Bassil says not presidential candidate and not close to Hezbollah ideologically

Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil announced Tuesday that he does not intend to run for the country’s presidency.

“Today I'm not a presidential candidate, seeing as I'm smarter than doing this, and I'm in favor of reaching consensus over a president,” Bassil said in a live interview on al-Jadeed TV.

“Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has never pressured me, he only presents ideas,” Bassil said, in response to a question about his recent meeting with Hezbollah’s leader.

Describing the October 17 protests as a “coup,” Bassil critized Army chief General Joseph Aoun for “standing idly by.”

Responding to U.S. and alleged French corruption accusations, Bassil revealed that he had told French President Emmanuel Macron that he would quit politics if Paris presented evidence proving that he was corrupt.

“I'm the son of the Christian environment and I cannot say that I'm ideologically close to Hezbollah,” Bassil said, when asked whether he is closer to Hezbollah or to slain president-elect Bashir Gemayel.

As for the sea border demarcation deal with Israel, Bassil said the file highlighted “Hezbollah's rationality.”

“Had it not been for Hezbollah, the sea border deal would not have happened,” he said.

“I was convinced that there would be no war,” Bassil added.

Lashing out at PM-designate Najib Mikati, the FPM chief said the PM-designate “started fabricating obstacles because he didn't want to form a government.”

“They might create a security reason to push the cabinet to convene,” Bassil pointed out.

He also revealed that the Shiite duo have agreed with Mikati that the cabinet would not convene.

Bassil also charged that several meetings were held between Mikati and foreign forces for the sake of not forming a government.

“Today, on the first day of vacuum, Mikati made contacts to close Riad Salameh's file,” Bassil claimed.

“It is clear that Mikati and Berri don't want a government and I had warned Hezbollah that they were giving Mikati two cards -- the card of the caretaker cabinet and the card of designation,” Bassil said.

He added: “In the face of the precedent of the presence of two vacuums, the dependence must be on parliament, firstly through the election of a president and secondly through productivity.”