No Accord Reached after Mustaqbal, FPM Talks

A meeting between Change and Reform and al-Mustaqbal blocs' lawmakers on Thursday did not result in an accord between both parties, although it was an opportunity to “share ideas and reach common grounds,” the MPs said after the talks.

“Both parties were honest and we shared some ideas,” al-Mustaqbal MP Atef Majdalani told reporters after the meeting.

He added: “We agreed on continuing the talks to discuss pending national issues. This dialogue is important to transfer Lebanon from the current division to stability and stop the deterioration of the economy.”

Majdalani detailed on the issues that were tackled with the Free Patriotic Movement's MPs.

"We stressed during the meeting on our stance that calls for becoming part of the Lebanese state and for respecting the institutions' authority, especially that of the army and the security forces,” he said.

He elaborated: “We talked about the importance of reviving the role of the state's institutions, starting from forming a cabinet that assures stability and security in the country, away from all political disputes.”

“The current caretaker cabinet does not have the power to issue degrees that introduce more financial burdens on the Lebanese,” he remarked.

The al-Mustaqbal bloc reiterated that Hizbullah must withdraw its fighters from Syria “because of the issue's dangerous implications on civil security, on dragging Lebanon into Syrian turmoil, additionally to this its negative effects on economy and Lebanon's relations with its neighbors.”

"We stressed on neutralizing Lebanon from regional conflicts, especially from the war in Syria.”

Majdalani also pointed out to respecting constitutional deadlines through holding the upcoming presidential election on time.

Meanwhile, Change and Reform MP Ibrahim Kanaan explained that the dialogue initiative that his party come forward with aims at “reaching out to all parliamentary blocs.”

"Our initiative is drawn from the conclusions we reached at our bloc's dialogue retreat and from FPM chief MP (Michel) Aoun's recommendations,” he remarked.

Thursday's meeting is one of a series of talks the FPM is seeking to hold with political forces in order to end Lebanon's political deadlock.

Kanaan continued: “We shared the conclusions of our retreat with our fellow MPs and we discussed several points. We tackled rejecting vacuum, financial reform, and the Christian-Islamic dialogue in the East, and rejecting all forms of intolerance.”

“We stressed that our efforts are based on national interests and on dissociating the country from what is happening in Syria.”

The FPM MP supported his colleague Majdalani's statement regarding the presidential election.

“Lebanon needs new blood and to reject the extension of the presidential mandate,” he expressed.

Kanaan stated that reaching common grounds is a “duty” to protect the state and its institutions.

However, he revealed that no accord was reached after the talks.

“But we are looking into finding common grounds between both parties.”

The meeting kicked off at 3:30 pm on Thursday at the parliament in Beirut's downtown.

It aimed at tackling the al-Mustaqbal and FPM's disputes and revitalize legislative work.

Change and Reform bloc MP Alain Aoun said ahead of the session: “The talks are aimed at organizing our differences and searching for ways to revitalize legislative work away from political disputes.”

He said that parliament's work should not be linked to international affairs or Hizbullah's arms.

“No preconditions have been placed ahead of holding the meeting,” continued Aoun.

The Mustaqbal bloc was represented by MPs Majdalani, Jean Oghassabian, Jamal al-Jarrah, and Ghazi Youssef.

And in addition to Kanaan and Aoun, the FPM representatives included MPs Ziad Aswad and Simon Abi Ramia.

The Change and Reform lawmakers had met on Wednesday with a Hizbullah delegation.