In Moscow, Hariri Tells Lavrov Hizbullah Blocking Solutions

Al-Mustaqbal Movement chief ex-PM Saad Hariri held talks in Moscow with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, his media office said on Tuesday.

Hariri had arrived in Moscow for talks with Russian officials on the latest developments in Lebanon and the region, and the bilateral relations between the two countries, added his media office.

During the meeting, Lavrov expressed “support” for Hariri's efforts to end the presidential void, stressing that the ex-PM is “playing an important role” regarding the domestic situations in Lebanon, Hariri's office said.

The former premier for his part noted that he has made “several initiatives to end the presidential vacuum in Lebanon” but lamented that “Hizbullah is the main party that is blocking the solutions.”

Hariri was accompanied by former MPs Ghattas Khoury and Bassem al-Sabaa, and his adviser Nader Hariri.

Media reports had said that the Moscow meetings will focus on Lebanon's thorny file of the presidency.

Hariri's return to Lebanon last week has triggered a flurry of rumors and media reports about a possible presidential settlement and the possibility that the former premier has finally decided to endorse Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun for the presidency in a bid to break the deadlock.

Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, 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 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.

Hariri's move prompted Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea to endorse the nomination of Aoun, his long-time Christian rival, after months of political rapprochement talks between their two parties.

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.