Report: Geagea Still Does Not Rule out Possibility of Nominating Aoun for President

Contacts between the rival Lebanese Forces and Free Patriotic Movement are ongoing “on an almost daily basis” on all issues, reported al-Joumhouria newspaper on Tuesday in the wake of the latest efforts to end the presidential deadlock in the country.

Sources from the LF told the daily that LF chief Samir Geagea “has not abandoned the idea of nominating former FPM head MP Michel Aoun as president.”

“There is a time and place however for such proposals,” they added.

Media reports had spoken of the possibility that Geagea could advocate the candidacy of his rival Aoun in response to the initiative that was launched by Mustaqbal Movement chief MP Saad Hariri to nominate Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh as president.

Geagea is a presidential candidate and Hariri's ally in the March 14 camp.

The LF leader and Hariri had held talks over the weekend to address the latest developments in the presidential file.

Aoun is a presidential nominee himself. His refusal to withdraw from the race in favor of Franjieh is seen as one of the obstacles thwarting the latter's official nomination for the presidency.

Aoun and Franjieh are both part of the March 8 alliance.

Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014 when the term of Michel Suleiman ended without the election of successor.

Ongoing disputes between the rival March 8 and 14 camps over a compromise candidate have thwarted the polls.

M.T.

D.A.