Shorter Says Lebanon 'Can't Afford' Continued Presidential Void, Denies UK Role in Franjieh Nomination

British Ambassador to Lebanon Hugo Shorter has warned that the country “can't afford” further presidential vacuum while denying recent claims by Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq about an alleged British role in the nomination of Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency.

“I don't have a favorite candidate. There's no candidate I particularly support and no candidate I particularly oppose. This is clearly a decision for the Lebanese themselves, in accordance with their Constitution,” Shorter told MTV in an interview that was aired Thursday.

“I personally think that Lebanon can't afford to wait any longer” to elect a new president, he added, warning that “the State is being weakened by the absence of a president.”

The ambassador also noted that Britain had recently communicated with Iran and Saudi Arabia over the issue of Lebanon's presidency and would continue these contacts.

Mashnouq had on June 2 announced that “Franjieh's nomination did not come from (al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM) Saad Hariri but rather from the British foreign ministry and later the Americans and Saudi Arabia.”

Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, MP Michel 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, launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate 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 argue 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.

Separately, Shorter announced that “Lebanon has fantastic (security) agencies” when asked about the security situation in Lebanon.

“They're doing a great job, but we have to be prepared for the possibility that attacks may occur,” he added.

Asked whether Hizbullah's intervention in the Syrian conflict has pushed the jihadist Islamic State group to stage attacks in Lebanon, Shorter downplayed the link.

“I think Daesh (IS group) are active internationally, regardless of the local situation. Maybe Hizbullah's activity in Syria is an encouragement for them to be active here, but let's face it – Daesh are active in other countries in the region, in Europe and so on, so I don't think it can be attributed only to Hizbullah's activities in Syria,” the envoy said.

As for Hizbullah's controversial possession of a huge arsenal of weapons in Lebanon, the ambassador noted that “there's a Security Council resolution saying that all non-state actors in Lebanon have to disarm, and that covers Hizbullah as well.”

“The United Kingdom government's position remains that Hizbullah needs to disarm,” he added.

Shorter also dismissed reports about a possible naturalization of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, pointing out that the Lebanese Constitution does not allow such a move and that their presence in Lebanon is temporary.