The Speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berri, called again on Thursday for a dialogue on the presidential election, inviting the different parties to engage in “a seven-day dialogue during the month of September, at the end of which successive parliamentary sessions will be held until the election of a President of the Republic.”

In this context, Berri expressed strong criticism against those he described as “informants” who tour “decision-making centers in Europe and the United States, lobbying in more than one capital”.

“To those, I say that they are at the wrong address. You don’t know who Nabih Berri or the Amal movement is,” he added, during a speech on the occasion of the 45th commemoration of the disappearance of Imam Moussa Sadr.

“The presidential election cannot take place this way,” reiterated Berri again. “It cannot be done by imposing a candidate or by paralyzing the constitutional institutions”, referring to the executive and the legislative bodies.

“Should the Speaker of Parliament have included on the agenda of the last legislative session (which he had convened on August 17) a bill aimed at legalizing homosexuality for the quorum to be reached?” he wondered.

As a reminder, only 53 MPs out of the 65 required to ensure a quorum had participated in the legislative session of August 17, which featured an agenda including legislation on capital control and the sovereign wealth fund.

“A year has passed since the crime ‘committed by Nabih Berri’ when he called on the various parliamentary blocs, during the commemoration of the disappearance of Imam Moussa Sadr, to reach ‘a national agreement regarding the election of a President of the Republic,” the Speaker added.

Berri pondered, “Has the call for agreement and dialogue become a crime in Lebanon? What is the value of Lebanon without dialogue?”

Criticizing parties who advocate for “federalism”, Berri affirmed he “will not despair”. “We will continue to rely on a surge of conscience,” he insisted. “We refuse to believe that in Lebanon, some people may not want a president unless they are elected themselves. He further emphasized, “Once again, and for the last time, I appeal to the MPs and heads of the parliamentary blocs for a dialogue in Parliament, during the month of September, for a maximum duration of seven days, at the end of which successive parliamentary sessions will be held until the election of a President of the Republic.”

Berri also expressed satisfaction with the commencement of gas exploration work on Block 9, recalling in this regard that it was the parliamentarian bloc he chairs who was at the origin of this “exploit”.

Concerning the “Israeli aggression”, the leader of the Amal movement stated that they are ready to support Hezbollah “in defending the Lebanese borders”.

As a concluding request, Berri called on the government to “normalize relations with Syria, while preserving the common interests of the two countries, including the safe return of Syrian refugees to their country”.