Berri says would head dialogue initiated by National Moderation bloc

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri would head a meeting that would follow the National Moderation bloc's initiative aimed at breaking Lebanon's presidential vote deadlock.

The initiative, launched in February, calls for consultations in Parliament followed by open electoral sessions.

"The Parliament's General Secretariat would call for the dialogue and I would head it without preconditions," Berri told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, in remarks published Monday.

The Speaker said he hopes a meeting at a round table would lead to an agreement on a presidential candidate.

Crisis-hit Lebanon has been without a president since Michel Aoun's term ended in October 2022, with neither of the two main blocs -- Hezbollah and its opponents -- having the majority required to elect one.

The National Moderation bloc has met with Berri and with other parliamentary blocs, including Hezbollah.