Naharnet

Mustaqbal Officials in Riyadh to Brief Hariri on Election Talks

Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc leader MP Fouad Saniora is in Riyadh to brief al-Mustaqbal movement chief ex-Premier Saad Hariri on the results of consultations held in Beirut over the presidential elections.

An Nahar daily said Friday that Saniora was accompanied by Nader Hariri, the adviser of al-Mustaqbal movement leader.

Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil has reportedly told the adviser during a meeting they held on Sunday that Free Patriotic Movement chief Michel Aoun would not announce his candidacy for the presidency if there was no political consensus on him.

Bassil, who is Aoun's son-in-law, said the FPM leader rejected his possible candidacy to be considered against the presidential bid of Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea, a Hariri ally.

Similar meetings were held in the past week between Geagea and Saad Hariri's envoy to discuss the elections that should be held by May 25 when President Michel Suleiman's six-year tenure ends.

Geagea met with Nader Hariri last Saturday and former MP Ghattas Khoury on Monday.

The LF chief's press office said Monday's “talks focused on the importance of preserving the unity of the March 14 alliance at this stage to bring a single candidate from the coalition to the presidency.”

Geagea announced last week that he would run for president, throwing the March 14 coalition in confusion after several of its officials said that the camp would have a single candidate.

G.K.

H.K.


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