Jumblat proposed Gen. Aoun, Azour and Honein in Hezbollah meeting
Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat discussed in his recent meeting with Hezbollah the possibility of “agreeing on a candidate who would not represent a provocation to Hezbollah” and who would rather “reassure” it, senior PSP sources said.
“In his call for agreeing on a president who would not be labeled as a provocation to any group, Jumblat considered that the supporters of MP Michel Mouawad’s presidential nomination cannot secure a parliamentary majority to guarantee his win, and that the same applies to the supporters of Marada Movement chief Suleiman Franjieh,” the sources added, in remarks to Asharq al-Awsat newspaper published Monday.
Moreover, the sources quoted Jumblat as saying that there is a need to “meet halfway” in order to “crystallize a unified stance” to would lead to a president’s election.
“Jumblat proposed three candidates to explore Hezbollah’s stance on them: Army Commander General Joseph Aoun, ex-MP Salah Honein and ex-minister Jihad Azour,” the sources added, pointing out that the Hezbollah delegation did not comment neither negatively nor positively on the names.
However, Hussein Khalil, the political aide to Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, noted that “Aoun’s election would require a constitutional amendment and accordingly the approval of two thirds of MPs of it.”
Ad-Diyar newspaper meanwhile said that Jumblat also raised the name of LBCI TV chairman Pierre El Daher as a potential candidate during the meeting. The daily added that Daher is an “acceptable” nominee to Hezbollah.
The PSP’s al-Anbaa news portal meanwhile confirmed that the party is seeing to create a “breakthrough” that would push for consensus on a candidate on whom the various parties would agree.
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