Aoun, Franjieh in 'Friendly Hug' at French Ambassador's Residence

A brief meeting was held between Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun and Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh on the sidelines of a dinner banquet that was held in honor of the visiting French president, a media report said on Sunday.

The two men stood throughout their meeting Saturday at Pine Residence, or the official Beirut residence of the French ambassador to Lebanon, MTV said.

Quoting a source who attended the dinner, the TV network said the encounter was “very cordial.”

“They hugged each other amid the smiles of the attendees,” MTV said.

Once allies and members of the same parliamentary bloc, Aoun and Franjieh have recently drifted apart, especially after the latter was endorsed as a presidential candidate by al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri.

Aoun is also a presidential hopeful and his Change and Reform bloc along with Hizbullah's MPs have been boycotting the electoral sessions.

Hariri's suggestion to nominate Franjieh has been rejected by the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah.

Hizbullah and the FPM, as well as March 14's Lebanese Forces, have argued that Aoun is more eligible than Franjieh to become president given the size of his parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian community.

Y.R.