Berri: Franjieh can be president who would talk to Syria, tackle defense strategy
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Monday defended the Shiite Duo’s nomination of Suleiman Franjieh for the president post.
In a meeting with a delegation from the Press Syndicate and the Press Editors Syndicate, Berri reminded that Franjieh had also been a candidate “when the term of president Emile Lahoud was extended.”
“Wasn’t he nominated by (then-U.S.) Ambassador David Hale? Wasn’t he a candidate when General Michel Aoun was nominated?” Berri added.
He also reminded that Franjieh was one of the top four Christian leaders who met in Bkirki in 2011 after which it was agreed to elect one of them as president.
“What do we want from a president? We need a president who would talk to Syria over the issue of border demarcation and resolving the refugee crisis, because if we want to rely on the Europeans and Americans, they don’t care at all about this issue. We want a president who would be able to tackle the defense strategy and who believes in the Taif Accord, and based on all of this we have nominated Mr. Suleiman Franjieh,” Berri added.
As for his meeting with the Saudi ambassador earlier in the day, Berri noted that there had been “communication” prior to the meeting and that it would continue.
“Several meetings were held prior to this meeting,” he pointed out.
He added: “The political solution begins with the presidency and Suleiman Franjieh has extended his hand to everyone and has reconciled with everyone. If Suleiman Franjieh is not unifying, who else can be?”
And noting that “there can be no salvation for Lebanon without a civil state,” Berri lashed out at “the voices calling for partitioning and federalism under the veiled slogans of broad administrative and financial decentralization.”
“Lebanon is like an atom: if partitioned it would blow up,” Berri warned.
Source: Naharnet
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