Opposition MPs call for decentralization, say dialogue with Hezbollah 'futile'

Thirty one opposition MPs said Wednesday, in a joint statement, that it has become clear that "any dialogue with Hezbollah would be futile", a day after Parliament received two questions from the French embassy regarding the required qualifications of the future president.

French special presidential envoy for Lebanon Jean-Yves Le Drian is scheduled to return to Lebanon in September after he had proposed on his last visit to Lebanon to invite all those taking part in the process of electing a president to a meeting in September to achieve a consensus on the challenges and on the priority projects the future president will have to carry out, and consequently the qualities necessary for tackling them.

"The only acceptable form of negotiation is the one conducted by the next President after his election," the lawmakers said.

"The negotiation should be about the fate of illegal weapons and limiting foreign and internal security to the state represented by the army and security agencies, in order to implement the Taif accord and the broad administrative and financial decentralization," the statement went on to say.

The lawmakers from the Kataeb, Lebanese Forces and Tajaddod blocs, along with three change MPs, called on all blocs to boycott the coming parliamentary sessions, that they considered "unconstitutional."