The head of the Lebanese Phalange Party, Deputy Sami Gemayel, indicated that "our conviction is strong that Hezbollah does not want a president, and the insistence of President Nabih Berri on dialogue aims to shift responsibility onto the opposition and portray it as the obstructionist. Therefore, we must not get bogged down in discussions about the formalities of consultation so as not to fuel the duo's argument."
Gemayel stated in an interview with MTV: "The principle is the rejection of any official character for the consultation, which makes it unconstitutional by giving it an institutional character through the issuance of the invitation and organization by the General Secretariat of the Parliament."
He added, "But before discussing any consultative framework, we need the following guarantees:
- The Shiite duo must declare in advance their readiness to discuss names other than Frangieh and that he is no longer an option so that we can reach a consensual candidate without asking for a price in return for his withdrawal. There is no need for consultation if the duo insists on Frangieh.
- The president of the republic should not be affiliated with March 8, and the names resulting from the consultation should be acceptable to everyone.
- The open session should be held in consecutive rounds, and the duo must commit to securing the quorum regardless of the outcomes of the consultation, whether it leads to an agreement or not."
