Saudi Envoy Meets Hariri, Aoun, Jumblat, Geagea on 2nd Day of Lebanon Visit

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Saudi State Minister for Gulf Affairs Thamer al-Sabhan held talks Friday with several political leaders on the second day of an official visit to Lebanon.

Sabhan's talks involved meetings with al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri, Progressive Socialist Party chief MP Walid Jumblat, Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea and Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi.

The Saudi envoy did not make statements after the meetings.

According to a statement issued by Geagea's office, the presidential file "was the focus of the one-hour meeting."

Sabhan had held separate talks in the morning with former premiers Najib Miqati and Fouad Saniora.

His talks with Saniora addressed “the political developments in Lebanon and the region and the bilateral ties between the two countries.”

Reports have said that al-Sabhan might stay in Lebanon to attend Monday's presidential election session.

The Saudi minister had arrived in Lebanon Thursday evening. His Thursday activity involved meetings with Prime Minister Tammam Salam and ex-presidents Michel Suleiman and Amin Gemayel.

The Saudi envoy will also meet with other Lebanese leaders in the coming hours.

Quoting Saudi Embassy sources, LBCI said Thursday that Sabhan might voice a stance on the developments at the end of his visit.

Al-Akhbar newspaper had reported Wednesday that Sabhan would express the kingdom's support for Hariri's presidential initiative.

“The Saudi envoy will carry suggestions aimed at resolving the obstacles and lowering the level of opposition that the speaker (Nabih Berri) has showed against the agreement between Hariri and General Michel Aoun,” the sources added.

Media reports have said that the “real battle” will only begin after Aoun's election as president in the October 31 session and that some parties will not facilitate the formation of a government led by Hariri.

Aoun was tipped to become president after Hariri formally endorsed him last Thursday.

Berri has voiced concerns over the Aoun-Hariri agreements that preceded the endorsement while openly declaring that his bloc will “vote against Aoun” and that it might “join the ranks of the opposition.”

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, had launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Hizbullah's ally and 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.

The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid have argued 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.

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