The topic of the Christian parliamentary meeting in Bkerke to discuss the presidential entitlement is still on the table, following the statement from the spiritual summit held last week at the patriarchal headquarters, which entrusted Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Mar Becharra Boutros الراعي with organizing this gathering. While the patriarch hoped to hold this meeting during the current week, consultations about it with the concerned political parties are still ongoing, and no date has been set yet.
The participation of the "Lebanese Forces" party and the "Free Patriotic Movement" is considered essential for this meeting; without the participation of the two largest Christian parliamentary blocs, no Christian meeting can be counted on to translate into the parliament. While the "Free Patriotic Movement" seeks to hold any meeting or presidential dialogue, the "Forces" are taking an opposing route based on adherence to constitutional and electoral mechanisms in the presidential entitlement, and on bringing the most suitable candidate for the country at this stage, rather than engaging in political bargaining with allies and opponents, hoping that the presidency will come to them or that they will receive their share from it.
Therefore, the "Forces" will not participate in any Christian or national dialogue under the equation of "dialogue for dialogue's sake." Regarding the Bkerke meeting, which will not yield the desired results without the "Forces" involvement, the party leader clarified the stance on this proposal after a meeting of the "Strong Republic" bloc the day before yesterday, stating that the "Forces" are not "against any meeting in Bkerke or elsewhere, as long as it leads to a result that emerges from this crisis. The people are tired and no longer care about folkloric meetings that have no benefit. Therefore, the meeting must have the components of success to yield the expected results, or it would be better not to hold it."
This position of the "Forces" was conveyed by a delegation from the "Strong Republic" bloc headed by MP Strida Geagea to the patriarch during a visit to the patriarchal edifice yesterday. Sources from the "Forces" indicated that the discussion with the patriarch was clear, stating, "We are children of Bkerke and are keen on the role and image of Bkerke and the Christians and Lebanese. However, we do not want any meeting to take the form of folkloric dialogue tables, but rather a meeting that leads to practical results."
Based on this, the "Forces" will participate in the Bkerke meeting if it is held according to a practical mechanism. This practical mechanism, according to "Forces" sources, means that this meeting should lead to the endorsement of a presidential candidate, where the minority of participants in the meeting accepts the opinion of the majority regarding the choice of this candidate. Thus, the meeting would yield practical results. This requires, according to the "Forces," that all forces participating in the meeting commit to this mechanism, so that if the majority adopts a specific candidate, the minority will follow. Conversely, the "Forces" will not participate in a meeting that will only lead to a reading of a statement and end as it began, as such a meeting excuses the obstructors to shift the responsibility of obstruction onto Bkerke and the Christians, while everyone knows that the source of obstruction is the "Resistance Axis."
Simultaneously, with the head of the "Progressive Socialist Party" moving back toward the center through the "Plan B" or presidential initiative, it was notable that MP Strida Geagea announced yesterday from Bkerke, "We wished there had been coordination with us, as it would have succeeded, especially since we learned that Speaker Nabih Berri did not agree to give up the name of Suleiman Frangieh." She confirmed that "Our candidate as of today is Michel Moawad."
The "Forces" see that electing Frangieh remains a hypothesis, as the "Shiite duo" has not yet received support from Bassil, Jumblat, and the "National Moderation Bloc." However, in all scenarios, the message to "Hezbollah" is clear: "We will not accept a resistant president, and if conditions lead to the election of this president, the confrontation will not be classical but rather go beyond mere boycott, and we remain steadfast in the proposal to reconsider the entire structure."
