Yesterday marked the first anniversary of the parliament's suspension from fulfilling its constitutional obligations. After a full year, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri showed no concern regarding this blockage for which he bears primary responsibility. According to consultations that took place in recent days, it has become clear that Berri is determined to place the dialogue cart before the constitutional horse. This sentiment has been echoed by prominent opposition sources, who stated to “Nidaa Al-Watan”: after every dialogue, Lebanon has plunged into collapse, leading to what can be described as dialogues of disasters. They clarified: after the dialogue in 2006, Lebanon sank into the July War. The same occurred after the 2011 dialogue, where Hezbollah launched the phrase “Drink it and forget its taste,” referring to the Baabda declaration, before heading into the Syrian War. Most recently, President Michel Aoun's economic dialogue led to an unparalleled financial collapse. The sources questioned: after all these disappointments, is there any need for the dialogue that President Berri is calling for today? Meanwhile, he acts as if he is celebrating a full year of presidential election suspension.
In this context, a source close to the Resistance forces revealed to “Nidaa Al-Watan” that the head of the Free Patriotic Movement, MP Gebran Bassil, “heard from Berri one single phrase: Walk with us on Frangieh and you will be happy.” The source added that Bassil’s response was that Frangieh was not a viable option, while they could agree on a third candidate without the opposition and proceed to elect him after securing a two-thirds quorum. However, Berri did not close off the discussion with Bassil, stating that the conversation was open-ended.
When asked about the names that Bassil might accept, the source indicated that he aspires to have a president who makes decisions from behind the scenes. The main candidates he mentioned include: Major General Elias Bechara, former ambassador Brigadier General George Khoury, former Minister of Communications Jean-Louis Qardahi, and Director General of the Presidency Antoine Chkeh. All of these names are friends and close to the duo, but within the duo, friendship and the presidency are separate matters.
“Nidaa Al-Watan” learned that during Bassil’s meeting with MP Tony Frangieh, the son of the presidential candidate, he stated: If your father wins the presidential election, I will transition to the opposition. Being in the opposition is preferable for me.
In a related context, an Arab diplomatic report reviewed by “Nidaa Al-Watan” indicated that the countries closely monitoring the Lebanese crisis within the quintet committee have become convinced that Hezbollah, which has tied Lebanon to regional conditions, does not regard the presidential election as significant except through the lens of bargaining between the election and the party’s regional calculations.
The report outlined that Lebanon faces three strategic dilemmas:
- A sovereign dilemma resulting from the state’s absence due to Hezbollah’s weapon and role, which prevents Lebanon from being a state with sovereignty and foreign and defense policy that governs the decision of peace and war. This dilemma is linked to continuously complicating regional conditions, the latest being the Gaza war.
- A constitutional dilemma due to the absence of a president, leading to a lack of orderly authority that does not serve Lebanon. However, there is a possibility to address this dilemma in a way that benefits the sovereign dilemma.
- A financial dilemma due to the prevailing policies, which can be resolved to some extent if there is an executive authority that considers Lebanon’s higher interests.
The report urged the Lebanese to continue working to confront the dilemma of the state's absence, in addition to the available possibility of addressing the constitutional dilemma and subsequently the financial dilemma, which is what the countries are focusing on to assist Lebanon.
