Political sources considered that the televised appearance of the president of the Free Patriotic Movement, MP Gibran Basile, yesterday aimed to soften his recent statements and retract what was described as an affront to Hezbollah's Secretary-General, Hassan Nasrallah. He referred to the retreat of the "truthful" from their promises regarding the convening of the Cabinet meeting last week against his wishes, and he sought to downplay the implications of those statements by substituting them with gentler phrases, after reactions against him escalated, potentially threatening future relations between the two parties.
However, despite this clear withdrawal towards Nasrallah, Basile intensified the situation by reiterating his refusal to elect Sleiman Franjieh or Army Commander Joseph Aoun for the presidency. This indicates his insistence on confrontation with Hezbollah and its allies, regarding their support for either option or similar ones, cutting off any attempts or understanding to support either of them for the presidency through local, regional, or international agreements, especially after indications and facts appeared in that direction.
The sources noted through "Al-Liwaa" that the timing of Basile's appearance coincided with a notable visit by General Joseph Aoun to Qatar, which cannot be ignored regarding its influence and effects on the presidential entitlement, despite attempts to confine the discussions to the topic of Qatari support for the Lebanese Army on the surface. This indicates Basile’s intention to circumvent the efforts of Qatari officials in any moves they make to achieve consensus on electing Aoun for the presidency.
The head of the Free Patriotic Movement did not show enthusiasm for transforming Thursday's session into a dialogue session as per President Nabih Berri's invitation, despite conciliating with Hezbollah and retracting his accusations against its credibility. However, he stated: "We will participate in the consultative dialogue session and do not want problems with anyone, especially with Hezbollah, as we have paid a lot to reach an agreement with them."
It was noted by those who followed Basile that he has stepped back from the atmosphere of confrontation with Hezbollah, emphasizing that the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, holds a special place for him. He questioned: "Would Hezbollah and others accept that decrees like those that were issued would be issued? If they accept this, it means there is a big problem."
