Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri insists that agreement on a candidate must be reached ahead of any parliamentary session to elect a president.
According to sources who visited him on Wednesday, Berri “renewed his call for consultations and agreement among all parties involved.”
He emphasized that “only consultations can guarantee non-exclusion and put an end to the stalemate that is blocking the election.”
Does this mean that the efforts of the ambassadors of the five-nation group, known as the Quintet (the US, France, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar), have not been successful in narrowing the gap between political opponents?
It would be premature to conclude that they have failed, especially as the five diplomats intend to continue their mission of good offices after Eid al-Fitr. They aim to find common ground on which the Quintet committee would launch an initiative to unblock the presidential election.
The fact remains, however, that Berri appears to be uncooperative while asserting his appreciation of the approach taken by the five ambassadors. According to his visitors, Berri’s viewpoint is based on the assumption that a local agreement on a presidential candidate would receive support from international and regional powers.
“An agreement would be aimed at preventing foreigners from imposing a president who doesn’t meet Lebanese criteria,” the visitors said, quoting Berri.
Earlier this week, the Quintet’s ambassadors held talks on the presidential issue with Berri, Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai, leader of the Lebanese Forces Samir Geagea and former President and founder of the Free Patriotic Movement Michel Aoun.
