Marada movement, as tripartite meetings will begin, including the political assistant to the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Hajj Hussein Al-Khalil, MP Ali Hassan Khalil, and former minister Youssef Fenianos, to discuss the expected scenarios and the steps that can be taken. In this context, informed sources said, “All options are on the table, starting with boycotting the session or disabling the quorum, knowing that Azour’s candidacy is not serious and that its aim is to demarcate the volumes and reserve votes for Azour that exceed those obtained by Franjieh, which is something that Basil may use as a threat card.” He believes that this will push the team supporting Franjieh to back down from his candidacy.
Al-Binaa: Aoun to Damascus to confirm the strategic choice and contain the repercussions of the “presidential intersection” on alliances
The visit of former President Michel Aoun to Damascus caught the spotlight on the sharp political polarization related to the presidential elections, and through the warm official reception of President Aoun, whether at the border, in the presence of the former Syrian ambassador to Lebanon, Ali Abdel Karim Ali, or his warm reception from President Bashar al-Assad, as reflected in the images transmitted about the meeting. On what President al-Assad described as Syria’s appreciation for General Aoun’s role in preserving the Lebanese-Syrian relationship, and political sources believed that General Aoun, who emphasized discussing the file of the displaced Syrians and their return, wanted through the visit, its timing and context what is further than that, as it comes a message saying that he has not changed his options. The strategy is on the side of Syria, which represents a pillar in the axis of resistance in which Hezbollah is a pivotal force, and that the movement remains in its position in terms of the region’s equations and challenges, despite the shake-up that affected the relationship with Hezbollah because of the presidential choices, especially the intersection with Hezbollah’s and Syria’s opponents over the minister’s candidacy. Ex-Jihad Azour, in the face of Syria’s ally and the resistance, former Minister Suleiman Franjieh. The sources believed that the words of the Syrian president in the announced statement also carry a clear message, whether in terms of confirming the Syrian interest in what is happening in Lebanon by talking about the stability of Lebanon being a Syrian interest, and it also contains messages about the differences that led to the division of the Allied camp, whether by calling for dialogue and consensus, or Considering the most important thing is sticking to principles and not betting on changes.
While observers linked the visit to the presidential file and to the dispute between the Free Patriotic Movement and the duo, the Amal Movement and Hezbollah, over the candidacy of former minister Suleiman Franjieh, sources close to Aoun denied this to Al-Binaa, stressing that communication with the Syrian leadership and President Bashar al-Assad did not stop throughout the war and events. witnessed in the region and Lebanon. Noting that the movement adheres to the relationship with Syria and coordination with it to address crises and issues that secure the interest of the two countries, especially the crisis of the displaced, which has great negative repercussions on Lebanon.
The sources added that Aoun discussed with al-Assad the crisis of the displaced, the importance of normalizing Arab-Syrian relations, and the extent to which Lebanon benefits from this matter in terms of the displaced and economic files.
After his meeting with President Aoun, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad affirmed that “Lebanon’s strength lies in its political and economic stability,” stressing that “Syria’s rise and prosperity will reflect well on Lebanon and the Lebanese.”
Al-Assad pointed out that “the Lebanese are capable of creating this stability through dialogue and consensus, and most importantly by adhering to principles and not betting on changes,” adding, “Lebanon’s stability is in the interest of Syria and the region in general.”
He pointed out that “General Aoun has a role in preserving the fraternal relationship between Syria and Lebanon for the benefit of the two countries,” considering that “Syria and Lebanon cannot look at their challenges separately from each other,” noting that “the Arab-Arab rapprochement that took place recently and appeared at the Jeddah summit Arab will leave a positive impact on Syria and Lebanon ». Al-Assad believed that “Syria has passed the difficult and dangerous stage thanks to the awareness of its people and their faith in their country, army and leadership.”
In turn, Aoun pointed out that “the Lebanese adhere to their national unity despite everything,” considering that “Syria has overcome the difficult and dangerous stage thanks to the awareness of its people and their faith in their country, army and leadership,” stressing that “Syria’s rise and prosperity will reflect well on Lebanon and the Lebanese.”
Al-Diyar: Presidential scenarios “from under the table” will precede the June 14 session
The two conflicting parties over the presidential file have been preoccupied with the highest levels of interest and enthusiasm since the moment Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri announced the call for a session to elect a president on the 14th of this month, in a scene that had not previously appeared on the Lebanese scene, because the scenarios appear to be sequential and placed within hidden, concealed plans that are not visible. In public, or rather from under the table, and each team is looking for the last helmsman’s egg, which can lead its candidate, so the competition appears to be the most intense, with both sides knowing how difficult it is for any of their candidates to reach the presidency, because the consensual foundations do not exist, so there is no president before the agreement. It was approved by the majority of the parties, in contrast to what was happening decades ago, specifically in the seventies, when the duel was strong, and the presidential candidate did not know his real chances, as he slept reassured that he would wake up the next day bearing the title of President of the Republic. While he was shocked when his rival won the title after hours, as a result of sudden political changes that turned the roles upside down, but today the situation is different, as the president may not be among the names that were recently circulated, and this is likely according to political sources following the file. Presidential Council in Lebanon, she accompanied the senior stakeholders over the periods, as she considers that the final word remains outside, but the signature takes place from within.
In addition, the period between today and the date of June 14 will constitute an important and pivotal station, which will perhaps be the longest in the history of the difficult stages that Lebanon has witnessed, because its mission is to work to win the largest percentage of votes, especially by those who are undecided or holders of white papers, which the two candidates, Jihad Azour, need. And Suleiman Franjieh, which means searching for a percentage of votes that raises the status of the “production” of the candidates, and here is the most difficult task. Can one of them win the bet?
In this context, sources familiar with the secrets of the two teams’ preparations for “Al Diyar” indicated that a wave of speeches and fiery stances will be witnessed in the Lebanese arena very soon, by the opposition and reluctance political leaders at the same time, to tighten nerves and subjugate the presidential “Pointage” operations, between Azour And Franjieh for suspense, in light of fake statistics in favor of the candidates of the two teams, as they will, according to these statistics, get a very close percentage of votes, under the title “The Battle for the Nose.”
In the context of following up on what is going on in secret, Al Diyar learned that secret contacts were recorded in the past hours between Christian leaders and the head of the “Democratic” Gathering, Timur Jumblatt, to discuss the issue of supporting the candidate Azour, after deliberating the possibility of using the white paper, or the division of the Jumblatt bloc and voting equally. , in order to prevent the “disgrace” of the Parliament Speaker from his ally Walid Jumblatt.
In the meantime, and according to the presidential scenes and weightings, the quorum for the session is on the 14th of this month and in the first round it will be close to 86 votes, but certainly no president gets the required percentage of the vote, according to what Article 49 of the constitution indicates that the candidate obtains two-thirds of the votes of the deputies in the first round, while the polling round The second one needs 65 votes. However, it is very difficult for it to happen, in light of the quorum being blown by the duo and its allies, similar to what happened in the previous sessions.
In the presidential context, the head of the “Marada” movement, Suleiman Franjieh, from Ehden, will deliver a speech next Sunday. It was reported, according to those close to him, that it will put points on the letters, in terms of his candidacy for the presidency and the developments that will accompany the election session next Wednesday.
On a parallel line, it was reported that the Lebanese contacts that took place recently with Paris confirm that they are still supportive of Franjieh’s arrival in Baabda, while senior French officials say publicly that they are at the same distance from the candidates.
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Read more in: Lebanon
2023-06-07 04:17:34
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