Report: Hizbullah Delegation to Baabda in Regards to Aoun's Arab Summit Position

Hizbullah party is set to dispatch a delegation to the Presidential Palace to convey the party's leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's “appreciation” for President Michel Aoun's stance at the Arab summit in Jordan, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Saturday.

After Aoun's return from Jordan, the President has reportedly received a telephone call from Nasrallah expressing his deep appreciation for Aoun's position, something which has not been confirmed by either parties, said the daily.

Circles close to the party told the newspaper: “Hizbullah commends the President's stance. It is a kind of historical document at the level of candor, and an attempt to shed light on the Arab wound caused by the Arabs themselves.

“He presented a picture of Lebanon as seeking therapy, describing it as a stable area amidst an inflaming region,” they added, praising Aoun's offering to make Lebanon an “intermediary among the Arab countries to try to extinguish the fire raging in the region.”

In his speech, Aoun highlighted the aggravating refugee burden and warned that Lebanon is reeling under the pressure of around two million Syrian and Palestinian refugees on its soil. He urged sparing Lebanon the social, economic, security and political repercussions as a result, calling for their safe return to their homeland.

The president urged an end to “wars between brothers”, expressing Lebanon's full readiness to help in bridging the differences and reviving the language of dialogue.

None of the states participating in the summit took a stance on Hizbullah, unlike last year's conference where the party was a subject of heated debate.

Al-Joumhouria added, Hizbullah's stance did not fail to show dismay at a letter sent by five Lebanese Presidents and Prime Ministers to the Arab summit in Jordan, likening it to a meeting “held at the US embassy in Awkar during the 2006 July war between some Lebanese leaders and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, when the US was seeking to stop the war, while some of those leaders were enthusiastic about its continuation.”

Hizbullah has interpreted the letter as a clear invitation to carry on with the sanctions against Hizbullah, reported the daily.

The letter was sent to the Arab Summit by former presidents Michel Suleiman and Amin Gemayel and ex-PMs Tammam Salam, Najib Miqati and Fouad Saniora. It stresses the importance of Lebanon's commitment to U.N. resolutions, especially Resolution 1701, and tackles controversial issues such as Hizbullah's arms, the Baabda Declaration, Lebanon's dissociation policy, the state's authority over its territory and foreign interference in the Syrian crisis.

Several officials have voiced dismay over the letter and accused the former presidents and premiers of bypassing the country's president and premier.