Berri: Lebanon Escaped a Major Crisis... There is No Exit Except Dialogue

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri announced his intention to wait before calling for a new session to elect a president, pending the crystallization of the ongoing regional and international movements. In an interview with "Asharq Al-Awsat" newspaper, Berri explained that the votes received by Minister Sleiman Frangieh served as a clear message. The number he received shocked opponents in the same way that the low votes garnered by former Minister Jihad Azour shocked them. He continued: "Lebanon has escaped an attempt to fabricate a crisis on the backdrop of the presidential vote. They were confident that Azour would receive at least 67 votes and were planning to create a problem by remaining in the council hall if he received those votes, considering that he succeeded in this election, which could have taken the country to a very dangerous place." Berri added: "We have survived a major crisis, and everyone must accept that there is no exit except through dialogue."