Hizbullah Official Says Party Will Boycott Next Parliament Session

Hizbullah official Hussein Khalil said on Saturday that the party's lawmakers will only attend the parliament session aimed at electing a president next week if an agreement is reached to elect its candidate the founder of the Free Patriotic Movement MP Michel Aoun for the post.

“When an agreement is reached on the election of Gen. Aoun as president, then we will be the first to arrive at the parliament to elect him,” said Khalil after a meeting with Aoun.

A Hizbullah delegation visited the Change and Reform bloc head MP Aoun marking ten years since the party and the FPM signed their famous Memorandum of Understanding.

The visit comes as the battle for the top state post heats up ahead of a parliament session next week aimed at filling the 20-month vacuum.

“A delegation from Hizbullah will visit Rabieh today to meet with the Change and Reform bloc head MP Michel Aoun,” said al-Joumhouria.

The delegation is comprised of Hizbullah leader's political assistant Hussein Khalil, Hizbullah's top security official Wafiq Safa, Industry Minister Hussein al-Hajj Hassan and politburo members Mahmoud Qmati and Moustafa Hajj Ali, added the daily.

Reports have said that extensive meetings will be held in the next two days between Hizbullah, Aoun and the March 8 camp allies to take the appropriate decision ahead of Monday's meeting.

A parliamentary session is scheduled to take place on February 8 to fill the vacuum at the presidential post following the end of the term of President Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014.

Conflicts between the rival March 8 and March 14 camps have thwarted all attempts aiming at electing a successor.

Aoun, Marada leader MP Suleiman Franjieh are two candidates for the post.