Hariri: I Want Serious Dialogue with Hizbullah and a Consensual President is the Solution for Lebanon
Al-Mustaqbal movement leader MP Saad Hariri on Thursday announced that he is seeking a “serious dialogue” with Hizbullah “for the sake of the country,” as he stressed the need to elect a “consensual president.”
“Dialogue is important and my dispute with Hizbullah is over its intervention in Syria, in addition to the (Special) Tribunal (for Lebanon), weapons and the (Hizbullah-affiliated) Resistance Brigades,” Hariri said in an interview in Paris with LBCI television.
“I will not change my stance over these issues, but some things are important for the country and for protecting the country. Protecting the country is more important than Saad Hariri,” the former premier added.
Speaker Nabih Berri and Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat have been exerting efforts to gather the two rival parties.
Hariri confirmed during the interview that Mustaqbal is cooperating with Berri and Jumblat to prepare an agenda for the proposed dialogue.
“I don't like populist stances but rather stances that serve the national interest. I take my decisions according to the country's interests,” Hariri said in defense of his intention to engage in dialogue with Hizbullah.
He noted that there are things that must be discussed “for the sake of the country and its citizens.”
“I'm not with dialogue with Hizbullah for the sake of dialogue. I'm rather with serious dialogue for the sake of the country's interest and I'm serious in what I'm saying. I want a president and parliamentary elections and I want us to exit the dilemma that the country is going through,” said Hariri.
“I want dialogue with results,” he stressed.
The ex-PM called for overcoming complications and putting them aside “for the sake of reaching an agreement that can serve the country's interest.”
Asked about the possibility of dialogue's failure, Hariri said: “Let the other party bear the responsibility should dialogue turn out to be non-serious. I'm serious about dialogue and if I reject it the tensions will grow among citizens.”
Al-Mustaqbal's leader pointed out that talks with Hizbullah would “alleviate the Sunni-Shiite tensions,” warning that a Sunni-Shiite “explosion” would not “leave us any presidency or country to talk about.”
On the possibility that dialogue could lead to a new political system, Hariri reiterated support for the Taef Accord, emphasizing that his movement will not change its stance.
“We have fought battles to preserve it,” he noted.
“Hizbullah proposed a constituent assembly and we rejected it because we're with bilateral not trilateral power-sharing,” Hariri pointed out.
He stressed that “a consensual president is the solution for Lebanon.”
He said a consensual candidate is one “who can talk to everyone and who can put Lebanon's future before anything else.”
Asked about Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun's candidacy, Hariri described Aoun as “an essential political component of the country,” noting that “no one can eliminate anyone in this country.”
“We cooperated with Aoun and we formed a government, but has anyone from March 8 tried to talk to (Lebanese Forces leader) Samir Geagea?” Hariri added, referring to the LF chief's nomination.
He noted that the March 14 forces have a problem with Aoun's nomination although al-Mustaqbal has engaged in dialogue with him.
“The March 8 camp does not approve of Samir Geagea's candidacy but they have not talked to him, that's why the solution is electing a consensual president,” said Hariri.
He underlined that Saudi Arabia “does not have a veto on anyone,” adding that all countries “want Christians to agree on a presidential candidate.”
Lebanon has been without a president since May 25 amid a boycott of electoral sessions by the MPs of Hizbullah and Aoun's Change and Reform bloc.
Last week, Aoun launched at initiative aimed at limiting the presidential battle to him and his main rival Geagea.
Y.R.
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