Reports: Safa has not met with Bassil

Hezbollah liaison and coordination officer Wafiq Safa has not met with Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil, contrary to the latest reports in this regard, media reports said.

“No appointment was set and no appointment was canceled and there is even no communication,” MTV reported.

“The relation between Hezbollah and the FPM is still the same: cold without being severed,” the TV network added.

Reports had said that political circles were “betting on the outcome” of a meeting between Safa and Bassil that was supposed to be held on Tuesday.

Al-Joumhouria newspaper had quoted “sources close to the FPM” as saying that the meeting was going to be held “at Hezbollah’s request.”

Hezbollah wants to “exchange opinions over the results of the latest consultations, especially those related to the presidential election,” the sources said.

Safa “will carry a host of questions and answers over the outcome of the foreign mediations, especially the Saudi proposals that were carried by Ambassador (Walid) Bukhari over the past few days,” the sources added.

The sources also noted that the talks would tackle administrative and financial files, especially the central bank governor post in light of Riad Salameh’s looming term expiry.

Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah had on Friday stressed that the caretaker Cabinet should not name a new central bank governor nor extend Salameh’s term before the election of a new president.