Berri Says Bkirki Statement 'Doesn't Contradict with Package Deal, Dialogue Agreements'
Speaker Nabih Berri on Wednesday lauded a statement issued earlier in the day by the Council of Maronite Bishops, noting that it “does not contradict” with the national dialogue agreements and the proposed “package deal.”
“I support the statement that was issued by the Maronite bishops and it does not contradict with the dialogue agreements, which are the components of the package deal,” Berri said during his weekly meeting with lawmakers.
Berri, known for his humor, also distributed Ashoura cookies to the MPs in “celebration” of the bishops' statement, media reports said.
Bkirki sources were quick to comment on Berri's response, noting that “as long as the speaker has announced his approval of the Maronite bishops' call, this means that we are in agreement and that he is not imposing conditions on the president, and therefore this means that the concept of the 'package of conditions' has fallen.”
The relation between Bkirki and Ain el-Tineh had witnessed tensions in the past few days in the wake of Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi's announcement on Sunday that any candidate who “has dignity” cannot accept the proposed package deal.
Al-Rahi's remarks drew a swift response from Berri, who said he has proposed a “package of ideas” whereas the patriarch had proposed a “package of candidates” in the past.
Berri's “package deal” has been also criticized by several Christian figures, including the leaders of the Free Patriotic Movement and the Lebanese Forces.
Berri had launched an initiative aimed at ending the presidential impasse. He called for shortening the term of parliament and holding parliamentary elections under the 1960 law should political forces fail to agree on a new law.
He also called for staging the presidential elections after the parliamentary ones and forming a national unity government.
In recent days, media reports said Berri is willing to accept “half a package deal” involving agreements on “the electoral law, the finance minister post, creating an oil ministry and retaking the energy ministry portfolio.”
Ex-PM Saad Hariri's recent return to Lebanon has triggered a flurry of rumors and media reports about a possible presidential settlement and the possibility that the former premier has finally decided to endorse FPM founder MP Michel Aoun for the presidency in a bid to break the deadlock.
Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, Aoun's Change and Reform bloc and some of their allies have been boycotting the parliament's electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum.
Hariri, who is close to Saudi Arabia, launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah.
Hariri's move prompted LF leader Samir Geagea to endorse the nomination of Aoun, his long-time Christian rival, after months of political rapprochement talks between their two parties.
The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid argue that he is more eligible than Franjieh to become president due to the size of his parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian community.
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