Report: Hizbullah and Iran 'Hold all the Cards' to the Presidency

إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية W460

A solution to Lebanon's presidential impasse is not in the hands of al-Mustaqbal Movement chief ex-PM Saad Hariri as the latest political activities on the ground are trying to demonstrate, but in the hands of Hizbullah and Iran, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Thursday.

An official in the March 14 alliance, said it is unlikely for founder of the Free Patriotic Movement MP Michel Aoun to become president, and affirmed that the “cards are in the hands of Hizbullah and Iran which is keeping it among its stack of cards in Yemen and Iraq in order to improve its negotiations with the new American administration,” the official told the daily.

He added on condition of anonymity: “Everything happening at the time being is merely to hold Hariri responsible for the presidential vacuum.”

Hariri, who returned to the country recently from a foreign trip that lasted several week, kicked off meetings and consultations in order to help solve the deadlock of the presidency.

Media reports said that Hariri has told the members of his parliamentary bloc during a meeting on Tuesday that he might make the “bitter choice” of endorsing Free Patriotic Movement founder Aoun for the presidency as some Mustaqbal MPs described such a step as “suicidal.”

He was quoted as saying that he might be compelled to endorse Aoun for the post because the March 8 camp is blaming him for the vacuum.

An official statement issued after the meeting had said that Hariri “informed the bloc that he has started consultations with all political parties with the aim of speeding up the election of a president.”

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

Hariri, who is close to Saudi Arabia, launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Mrada Movemnet chief 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 prompted Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea to endorse the nomination of Aoun, his long-time Christian rival, after months of political rapprochement talks between their two parties.

The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid argue that he is more eligible than Franjieh to become president due to the size of his parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian community.

SourceNaharnet
Comments 13
Missing humble 29 September 2016, 09:26

Can a backaged culture be a model for Lebanon?

Thumb Southern...... 29 September 2016, 10:33

but repeating "unculture" and "uncivilized" almost in each comment you make, sounds like you don't live in this environment, because you don't know otherwise.

Missing humble 29 September 2016, 10:49

B.S. answer.

Thumb marcus 29 September 2016, 12:32

like all his answers

Thumb Mystic 29 September 2016, 12:46

Yes humble you like the stone age so much. Then go to Saudi Arabia

Thumb Elemental 29 September 2016, 18:49

Tell you what Mystic, since you're so inept and assume all who don't agree with you are KSA supporters or Zionists, I will basically do the same to you. I see you're still smiling at all the dead civilians ASSAD and your death squads have killed. SO walk up to the surviving families and say "I'm glad they're dead." You're a takia fraud and a coward.

Thumb Elemental 29 September 2016, 18:50

lol Southern, very predictable response....

Thumb chrisrushlau 29 September 2016, 18:12

So "backaged" means "to return to a previous age". Does this official and this newspaper mean that there is always the possibility that the Shia majority in Lebanon will demand and receive the right to vote its numbers? What would that do to the Middle East? What would it do to Israel? What would it do to the Gulf monarchies? Finally, what would it do to Egypt and its new pharaoh?

Thumb Elemental 29 September 2016, 18:40

Letting in foreign groups like Hezbollah and ISIS was a stupid move on the Lebanese to begin with. The Lebanese were easily bought and manipulated, used via Takia tactics all for the sake of Iran pushing their primitive ideology and ISIS with their similar destructive and outright barbaric methods. All the normal Lebanese were smart enough to leave there years ago. The rest live in continuous denial that their lives are in danger, and brought about by the very same people who pretended to care all for the sake of their ultimate agenda, dominance. I'm sure their precious selfie sticks will save them from the sword, imprisonment for being Christians, as well as taxation for being Christians. Stupid is, as stupid does. The tragic Irony of the Lebanese people, their innate greed embedded in their very DNA destroyed everything.

Thumb .mowaten. 29 September 2016, 21:08

Famously fake quote.
How deranged must one be to fabricate things like this? And what do you hope to achieve by spreading them?

Thumb Elemental 30 September 2016, 00:06

Amazing! You're actually using your REAL account! Well as per your above post myself and many others could ask you the same thing given your fake accounts and thousands of insults and lies using them, just saying.

Thumb liberty 30 September 2016, 02:31

is this fake too?

Child Bride Practice Rising In Iran, Parliament Seeks To Lower Girl's Legal Marriage Age To 9
http://www.ibtimes.com/child-bride-practice-rising-iran-parliament-seeks-lower-girls-legal-marriage-age-9-760263

Over 40,000 Girls under Age 15 Married Each Year in Iran
https://www.iranhumanrights.org/2015/09/child-marriage/

According to the Islamic Republic civil code, Iran’s constitution set the legal marriage age for girls at 13 and boys at 15
http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/259971/child-marriage-iran-dr-majid-rafizadeh

Iran passes a law allowing men to marry their 13-year-old adopted daughters just as the country's new president touts himself as a moderate
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2442270/Iran-passes-marriage-law-allowing-men-wed-13-year-old-adopted-daughters.html

Thumb barrymore 30 September 2016, 07:23

"Famously fake quote."??

The only fake is you!