The National Moderation parliamentary bloc continued its tour on Tuesday to present to various Lebanese parties its initiative designed to break the presidential deadlock.
In the afternoon, the bloc visited the Maronite Patriarch, Bechara al-Rai, who described the initiative as “beautiful” and congratulated the MPs on their action.
At the end of the meeting, MP Walid Baarini confirmed to the press that the bloc had requested an appointment with Hezbollah and “hopes to obtain it next week.”
The MPs also held talks with their colleagues from the Democratic Gathering bloc, chaired by PSP leader Teymour Joumblatt. Speaking on behalf of his parliamentary group, MP Hadi Abou al-Hosn welcomed the Moderation bloc’s initiative. “We have continually called for the crisis to be resolved to break the presidential deadlock,” he said, adding that the meeting was important because it comes at a time when Lebanon faces many dangers. However, he stated that “the mechanism of dialogue is important, but the most crucial element remains the sincere intention to get out of the crisis.”
The MP from the Democratic Gathering bloc also pointed out that there are many competent personalities in Lebanon “to take on the presidency of the Republic,” but “we can agree on one or two names and launch the democratic process because Lebanon can only be built on consensus.”
The National Moderation bloc also visited the headquarters of the Shiite Supreme Council to brief its Vice President, Sheikh Ali al-Khatib, on the details of its proposed initiative. Speaking on behalf of the bloc, MP Ahmed al-Khair explained that the initiative is based on two essential points: the first is to create a common space for the Lebanese under the dome of Parliament (through inter-parliamentary consultations on the presidential election), and the second is to open the doors of Parliament so that all MPs can exercise their constitutional duty by electing a president of the Republic.
Sheikh Khatib, for his part, called for the application of the Taef agreement, starting with the abolition of political confessionalism, stressing that “sectarian privileges do not confer any privileges in terms of rights and duties.”
