Hariri Holds Talks with French FM in Paris
Al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri held talks Thursday in Paris with French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, his press office said.
Hariri briefed Ayrault on “the threats emanating from the continued presidential vacuum and the efforts that he is exerting to put an end to it,” the office added.
He also called on France to “exert immediate efforts with Lebanon's friends to help the country cope with the burden of the Syrian refugee influx and Minister Ayrault promised to exert all efforts possible in this regard,” Hariri's office said.
Hariri's recent return to Lebanon has triggered a flurry of reports about a possible presidential settlement and the ex-PM is exploring the possibility of endorsing Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun for the presidency in a bid to break the deadlock.
Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, Aoun's Change and Reform bloc and some of their allies have been boycotting the parliament's electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum.
Hariri, who is close to Saudi Arabia, launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah.
The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid argue that he is more eligible than Franjieh to become president due to the size of his parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian community.
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://cdn.naharnet.com/stories/en/218380 |