Hariri Meets Bassil in Paris Ahead of 2nd Round of Presidential Elections
A meeting was held on Tuesday in Paris between former Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil on the eve of the second round of the presidential elections.
The meeting comes as the French capital is witnessing a flurry of political activity as the Free Patriotic Movement is awaiting the support of al-Mustaqbal movement for FPM leader MP Michel Aoun's presidential bid.
MTV reported in the afternoon that the Hariri-Bassil meeting started at lunch, while LBCI television said the talks lasted for five hours.
"Minister of Education Elias Bou Saab also took part in the meeting," LBCI added.
The same source remarked that the talks were positive, and that both men agreed on rejecting vacuum in the presidency.
They also stressed that the vote must have a Christian flavor, it added.
Sources close to al-Mustaqbal Movement told the Central News Agency that Hariri was keen on not holding the talks in Saudi Arabia, “so that it won't be explained in other terms and given other explanations.”
Former al-Mustaqbal MP Antoine Andraos told the CNA that the the Hariri bloc will not endorse the nomination of Aoun "because the Sunni community will not accept this, as it has not forgotten what the FPM chief has done to it."
Aoun, meanwhile, is ready to open files that harm al-Mustaqbal because the party will not support his candidacy, Andraos added.
"We reiterate our support for Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea in the presidential race, and we call on Aoun to convince Christians of his candidacy, before trying to convince Muslims.”
Al-Mustaqbal bloc confirmed Andraos' statement after the MPs' weekly meeting at the Center House on Tuesday evening.
"Samir Geagea is the candidate who gained March 14's support and the bloc calls on the MPs to vote for him in tomorrow's session," the lawmakers said in a released statement.
Earlier in the day, there were conflicting reports on the meeting between Hariri and Bassil.
Al-Liwaa daily said that the FM headed from Rome to Paris to meet with the al-Mustaqbal Movement chief on Tuesday.
But according to An Nahar newspaper, the meeting between them took place on Monday night despite a lack of information on Hariri's final stance from Aoun's candidacy.
The FPM chief has repeatedly said that he would not announce his candidacy if there was no consensus on him.
If Aoun does not win Hariri's support for his presidential bid, then the second round of the presidential elections this Wednesday will meet the same fate of its predecessor.
The Hizbullah-led March 8 alliance is expected not to attend the session, resulting in a lack of quorum.
Last Wednesday, lawmakers failed to elect a president after no candidate was able to garner the needed two-thirds of votes.
March 8 MPs withdrew from the parliament after voting, resulting in a lack of a two-thirds quorum of the 128-member legislature.
Also Tuesday, Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi is expected to visit Paris on his way to the Roman Catholic pilgrimage site of Lourdes amid reports that he would hold talks with Hariri.
Al-Rahi has been calling on MPs to elect a new head of state before President Michel Suleiman's six-year term expires at midnight May 24.
The patriarch and Suleiman, who would leave Baabda Palace on May 25, have warned that the failure to elect a new president would lead to vacuum in the country's top Christian post.
According to al-Joumhouria newspaper, Education Minister Elias Bou Saab, who is from the March 8 camp, is in the French capital for talks on the presidential elections.
Hariri's adviser ex-MP Ghattas Khoury also traveled to Paris to brief the former prime minister on the results of his talks with Geagea and Kataeb leader Amin Gemayel.
Geagea is the only politician who has officially announced his candidacy for the presidency. But he only garnered 48 votes in the first round of the elections.
Deputy Speaker Farid Makari, who is backing Geagea, is also in the French capital. He already met with Hariri in Saudi Arabia several days ago.
G.K./ S.D.B.
H.K./ M.T.
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