Maronite Patriarch Bechara Al-Rahi expressed his discontent regarding "the circumstances we have reached," considering that "the officials who dealt with the presidential file did not care about the element of time." This was stated by the Deputy Speaker of Parliament Elias Bousslab after his visit to Bkerke on Tuesday.
In a statement following the meeting, Bousslab revealed that "we have not yet reached the stage of names, as the parties, based on the Patriarch's initiative, have not agreed on a common name to propose for the presidency." He stressed that "things should start with dialogue to find internal solutions to the crisis," adding, "Our crisis is larger and deeper than the name of a president; it is about the unwillingness of any of the parties to engage in dialogue."
Regarding Bousslab's activities, he reported that the Patriarch stated, "These activities should continue, as they may lead to some breakthrough." He continued, "I will not get into names, as each group has a name, and the problem lies in agreeing on a name. The Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri has called for dialogue twice, and the invitation has not been responded to. Therefore, my visits so far are merely exploratory."
Bousslab continued his meetings in Maarab, where he met with the head of the Lebanese Forces Party, Samir Geagea, in the presence of member of the "Strong Republic" bloc, MP Melhem Riachi.
After the hour-and-a-half meeting, Bousslab denied reaching an impasse, describing the meeting as "distinct." He noted that he sensed an openness from "the President of the Forces" and a concern for common grounds among the Lebanese, even though he has different positions and views on certain matters.
He added, "The most important thing remains the openness to discussion and communication with all parties. We agreed with the head of the Forces Party to follow up the discussion after we finish this round we are conducting, as at that point, more common grounds will expand, hoping that we succeed in building on them."
Regarding the possibility of communication with MP Ghassan Skaf, who proposes another presidential initiative, he replied, "I do not know what my colleague Skaf is proposing, but what we are talking about is different, as it does not only address names but also the existing conflict in the country, amidst the stagnation and paralysis occurring and the breakdown of dialogue between most parties. What we are trying to do is deeper and bigger than just 'the issue of names,' and we believe that 'working in this way could lead to some breakthrough.'"
