BEIRUT: Hezbollah and the Future Movement exhibited their commitment to shielding Lebanon from regional fires Thursday, holding their ninth round of talks despite deep rifts which emerged over the Yemen war.
During a nearly three-hour meeting held at Speaker Nabih Berri’s residence in Ain al-Tineh, the two sides discussed the paralysis of state institutions and the implementation of a security plan across Lebanon.
“The participants confirmed the continuation of the dialogue in accordance with the rules it was [based] on,” read a terse statement released after the session. “The discussion touched on a number of internal issues related to activating the work of state institutions, and completing [the government’s] security plans in order to enhance internal stability.”
The ninth round of talks held by senior Future and Hezbollah officials since December comes against the backdrop of fiery rhetoric exchanged by the two rival parties over the Saudi military operation against Houthi rebels in Yemen which began last month.
Last week, Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah launched a fierce tirade against Saudi Arabia, saying its military offensive in Yemen was doomed to fail and vowing that the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels would emerge victorious from the “Saudi-U.S. aggression.” Nasrallah’s remarks drew a quick response from Future Movement leader Saad Hariri, who said the Lebanese were treated to “a storm of hatred against Saudi Arabia and Gulf states.”
As in previous sessions, Future was represented during Thursday’s meeting by the head of former Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s staff Nader Hariri, Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk and MP Samir Jisr.
Hezbollah was represented by Nasrallah political aide Hussein Khalil, Industry Minister Hussein Hajj Hasan and MP Hasan Fadlallah. Finance Minister Ali Hasan Khalil, a political aide to Berri, also attended.
Berri described negotiations between Iran and world powers over Tehran’s nuclear program as “the biggest political and diplomatic marathon in history,” after a framework deal was announced Thursday.
The speaker told his visitors that Lebanon would stand to gain from a nuclear agreement, which he described as an “important step” toward resolving the crises in the region. Berri also expressed hope that the world would increase its concern with solving Lebanon’s political crisis since it is the “least complicated” of all regional issues.
As dialogue sessions continue uninterrupted, Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil said national interest trumped Arab solidarity when it comes to the government’s official position on the Yemen war and Hezbollah’s intervention in the Syria.
“Our foreign policy relies on one standard and that is the interest of Lebanon and the Lebanese people,” Bassil said during a news conference delivered at the ministry.
“There are many things that concern us, primarily Arab consensus, solidarity and unity, but national unity is far more important,” he said. “When we preserve our national unity, all things become easier, and on this basis we cite [the government’s official] positions and our foreign policy.”
Clarifying Lebanon’s position on developments in Yemen, Bassil said the country backs any united Arab decision that supports legitimacy in Yemen but takes a neutral stand in topics that don’t receive unanimous backing, like military intervention.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah’s Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc reiterated its condemnation of what it described as a “Saudi-American aggression against Yemen and its people,” calling for “an immediate halt to the war.” The bloc also stressed the importance of resorting to internal Yemeni dialogue as a prelude to a political solution to the conflict, according to a statement released after the bloc’s weekly meeting.
Calling on Lebanese politicians to exercise “pragmatism” when dealing with internal affairs, the bloc reiterated the call for swift presidential polls and stressed the need to hold legislative sessions despite ongoing rifts between MPs in Parliament.
Also Thursday, a presidential election session was postponed until April 22 over a lack of quorum amid a boycott by the March 8 coalition.
Parliament has now failed to elect a successor to former President Michel Sleiman 21 times since his term ended last May amid a feud between the country’s rival factions on a consensus candidate.
Lawmakers from MP Michel Aoun’s parliamentary Change and Reform bloc, Hezbollah MPs and their March 8 allies, have thwarted a quorum since April 2014 by boycotting parliamentary sessions, demanding an agreement beforehand with their March 14 rivals.
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