Hariri, Gemayel Agree on Need to 'Exert Every Possible Effort' to End Presidential Void

Al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri met Kataeb Party chief MP Sami Gemayel in Paris and the two men agreed on the need to "exert every possible effort to end the presidential void," Hariri's office said on Tuesday.

Talks tackled “the developments in Lebanon and means to confront the looming challenges,” the press office said.

Hariri and Gemayel agreed on the importance of “strengthening the atmosphere of national dialogue and focusing every possible effort on ending the void in the presidential post and regularizing the work of state institutions,” the statement added.

“Hariri left Paris for Riyadh after the meeting,” the press office said.

In a statement issued by Kataeb's politburo later on Tuesday, the party said "the presidential issue's return to the top of the country's priorities" is a "positive" development.

All parties must "abide by the Constitution and respect the democratic system in Lebanon, which requires everyone to head to parliament and elect a new president for the republic," the party added.

The Hariri-Gemayel talks come a day after Hariri met Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat in Paris and several days after he met with Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh.

Media reports have said that Franjieh's chances to reach the Baabda Palace have surged due to attempts by the rival camps to find a so-called political settlement.

Hariri has also held meetings in Riyadh with top officials of his Mustaqbal movement.

Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014 when the term of Michel Suleiman ended without the election of a successor.

Ongoing disputes between the rival March 8 and 14 camps over a compromise candidate have thwarted the polls.

Y.R.