Aoun Says he Would Meet Geagea but Refuses to Make Compromises on Presidency
Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun confirmed that he would hold unconditional talks with his rival Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea but refused to give up his candidacy for the presidential post.
Aoun told al-Akhbar daily in an interview published on Thursday that he would meet with Geagea when the LF chief returns from his visit to Riyadh.
The FPM leader denied that there was a mediation to bring the presidential candidates closer.
But said a person close to the LF contacted him to “talk about some issues but nothing practical has happened yet.”
Asked whether the person is an independent political figure, Aoun said: “He is from the LF but I can't reveal his name.”
Aoun, who heads the Change and Reform parliamentary bloc, did not confirm whether the talks between him and Geagea have an agenda.
“I will tell him what I've got if we meet,” he told al-Akhbar.
The MP hoped that the differences between the rival Christian parties on the presidential post would dissipate when the meeting between him and Geagea takes place.
“We will definitely deal with the presidential file but it will be one of the topics” of discussion, he stated.
Lebanon has been without a president since May because of differences between the March 8 and 14 alliances on a compromise candidate.
The March 8 camp is holding onto Aoun's candidacy while its rivals in the March 14 coalition are backing Geagea. Their dispute has caused a lack of quorum in more than a dozen electoral rounds.
President Michel Suleiman's six-year term ended on May 25.
Asked whether he and Geagea could agree on a third candidate to fill the vacuum at Baabda Palace, Aoun said: “No one can come and tell me 'I don't want you'.”
“We could disagree on the presidency but agree on other things,” he said.
“I am a candidate and I will not vote for anyone or give up (my candidacy) to anyone,” he stressed.
“I will not approve any president for many reasons,” Aoun said. “I want a Republic and not president.”
“I don't want a Republic without a Constitution, laws and institutions,” he added.
Aoun accused the March 14 alliance of paralyzingly the presidential elections, saying it wants to “impose” a president on the rest of the Lebanese.
He also refused to be held responsible for the vacuum at the country's top Christian post although the members of his Change and Reform bloc are among the majority of lawmakers who have caused a lack of quorum in parliamentary sessions aimed at electing a president.
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