Britain Slams Claims it Pushed for the Nomination of Franjieh
Britain slammed on Friday the statements made by Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq that it encouraged the nomination of Marada chief MP Suleiman Franjieh for the post of president.
"We do not support or oppose any particular candidate for the presidency. The election of a president is the decision, and the responsibility, of the Lebanese,” said a statement issued by the British embassy in Beirut.
“We are ready to work with the next president of Lebanon, whoever that may be. We continue to urge the election of a president as soon as possible,” added the statement.
Mashnouq declared in a televised interview on Thursday that the British pushed for the nomination of Franjieh, he said: “Franjieh's nomination did not come from (al-Mustaqbal Movement chief) Saad Hariri but rather from the British foreign ministry and later the Americans and Saudi Arabia.”
Lebanon has been in a state of vacuum at its top state post since May 2014 when the term of the president ended.
Franjieh and founder of the Free Patriotic Movement MP Michel Aoun are the major candidates running for the elections, in addition to MP Henri Helou.
Source: Naharnet
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