Aoun Agrees with Hariri to Activate Govt. Work, Tells Him 'Cautious' over LF Talks

The “good and comforting” meeting Wednesday between al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri and Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Michel Aoun did not tackle the stalled presidential vote but it will reflect positively on the work of government, media reports said on Thursday.

“After the previous dialogue between the FPM and al-Mustaqbal movement contributed to the formation of the cabinet, the outcome of the Center House meeting will soon materialize in the cabinet and its work,” a source who attended the meeting told LBCI TV.

Hariri and Aoun had not met in public in more than five years. They however held talks that were kept under wraps in 2014 in Rome.

The two men also met recently in Saudi Arabia on the sidelines of condolences over late King Abdullah.

Disputes over the mechanism of cabinet's work amid a presidential vacuum have led to a suspension of its sessions. The government assumed presidential powers after Michel Suleiman left the Baabda Palace on May 25, and decrees were being passed through the signatures of all 24 ministers.

According to the sources quoted by LBCI, Aoun described the latest extension of the service of some senior army officers as “illegal”, to which Hariri answered that “the solution to all these problems and crises lies in the election of a president and the formation of a new cabinet so that things can function normally again.”

The TV network added that the two leaders did not discuss the presidential issue after they both avoided raising it.

According to informed sources, Hariri and Aoun underlined “the need to stave off the government's paralysis” and to “exert efforts to activate its work.”

The sources added that Hariri once again encouraged Aoun to press on with his dialogue with the Lebanese Forces.

Aoun told the ex-PM that “a declaration of intent was reached” and that he was still awaiting the LF's response to the paper.

Aoun sounded “neither optimistic nor pessimistic” regarding the issue, a participant in the meeting said.

Meanwhile, MTV said Aoun was “cautious” regarding his expectations from the dialogue with the LF.

For his part, Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil, who attended Wednesday's meeting, said Thursday that the talks were “good” and part of a process to reconcile viewpoints.

“We will spare no effort to pacify the situation in the country and, God willing, we will reach bigger agreements inside the cabinet and in the country,” Bassil added.

Y.R.