The presidential election is currently experiencing a phase of exploring intentions while the concerned forces delay revealing their positions, leaving room for movement as the constitutional deadline for electing a new president to succeed Michel Aoun approaches, before his term ends on October 31. Meanwhile, hopes for forming a new government are diminishing unless Aoun invites the designated Prime Minister Najib Mikati to resume consultations, as the latter has made his stance clear and is currently awaiting a response. A former Prime Minister told "Asharq Al-Awsat" that President Aoun has closed the doors to forming a new government, and reopening them seems impossible because he did not respond to Mikati's desire to meet unless the latter brings a new approach to forming the government, which the designated Prime Minister refuses to do, even though he shows openness to Aoun's comments and opinions.
"Asharq Al-Awsat" learned that the government formation process was evaluated and discussed during a meeting held the night before last between Mikati, who has maintained contact with the leader of the Future Movement and former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, currently in Abu Dhabi, and former Prime Ministers Fouad Siniora and Tammam Salam. The former Prime Minister, who preferred to remain unnamed, confirmed that Siniora and Salam exhibited an understanding of Mikati's viewpoint as he explained the reasons that are still preventing him from meeting with Aoun unless the latter initiates a call to him in preparation for the meeting after showing willingness to resume consultations regarding forming the government.
Mikati was quoted during the meeting as saying that he kept the doors open for a meeting with Aoun and did not escalate his position, demonstrating a strong desire to continue consultations with him; however, he did not receive the required response and is still waiting to schedule a meeting. He denied the existence of any mediation between the two presidents to dissipate the atmosphere resulting from Aoun's failure to respond to his request.
The former Prime Minister noted that the way Aoun has dealt with Mikati is unacceptable in form and substance, stating that it's unreasonable to overlook the poor treatment of the designated Prime Minister, who currently holds the top position of the Sunni community in the political structure. He mentioned that targeting Mikati also impacts the position of the Prime Minister. He emphasized that Aoun should not repeat the scenario he used with Hariri, which led to Hariri's withdrawal from forming a government, and questioned how Aoun can allow himself to accuse Mikati of lying in the presence of the caretaker Prime Minister at that time, Hassan Diab, after having met with him several times in Baabda, and then send him an envelope via an Internal Security Forces messenger regarding the redistribution of ministerial portfolios without addressing him as the Prime Minister responsible for forming the government.
He confirmed that former Prime Ministers support Mikati unconditionally and that he will not back down in the face of pressures exerted on him by the political team affiliated with Aoun and directly overseen by the leader of the Free Patriotic Movement, MP Gebran Bassil. He stated he remains steadfast and will not concede an inch of his powers, adding that anyone wishing to resume government formation consultations must rectify the mistakes targeting the position of the Prime Minister and thus partnership will not occur by undermining the powers of the designated Prime Minister, who has never denied the powers of the President, as long as they remain within the confines of constitutional texts.
Aoun was accused of undermining the principle of partnership when he pressured Hariri to withdraw from forming the government, and the scenario he followed with Hariri will not apply to Mikati. This compels Aoun to reconsider his dealings with the designated Prime Minister, especially after Lebanon has paid a heavy price due to his obstinacy and arrogance, with some of the disastrous consequences leading to a total collapse.
The former Prime Minister considered that Aoun is no longer the same as before; he currently acts as if the country is in a normal state and that he has the ability to act as he pleases, even exceeding the constitutional norms governing presidential relations, as he approaches the end of his term without achieving any notable accomplishments after getting involved in political conflicts with key components in the country, leaving him with only "Hezbollah" as an ally. He stated that Aoun has contributed to the destruction of Lebanese-Arab relations and lacks international support.
He emphasized that the former Prime Ministers currently stand behind Mikati to prevent Aoun from "invading" the position of the Prime Minister and the powers of the designated Prime Minister, stating that as Lebanon approaches the presidential election, he will find no support for his drift other than a few from within his own ranks, evident in the aloofness of several representatives belonging to the "Strong Republic" bloc from the campaigns targeting Mikati in defense of Bassil and his political team, forcing him to issue his statements on behalf of the "National Movement."
