Berri says truce before president, voices fear over Hezbollah MPs' participation in vote
U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert stressed to Speaker Nabih Berri days ago "the need to call for" a presidential election session in parliament as soon as possible, al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Thursday.
"Though Berri was clear in his response that the time is inappropriate to elect a president now because Lebanon is under an Israeli aggression and the priority is for a ceasefire, Plasschaert insisted on her demand, saying a president's election could be the solution's key and could lead to a ceasefire," the daily said.
This prompted Berri to tell the U.N. official that he has concerns over the safety of the Hezbollah MPs who would take part in the vote, seeing as Israel might try to "assassinate" them, al-Akhbar added.
The Speaker then asked
Plasschaert whether there are any security guarantees in that regard, prompting her to say that "no one can guarantee that that wouldn't happen," the newspaper said.
17 October 2024, 13:36
01
Excuses and stalling are classic Nabih Berri tactics. Iran is not ready for a new president in Lebanon.
17 October 2024, 14:25
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A better, in the sense of making political progress toward moving Berri off his "But First" intransigence, would have been for Plasschaert to have said "what, you imagine that Israel could find and assassinate Hassan Nasrallah, but that are unable to pick-off each and every Hezbollah minister, already today?"
Elmer Fudd may have said it best: "Be warry, warry afraid"
17 October 2024, 14:47
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Berri initially was in favour of electing a President as soon as possible but following the visits to Beirut of Iran's foreign minister & head of parliament, he reversed his stance. Shows how much Iran's influence remains predominant.
