Geagea Rejects 'New Doha Accord', Says Talking to Mustaqbal on Aoun's Bid

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea has stressed that he rejects any inclination to forge a Doha Accord-like political settlement, warning that such a move would be “destructive.”

“It is true that the current political system is suffering from problems but no one has said that they have an alternative system,” said Geagea in an interview with the Kuwaiti al-Rai newspaper.

“Any attempt to call for a new Doha Accord to introduce system changes in favor of a certain Lebanese group at the expense of another would be unacceptable and destructive, regardless whether it comes amid peaceful circumstances or after a security unrest,” Geagea added.

“Some parties are currently calling for such changes and not for a new political system,” he noted.

“It would be wise and rational to respect the current system, regardless of its flaws, because the calamities we are facing are the result of failure to abide by this system,” Geagea added.

And noting that some parties are “paralyzing the current system,” the LF leader pointed out that the country would not have faced a political crisis had a president and a new parliament been elected on time.

Responding to a question, Geagea said that Hizbullah is “obstructing the presidential election.”

“This was especially confirmed after our nomination of (Free Patriotic Movement founder) General Michel Aoun,” the LF chief added.

The Doha Accord was an agreement reached by rival Lebanese factions on May 21, 2008 in Doha, Qatar. The agreement marked the end of an 18-month-long political crisis and followed deadly armed clashes in the country.

The accord involved the election of a consensus president, the formation of a national unity government, and holding parliamentary elections under an amended version of the 1960 electoral law.

Speaker Nabih Berri has reportedly proposed reaching a new “Lebanese Doha accord” among the rival parties in a bid to end the current political and constitutional crises.

Asked about the recent talks between LF media officer Melhem Riachi and al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri, Geagea underlined that “dialogue with al-Mustaqbal Movement has not been severed and will never be severed.”

“It has foundations that cannot be destroyed by any storm,” he said.

Geagea also described the election of Aoun as “the only way to end the presidential deadlock,” revealing that “dialogue with al-Mustaqbal is revolving around this point.”

“Until the moment, al-Mustaqbal Movement fears that such a choice would be a leap into the unknown... but what unknown is bigger than the one we are going through today?” the LF leader added.

Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, the FPM and some of their allies have been boycotting the parliament's electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum.

Hariri launched late an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah.

Hariri's move was followed by Geagea's endorsement of his long-time Christian foe Aoun for the presidency after a rapprochement deal was reached between their two parties.

Y.R.