Aoun, Gemayel, Franjieh Meet in Bkirki amid Geagea's Absence
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
The seat of the Maronite church in Bkirki witnessed Friday evening a meeting between top Maronite leaders, amid the absence of Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea for “security reasons.”
“Bishop Samir Mazloum presided over a meeting attended by Kataeb party leader Amin Gemayel, head of Change and Reform bloc MP Michel Aoun and Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh,” state-run National News Agency reported.
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi joined the meeting shortly after the end of a mass he had presided over in Jbeil.
After media reports initially said that Geagea was present at the meeting, LBCI TV said the LF leader did not attend for “security reasons.”
MTV said the meeting was planned in advance and that Bkirki witnessed “strict security measures.”
NNA said the meeting ended at 10:00 PM.
"The meeting of the three Maronite leaders with Patriarch al-Rahi has ended and a statement about the talks will be issued on Saturday morning," MTV said.
Al-Rahi on Tuesday announced that he will not nominate a certain candidate for the presidency, calling for the election of a president who is able to “heal the rifts” among the Lebanese.
“We're working with everyone to secure holding the presidential vote on time. MPs have a two-month deadline to elect a president and nothing prevents holding the first session to elect the president on Monday,” al-Rahi said.
President Michel Suleiman's tenure ends in May 2014 but the constitutional period to elect a new head of state begins on March 25.
Geagea announced Friday that Speaker Nabih Berri will call for a parliamentary session to elect a new president once a delegation he has tasked to communicate with all parties finishes its mission.
“Speaker Berri will call for an electoral session when the committee finishes its tour,” Geagea said after meeting with the three-member panel in Maarab.
“There are strenuous efforts to hold the vote within the constitutional timeframe,” Geagea told reporters.
Al-Rahi has urged Berri to convene a legislative session as soon as possible to elect a new head of state.
The patriarch will be the only religious leader with whom Berri's envoys would meet given that the 1943 power-sharing agreement states the president should be a Maronite.
28 March 2014, 22:14
142
the feudal lords meet, and the church support them... and lebanese are happy....
28 March 2014, 23:43
513
I guess Bkirki didn't want any Al Qaeda sympathizers around. Guess I can't blame them.
29 March 2014, 00:46
151
LOL, good one M11er, but I'm afraid little karimo won't understand it...
29 March 2014, 00:57
112
First the Lebanese people must unite as a Nation under one common national goal and set their ethnic and/or religious differences at home. Second we need to demand and work towards building civil institutions and a level of bureaucracy that insures and cements the people's freedom and efforts to prosper as one group and wrap a blue ribbon around the country as one package. Third we must identify and empower true civil servants to engage and practice democracy.
29 March 2014, 01:18
61
Yes Vincent, agree. But given what we have to work with (our MPs and posters here being a sample), it is easier to build a bridge between Lebanon and Cyprus than make the Utopia you describe happen.
29 March 2014, 02:09
02
The blue print is there. We must be ready to take advantage and change the system when the current system collapses, and it will. It happens with the will of the people when we have no where to go except up and improve our well being.
29 March 2014, 02:22
02
Everything that you describe, is exactly what a new wave of fed up people must demand to change. Purging the Palestinians and their arms from Lebanese territories must be the very first step we should take which is the most dire and long term problem facing Lebanon. Lebanese joining the Syrian war must stop which is ultimately Iran's geopolitical agenda. As you say, Lebanon is quickly losing its most valuable assets. The human kind.
29 March 2014, 02:52
01
Separating religion from the state would be a great first step; plus what you are suggesting, we can have an amazing country with amazing results . . . We an all dream:)
29 March 2014, 07:15
01
wel said, I sincerely hope that this will happen for my Lebanese friends and family; in order to ensure this noble goal, education at schools should start teach tolerance, to accept and respect that others may have different opinions ( and not murder the person),these ingredients are basic foundation for democracy; what about the mentality and culture of contempory Lebanese with regard to democracy?
29 March 2014, 07:20
01
The people choose the MP's ; unfortunately elected MP's have their hidden agenda and won't be working for the people; therefore MP's should not elect the president..it's doomed to be corrupt.
People and only the people have the right to choose their president.
29 March 2014, 15:19
01
Nothing could underline the fact that we Lebanese are now beyond repair. I mean look at these old dinosaurs of a bigone era, Gemayel, Aoun and Frangieh, when will we realize that it is their class that has ruined Lebanon? I do not see any Joseph, nor Gaby, not Ahmad, nor Ali, new faces, new hopes, no youthful figures, simple people of all walks of life, just the old sickness, telling us that we are well past any cure.
29 March 2014, 20:13
21
Notice how the picture of Adra above Rahi's head is crooked. Or is it that the picture is straight and those sitting below it are crooked?
