Franjieh Says Ready for Cooperation or Confrontation with Aoun

Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh escalated his rhetoric on Monday and stressed after a meeting with Patriarch al-Rahi that he is ready for a confrontation as well as for cooperation with President Michel Aoun depending on the latter's messages.

“We refuse Aoun's punishment as a way to deal with us. We are ready to stand by Aoun if he wishes to have new relations with us, but we are also ready for a confrontation is he chooses to fight,” said Franjieh after a meeting he held with al-Rahi.

Franjieh's meeting with the Patriarch came as part of a Bkirki initiative that aimed, according to media reports, to pave the way for Franjieh's meeting with Aoun to ease the differences hampering the formation of a new cabinet.

Although Franjieh's comments were tense, but he hailed Rahi and said: “The Patriarch is the keeper of dignities and we are ready for a meeting with Aoun the way that the Patriarch sees appropriate.”

“Things are on their way to a solution and we will soon meet with (Speaker Nabih) Berri.”

Media reports said on Sunday that the Patriarch is seeking to mend ties between Franjieh and Aoun.

The patriarch had visited Baabda last week to put Aoun in the picture of his endeavor “and it seems that he heard a positive answer from the president,” the reports said.

But on Monday a Marada source told MTV during Franjieh's meeting with Rahi: “There will be no visit to Baabda. Franjieh has not taken a decision yet.”

Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah had on Friday announced that the party wants ties to be restored between its two main Christian allies – the Free Patriotic Movement and Marada.

Ties between Aoun and Franjieh were strained after the latter was nominated for the presidency by al-Mustaqbal Movement leader Saad Hariri in late 2015.