Wahhab Says Aoun 'Authorized by Nasrallah' to Negotiate with Hariri over Premiership
Ex-minister Wiam Wahhab revealed Friday that Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun has an “authorization” from Hizbullah to negotiate with al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri over the latter's possible return to the premiership under the country's next president.
Wahhab, who is close to Hizbullah, voiced his remarks after talks with Aoun in Rabieh.
“We are awaiting more than one initiative after Eid (al-Fitr) or during this summer, and ex-PM Saad Hariri must make the first initiative by stopping his obstruction of the election of a new president,” said Wahhab.
Addressing Hariri, he added: “Any rejection of the near-unanimous Christian consensus on the presidency is an obstruction. Obstruction is not a matter of quorum but rather a matter of political obstruction.”
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.
“I stress to ex-PM Hariri from Rabieh today that General Aoun currently has two keys: the key to the presidency and the key to the premiership. General Aoun also has an authorization from our political camp, specifically (Hizbullah chief) Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, to negotiate with ex-PM Hariri over the issue of his return to the premiership,” Wahhab added.
“He is the only one who has this authorization,” he stressed.
“In order not to waste time, and even if the issue takes a long time, these two keys will remain in General Aoun's pocket,” Wahhab went on to say.
He also called on Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat to “discuss this matter seriously with ex-PM Hariri so that we can overcome the crisis,” noting that Jumblat “had recently voiced a stance on this issue.”
“What's needed is the election of General Aoun as a president for the republic so that he builds the republic. We do not want a president over the current 'defective' republic,” Wahhab added.
“The issue is urgent and we must not waste time. There are several pending issues, such as the election of a president, the formation of a new government and the election of a parliament under a fair electoral law based on proportional representation,” the former minister said.
Asked whether the Lebanese political forces have the ability to elect a president without regional approvals and interferences, Wahhab answered: “When ex-PM Hariri says that he agrees to General Aoun's election as president, the MPs of the March 8 camp will go immediately to parliament to elect General Michel Aoun as president.”
Y.R.
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