The presidential entitlement is starting to impose itself on the agenda of Lebanese daily life just weeks before the end of President Michel Aoun's term. It is true that some political blocs have already begun rounds of meetings with political forces, especially the "change" MPs. However, the movement initiated the day before yesterday by Saudi Ambassador Walid Bukhari from Clemenceau, and the meeting with the head of the Progressive Socialist Party Walid Jumblatt, which continued yesterday with a visit to Maarab and a meeting with the head of the Lebanese Forces Party Samir Geagea, has given a new dimension to the entitlement and reflects international and Arab interest in this important political juncture in the country's history.
Political sources following the developments told "Anbaa" electronic that Bukhari's activities are merely a continuation of the Paris meetings between the Saudi and French leaderships dedicated to discussing the Lebanese file. They revealed that the Saudi movement will continue with new meetings that will include Sunni MPs, who will gather on September 24 at the Dar al-Fatwa, in addition to MP Sami Gemayel and MP Michel Moawad.
In commenting on the Saudi movement, the political sources indicated that "it is essential for the blocs that share close perspectives on the specifications of a presidential candidate to meet, and then move to the stage of proposing names to agree on one name and commit to nominating it for the presidency, because approaching the electoral session individually will repeat the experience of electing the Deputy Speaker of Parliament. However, so far, the picture remains unclear."
In this context, regarding Bukhari's visit to Maarab, MP Said Asmar from the "Strong Republic" bloc indicated that "the visit falls within the framework of continuous communication with Arab countries," and did not rule out the possibility of discussing the presidential entitlement. However, he stressed that "we approach this file from a purely internal perspective, and we do not receive directives from abroad."
In a call with "Anbaa" electronic, he pointed out that "the initiative of the change MPs aligns with the specifications we have proposed, and we agree with them on the broad outlines while waiting for the name game at the appropriate time to avoid burning any name."
