Egyptian Ambassador Alaa Moussa announced, after a meeting with the Five-Nation Committee and leader of the Marada Movement, Sleiman Franjieh, in Bnachii, that "ideas were exchanged, and we listened to Franjieh's vision regarding the presidential file amidst the current deadlock. We are determined to continue our efforts to find a solution for the presidential issue and hope to make progress."
The Egyptian ambassador clarified that "they did not meet with Franjieh in his capacity as a presidential candidate but as a political figure, and we are not discussing candidate names; rather, we are dealing with the idea of the president as long as he is elected by the Lebanese political forces." He revealed that "Franjieh spoke about the unity of the state and his belonging to it and expressed his openness to interact with any proposals that serve Lebanon's unity."
He justified the absence of Saudi Ambassador Walid Bukhari from the meeting due to health reasons, stating, "The ambassador suffered a health setback yesterday and will not participate in the rest of our meetings."
Reports have surfaced indicating that "the ambassadors of the Five-Nation Committee inquired with Sleiman Franjieh about his relationship with Hezbollah." He confirmed his support for the resistance, stating that Hezbollah is a strong and effective Lebanese party. Franjieh emphasized that he is "in favor of one weapon and one army in Lebanon, but this can only happen through reaching a solution in the region, and discussing the defense strategy at the moment is not appropriate."
Franjieh hosted the ambassadors of the Five-Nation Committee at his residence in Bnachii, including France's Herve Magro, Qatar's Sheikh Saud Bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, Egypt's Alaa Moussa, and the United States' Lisa Johnson. Present at the meeting were MP Tony Franjieh and former Minister Roni Ariji.
