Reports: Gemayel, Saniora Agree on March 14 Coordination to Choose Single Presidential Candidate

Kataeb leader Amin Gemayel and the head of al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc Fouad Saniora agreed on the importance of coordination between the March 14 alliance's members before backing any presidential candidate, sources said Tuesday.

Saniora visited Gemayel on Monday after talks with al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri in Riyadh.

MTV reported on Tuesday that Hariri had telephoned the Kataeb chief on to discuss the latest developments.

A terse statement issued by the Kataeb chief's press office on Monday said discussions with Saniora focused on the presidential elections and the need to hold them on time.

But sources told several local dailies that Gemayel and Saniora stressed the unity of March 14, the importance of coordination to have a single candidate, and coming up with a mechanism to choose the person who is most capable to garner the support of MPs from outside the alliance, mainly centrists.

The vote of lawmakers from the coalition is not enough to guarantee the election of a March 14 figure, they said.

After his talks with Gemayel, Saniora met with the March 14 camp's independent figures and briefed them on the results of his discussions with Hariri in Riyadh.

The adviser of the Mustaqbal movement chief, Nader Hariri, who was in Riyadh with Saniora, met with Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat, a centrist, at his residence in Clemenceau.

Also Monday, Gemayel held talks with President Michel Suleiman's adviser, former Minister Khalil Hrawi.

Sources said that Gemayel was coming under pressure by party members and his allies in March 14 to officially announce his candidacy for the presidency.

Suleiman's six-year term ends in May but the Constitutional deadline for the election of a new head of state started on March 25.

Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea was the first to announce he was running for the presidency, leaving his March 14 allies in confusion.

Other presidential hopefuls are Gemayel, MPs Butros Harb and Robert Ghanem, who are like Geagea members of March 14.

Potential candidates from the March 8 alliance are Hizbullah allies Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun and Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh.

Lebanese presidents are always chosen from the Maronite sect in accordance with the 1943 National Pact.

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