Marada Party Leader Sleiman Frangieh and Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari met on May 11, a first such encounter since Frangieh was nominated by Hezbollah and Amal Movement as their presidential candidate.
Shortly after the meeting, Frangieh, a close friend of Syrian President Bashar Assad, tweeted, “I thank the ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for his kind invitation. It was an excellent and cordial meeting.”
The two met over breakfast at the Saudi envoy’s residence in Yarzeh to discuss the latest developments in Lebanon, notably the presidential crisis.
According to information obtained by the local MTV news channel, the Saudi envoy was supposed to visit Frangieh at his residence in Bnachii on May 8 but ended up cancelling the visit as they agreed that Frangieh would visit the Saudi ambassador in Yarzeh instead.
However, MTV’s report was refuted by another local news channel, Al-Jadeed, which reported that no meeting was scheduled to take place in Bnachii and that Frangieh had accepted Bukhari’s invitation for breakfast. It also added that the encounter lasted for more than an hour in a friendly ambience.
The candidacy of Frangieh, a former MP and minister close to Hezbollah, is staunchly opposed by main Christian opposition parties including the Lebanese Forces and the Kataeb party.
Even Hezbollah’s ally, the Free Patriotic Movement, would not endorse Frangieh.
Kataeb leader Samy Gemayel commented on the meeting by saying “it is not a Saudi greenlight” for Frangieh’s election.
Bukhari has repeatedly declared that his country does not want to interfere with the presidential file and does not endorse or oppose any candidate chosen by the Lebanese. He called in all of his latest meetings with Lebanese leaders and MPs for a swift election of a president.
