What is the PSP stance on Azour after opposition endorsed him?

MP Hadi Abou al-Hosn of the Progressive Socialist Party noted that the agreement between the opposition and the Free Patriotic Movement over Jihad Azour’s nomination is “positive” although it came “late.”

“Ex-MP Walid Jumblat had proposed ex-minister Jihad Azour as one of three presidential candidates five months ago, without finding sufficient dynamism from some parties to endorse this nomination,” Abou al-Hosn said in a radio interview.

And calling for “broadening the circle of support for Azour, so that he does not become a confrontation candidate to any camp and so that MP Michel Mouawad’s experience does not get repeated,” Abou al-Hosn urged “direct and indirect dialogue meetings with the Shiite Duo, our partners in the country, to explore their concerns, dispel them and go to an electoral process soon.”

“Azour has a vision, positive thinking and a moderate approach that the country needs in this period,” the lawmaker added.

Abou al-Hosn also lauded Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi for launching dialogue meetings with all parties.

All eyes are meanwhile fixed on the meeting that the PSP’s Democratic Gathering bloc will hold on Tuesday.

“Alongside the issue of supporting Azour, the MPs will discuss the idea of delaying the announcement of their stance, in order to leave the doors open to a national consensus,” al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Monday.

The daily added that Speaker Nabih Berri is concerned over outgoing PSP leader Walid Jumblat’s decision to spend a 10-day vacation in France, which would leave things in the hands of his son MP Taymour Jumblat.

Berri has interpreted the move as “an evasion of personal embarrassment towards him,” al-Akhbar said.