Report: Following Latest Stances on Presidency, Berri-Nasrallah Meet

Media reports said on Friday that Speaker Nabih Berri and Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah have met in Beirut's southern suburb and that the meeting came after the two men's latest stances as for the election of a president, al-Liwaa daily said.

The timing of the meeting was not disclosed.

Berri has last week voiced support for the re-designation of al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri as prime minister, following remarks by Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah that his party is “open to discussing” the issue of the premiership should an agreement be reached over the presidency.

Berri also stressed that he supports Hariri's nomination of Marada chief Suleiman Franjieh for the top state post.

Nasrallah has reiterated in a speech on Saturday that his party is still committed to the presidential nomination of Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun while stressing that Speaker Nabih Berri is Hizbullah's only candidate for the parliament speaker post.

He had hinted in his speech that Hizbullah does not mind the appointment of Hariri as premier in return for the election of Aoun as president and the re-election of Berri as parliament speaker.

Sources close to Berri and Nasrallah did not confirm the meeting, but they said that the growing events might have pushed it forward, al-Liwaa added.

Hizbullah senior sources told the daily that: “As soon as Hariri goes down to the parliament and elect Aoun, he will be immediately assigned as premier without any preconditions.”