The leader of the Progressive Socialist Party, Walid Jumblatt, knows that any solution in the country will only be through consensus and settlement, and that ignoring Hezbollah does not lead anywhere but deepening the crises even further, both in the presidency and in other issues. Jumblatt expresses this realism through his entire political movement, in his meeting with the leader of the Free Patriotic Movement, Gibran Bassil, at his daughter Dalia's house, or in receiving Hezbollah during two visits to Clemenceau at the height of his endorsement of MP Michel Moawad within a broad alliance with the Lebanese Forces and the Kataeb Party.
Jumblatt attempts to reflect his vision for a way out of the crisis by repeatedly emphasizing that dialogue is the only means to achieve the presidential entitlement. There will be no new president for Lebanon without opening channels of communication among all, between adversaries as well as among allies, and perhaps in the latter case, it is even more challenging. In this direction, and from a position of difference, as sources from the "Progressive" tell MTV, Jumblatt received yesterday the political aide to Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, Haj Hussein Khalil, and the head of the Coordination and Liaison Unit in the party, Haj Wafiq Safa, where urgent files were candidly discussed between both sides. The meeting witnessed further discussion on the presidential issue, in addition to the socio-economic file from all its aspects, which concerns the Lebanese people and is considered a priority at this stage.
The country cannot afford to not elect a president; from this logic stemmed the presidential discussion in Clemenceau last night. The delay in achieving this entitlement serves no one. Therefore, what is the use of continuing the obstruction or entrenching behind proposals that neither advance nor delay but are merely exhausting for the country? Jumblatt is not the only realist; even Hezbollah, which has taken risks at many junctures in the past years, seems to have returned to reality and is searching for an exit from the crisis quietly and not defiantly. It was agreed upon with Jumblatt that everything in the country has fallen into a chasm, and thus insisting on maintaining the status quo as is means that there is no solution, as sources added.
This meeting, this time, brought new developments, as sources indicate, where ideas were raised on moving from general discussions to concrete steps, and it was agreed to continue coordination. Jumblatt's movement is expanding, and once again, he appears to be the "balancing egg," as no party holds a surplus of power or majorities in the parliament, and any serious presidential competition will be measured by the "jeweler's scale." The positions of recent days suggest a new dynamism that he is trying to create, the latest being the Democratic Gathering bloc threatening to suspend its participation in sessions to elect the President of the Republic if the same stalemate persists, which signals a transition to a new phase that may lead to a new president for the republic.
