Geagea Downplays Nasrallah-Jumblat Meeting
Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea played down a recent meeting held between Hizbullah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat.
The meeting has no political meaning, Geagea told An Nahar newspaper published on Monday.
It was held to show the positive aspects of the ongoing ties between them, he said.
The two parties announced on Sunday that Nasrallah discussed with Jumblat the need to elect a president as soon as possible and to boost coordination among security agencies.
Geagea denied in his remarks to An Nahar that there were developments in the presidential deadlock.
He accused the March 8 alliance of not showing signs on its readiness to discuss the candidacy of any person other than Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun.
Unlike the LF chief, Aoun has not officially announced his candidacy, saying he would do so only if there was consensus on him.
But the March 14 alliance, which has given its support to Geagea, has refused to back Aoun.
The dispute between the two camps left the presidential palace vacant after Michel Suleiman's six-year term ended on May 25.
Aoun “is still holding onto his stance,” Geagea said, accusing him of paralyzing the election of a president for not accepting anyone else to reach Baabda Palace.
The March 14 alliance is not ready to discuss “plan B” not because it refuses to do so but because the March 8 camp has rejected to change its stance, Geagea said.
Several March 14 officials, including the LF leader, had repeatedly said that they would discuss the possibility of backing the candidacy of a March 14 figure other than Geagea if March 8 expressed readiness not to boycott the elections.
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