According to reliable sources for "Al-Jomhouria," the Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berri has not abandoned the key to consensus. While he is currently cautious about any initiatives, he does not surrender to the deadlock; efforts are ongoing, and communications and endeavors have not ceased. In summary, the Speaker keeps the door open for a "serious movement" in this direction at any moment. He still emphasizes that there is no escape from following the path of consensus, and the sooner this is achieved, the less suffering will be endured by the Lebanese people, and it will relieve our country, which has reached a lamentable state. The same sources do not rule out that the Speaker will express sentiments to this effect in the upcoming session on Thursday.
The reliable sources point out that "all parties are embarrassed and constrained, unable to decisively tilt matters in their favor. None can secure the electoral majority, nor can they even ensure the quorum needed for the presidential election session (two-thirds), or obstruct it with the blocking third. Consequently, the picture has become clear: all parties, without exception, have exhausted all they have, and their cards are fully revealed; there is nothing new for them to say or propose. Thus, everything has an end, and their evasion from consensus will come to an end, as will their battles for settling scores. They will eventually reach a moment of dizzying circling around themselves, with complex proposals and steps regarding the presidential file that will only prolong the crisis and exacerbate the suffering of the Lebanese people."
The sources also recalled what President Berri has warned repeatedly: that the presidency could endure a vacuum for weeks; however, the country is in such a deteriorated state that it can hardly spare more time.
