Former Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awadh Asseri urged on Thursday Lebanese leaders to join efforts to elect a president, stressing that waiting for France and Saudi Arabia to define the qualifications of the presidential candidate “is a waste of time.”
Speaking to Al Jadeed TV, Asseri said “there is no doubt that the Saudi-Iranian rapprochement has positive repercussions and would defuse tensions between parties, but no one can impose anything on the Lebanese.”
Asseri pointed out that Lebanese factions “hoping for an ‘S-S’ (terminology previously used to designate Saudi-Syrian cooperation in Lebanon) to break the presidential deadlock are totally wrong. Besides, Syria is busy solving its own problems.”
The former envoy expressed optimism regarding the outcome of ongoing communication among the different factions in breaking the presidential deadlock.
“It is about time to have an inter-Christian dialogue and agreement between political factions over a presidential candidate who would be at an equal distance from all,” Asseri said, adding that he is not aware of any Arab efforts affecting Lebanon’s presidential file.
“Lebanon needs a homogenous team and a president in harmony with the prime minister in order to save the Lebanese from the vicious circle of divisions and disagreements,” he noted, stressing that “it is unacceptable that the ‘Shiite duo’ (in reference to Hezbollah and Amal Movement) impose a president on the Lebanese and it is about time to place Lebanon first.”
