The meeting held between the head of the "Progressive Socialist Party," Walid Jumblatt, and the leader of the "Free Patriotic Movement," MP Gebran Bassil, on Friday evening does not carry a regional or international dimension; it was purely local. Similar to Jumblatt's previous dialogue with "Hezbollah," it did not lead to an agreement on broad outlines in their approach to the presidential election, according to a political source for "Asharq Al-Awsat." The assumption that this meeting could pave the way for an alliance between the two remains limited to desire, as Jumblatt maintains his position of supporting the candidacy of MP Michel Moawad for the presidency.
The same source points out that engaging in dialogue was the only political dish on the meeting's table, in an attempt to remove the presidential election sessions from obstruction. Jumblatt has effectively returned the ball to Bassil, who is supposed to take the initiative to dismantle what is obstructing his need to open up to others. Limiting the meeting to discussing a presidential priorities paper prepared by the "Free Patriotic Movement" is far from the truth, especially since a parliamentary delegation representing him had previously discussed this with Jumblatt’s son, in the presence of several members of the "Democratic Gathering."
Jumblatt is not expected to assist Bassil in pursuing his grievances with his opponents to keep them out of the presidential race. Bassil is also urged to acknowledge Jumblatt's condition that the meeting be held away from the spotlight to prevent its exploitation and misrepresentation, showing Jumblatt's consideration for the general mood of his political team.
