Gemayel Asks Franjieh to Meet Kataeb 'Halfway' as Bassil Says FPM Holds Onto Its 'Freedom in Choosing President'
A meeting was held Friday in Bkirki between Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi, Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil and Kataeb Party leader MP Sami Gemayel.
Gemayel had first arrived in Bkirki along with Kataeb's former minister Salim al-Sayegh. Bassil joined the talks around an hour later.
It was not immediately clear if the tripartite meeting was prearranged.
“Our stance has been clear from the very beginning. We do not base our national policies on personal ties or sentiments and we do not have complexes towards any figure,” Gemayel said after leaving the meeting.
“We have national constants that we cannot renounce,” he emphasized.
“Let's be clear: nothing can force the Kataeb Party to vote against its historic beliefs and constants and the candidate who wants to win Kataeb's support must meet us halfway,” Gemayel added.
He noted that contacts are underway with Franjieh to explore if a common ground can be reached.
“We won't elect any candidate whose rhetoric only represents a part of the Lebanese. No one can oblige Kataeb to endorse a candidate whose rhetoric contradicts with its stances. Accordingly, we will put aside our personal ties with Franjieh and his previous rhetoric,” Gemayel went on to say.
He revealed that Kataeb officials “are meeting once every two days with Franjieh's team to explore the possibility of securing the election of a president.”
“It is not the time for selfishness and it is unacceptable to build policies on personal political ties and ambitions. It is a time for thinking about Lebanon and the presidency in order to give positive signals,” Gemayel said.
“We will support any national or Christian consensus and we call on Bkirki to play its full role in this regard,” he added.
In a terse statement, Bassil for his part said that the FPM “holds onto its freedom in choosing a president and an electoral law.”
“We need to fill the country's top post with a figure who represents Christians and the Lebanese,” he said.
“We are dealing with this stage with deep caution,” he added.
The talks follow an overnight meeting in Bkirki between al-Rahi and Franjieh.
Franjieh's chances to reach the Baabda Palace have recently made a dramatic surge in the wake of a Paris meeting between him and al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri.
Hariri has also met in the French capital with Gemayel and Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat.
The Paris meetings and the flurry of political talks in Lebanon have sparked intense speculation that Franjieh is on the verge of becoming the country's new president.
Y.R.
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