BEIRUT: Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea voiced Wednesday his commitment to the anticipated talks with his political foe, Free Patriotic Movement chief Michel Aoun.
Dialogue with Aoun “is serious and will not be limited only to the issue of the presidency,” Geagea said in a statement released by his media office.
Upcoming talks between the rival politicians will serve to ease political tensions, Geagea said. In that view, the Lebanese Forces chief likened his forthcoming dialogue with Aoun to talks between the Future Movement and Hezbollah.
The long-awaited meeting between Lebanon’s key Christian foes will likely take place the first week of January, a source told local daily Al-Joumhouria in remarks published Tuesday.
“Preliminary talks have come a long way. ... Discussions are now focused on setting a tentative date for the meeting, likely between Jan. 2-3,” according to the paper's source.
Earlier this week, FPM MP Ibrahim Kanaan announced that talks will aim to find common ground over what kind of president they see fit to run the country.
Lebanon has been without a president since May 25, when former President Michel Sleiman left office at the end of his term.
Aoun and Geagea are the country's two main presidential candidates, but neither has enough support in Parliament to win the election.
Geagega said that those boycotting election sessions won’t be able to continue disrupting the vote forever, in reference to March 8 lawmakers who have blocked the presidential vote by boycotting parliamentary sessions.
Despite the ongoing presidential vacuum, Lebanon continues to be better off than most countries in the region with regards to stability, Geagea said.
The Lebanese Forces leader said that this stability will continue as long as political factions in Lebanon have no intent on escalation.
No comments:
Post a Comment