Bassil suggests dialogue over president, slams Berri over vote date

Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil on Tuesday suggested holding “national dialogue” over the presidential election, as he criticized Speaker Nabih Berri for choosing October 13 as a date for the upcoming presidential vote session.

Reciting the FPM’s “presidential priorities” paper, Bassil said the new president must “preserve national sovereignty, protect the border and the full rights, devise a defense strategy in which the state is the main authority, preserve and develop Lebanon’s ties with the world, and achieve a swift and safe repatriation of the displaced Syrians.”

He added that the FPM’s support for any candidate hinges on “how much he commits to our presidential aspirations.”

“We will distribute this paper to a number of blocs and leaders so that it becomes the basis of discussion between us and any candidate, and naturally we will visit Bkirki to hand it to Patriarch (Beshara) al-Rahi and we will re-propose that efforts under his auspices be exerted in order to close ranks,” Bassil said.

“We propose national dialogue over the presidential election, which a number of leaders topped by the president can do. We have started receiving invitations to (hold dialogue) abroad, whereas it is better to hold a domestic dialogue,” the FPM chief added.

Lamenting that there are “discouraging signs” in the presidential file, Bassil slammed Berri for choosing the date of October 13 for the next presidential elections session.

“This indicates non-seriousness and carries disregard for people’s sentiments and the martyrs,” Bassil added. The FPM will on October 13 mark the 32nd anniversary of the 1990 ouster of President Michel Aoun from the Baabda Palace following a deadly Syrian-led offensive.

Asked about Israel’s rejection of Lebanon’s latest remarks over sea border demarcation, Bassil said: “We must wait a bit regarding rejection and acceptance, seeing as it is not easy for anyone to bear the alternative to agreement, because the alternative to agreement is war.”

“The agreement is fair for Lebanon and the proposed amendments do not harm the core of the agreement. We believe that the achievement has been made and it is difficult to accept the alternative, which is war,” Bassil added.