Qatari envoy to Lebanon Jassim bin Fahd al-Thani (Abu Fahd) did not succeed in convincing the head of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), Gebran Bassil, to elect either Marada Party leader Sleiman Franjieh or Army Commander-in-chief General Joseph Aoun to the presidency.
The envoy spent days in Lebanon during which he met with Franjieh, Bassil and the Shiite duo (Hezbollah-Amal) but returned without being able to unify positions around a presidential candidate.
The FPM reiterated the profile or criteria that a presidential candidate should meet, notably: benefiting from Christian support, being accepted by Muslim communities and being trusted by the international community. He should not “stab” the so-called (Hezbollah-led) “resistance movement,” know how to maintain national sovereignty and have a clear vision and a plan for economic recovery.
The FPM refuses to endorse any candidate who does not meet these specifications.
Explaining the goal of his visit to Lebanon, the Qatari envoy said it confirmed the political mission assigned to him by his leadership. He stressed that his initiative is continuing with American-Saudi blessing and independently of the efforts deployed by the five-nation group, known as the Quintet, which in addition to Qatar includes France, the US, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
