In response to former MP Walid Jumblatt's comments during his media interview today regarding the importance of dialogue, a source from the "Lebanese Forces" party told "Al-Markazia" that Jumblatt's remarks about dialogue are very logical as a general principle. However, on a practical level, particularly regarding the presidency, he had previously made a presidential initiative and hosted "Hezbollah" at his home in Clemenceau, but his attempt led nowhere as the party refused to withdraw its candidate.
On a national level, rounds of dialogue have been held since 2006; unfortunately, these dialogues remained fruitless. We were unable to address Hezbollah's illegal weapons that prevent the establishment of an effective state, and the party rejected the implementation of all that was agreed upon. The country continued its slide from bad to worse, and we couldn’t even reach an agreement on basic matters related to constitutional order, institutional reforms, and other issues.
The source added: "As for the nature of the dialogue that "Hezbollah" wants, Jumblatt surely hasn’t forgotten how the outstretched hand for dialogue was faced with hostility since the attempt to assassinate MP Marwan Hamadeh, followed by the assassination of martyr Rafik Hariri and a series of martyrs, along with the use of weapons domestically, culminating in the assassination of Elias Al-Hasrouni yesterday."
Jumblatt stated in his position: "I don't want to conclude that it is impossible to elect a president peacefully. It is not necessary for bloodshed to occur to reach this. Many times since the Taif Agreement, it has been possible to elect a president through settlements. Elias Hrawi and then Emile Lahoud were elected through a settlement covered by a mandate to Syria at the time. Michel Aoun was elected through an internal settlement, and so was Michel Sleiman before him. We do not need a bloody operation to elect a president; it can be done peacefully. Some factions within the country do not want to accept or believe this reality. I do not understand the justifications of some Christian factions in refusing dialogue. There is no alternative to sitting at the dialogue table. We should sit and talk, and then see what happens. It is true that Hezbollah nominated Sleiman Frangieh and is holding on to him, but we can reach a compromise if we sit down and discuss matters, rather than preemptively rejecting initiatives that only complicate the crisis without resolving it. We can negotiate on another name. We must sit down with Mr. Hassan Nasrallah not only for the election of the president but also for the future of Lebanon."
