Former President of the Republic, Michel Aoun, received a delegation from Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc in Rabieh on Thursday. The delegation was chaired by Mohammad Raad and included Ali Ammar and Hassan Fadlallah.
The visit comes at a time of strained relations between the two parties due to criticism voiced by Michel Aoun and Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader Gebran Bassil over Hezbollah’s decision to open the southern Lebanon front in support of Hamas in its war against Israel in Gaza. In addition, there were divergent positions on the presidency of the Republic, with the FPM refusing to support the pro-Iranian formation’s candidate, Sleiman Frangieh.
After the meeting, Raad asserted that “the communication channels” between Hezbollah and Michel Aoun “have never been — and will never be — broken.” He stressed that this visit was an opportunity to inform Aoun of developments in southern Lebanon.
In this context, Raad stressed the need for “responsible dialogue between the various parties and with all those responsible to find solutions to the main problems facing the country.” It is unclear what Hezbollah’s conception of “responsible dialogue” is, especially as for this group, it means getting others to submit to its conditions.
According to information from our contributor Bassam Abou Zeid, it was Hezbollah that requested an appointment with the former president. An appointment which was immediately granted. The aim of the visit was to “break the ice” between the Christian and Shiite allies, whose relations have deteriorated but who do not want to break their alliance, for matters linked to their direct interests.
The delegation set out to dispel Michel Aoun’s misgivings about what was happening in South Lebanon, and explained the reasons for its military commitment to Hamas. They expressed Hezbollah’s concern to avoid a general conflagration, and indicated that a truce in Gaza would extend to South Lebanon, and that the Iranian-backed party would respect the truce once it is in place.
The presidential election was also discussed during the meeting. However, no names of candidates were brought up. The two sides exchanged views on the issue, each setting out its position. Michel Aoun and his visitors agreed on the need to dissociate the two issues of the presidential election and South Lebanon.
The Mar Mikhaël agreement, concluded between the FPM and Hezbollah on February 6, 2006 and seriously shaken by the dissensions between the two parties, was also part of the discussion. However, there was no information about the outcome of the encounter, apart from maintaining contacts.
