Lebanese Speaker Nabih Berri affirmed that there is no going back on consultation as a condition for calling deputies to a session to elect a president of the republic. In an interview with "Asharq Al-Awsat," Berri stated: "I say to those concerned that consultation is the necessary path to achieve the entitlement, and it must be done first, second, third, and eleven planets... and the excuses some have for rejecting consultation are unfounded. Otherwise, what is the way to extricate the presidential election from spinning in circles while some cling to their positions and show no willingness to facilitate the electoral process?"
He asked, "Where is Lebanon's interest in some disconnecting from communication that could lead us to an agreement on the name of the president, in light of the political divide that has reached its peak, and the escalating confrontation in the south?" Berri expressed his satisfaction with the statement that emerged from the summit held between French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. President Joe Biden regarding de-escalation in the south.
