Geagea about Dialogue with FPM: Better Late than Never

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea has said that the dialogue between his party and the Free Patriotic Movement should have started a long time ago.

“But it's better late than never,” Geagea said in an interview to be published on Thursday, according to his press office.

“We are trying to overcome the current political differences although the two parties' political plans sometimes contradict each other,” he told Il Mattino newspaper.

Last week, Geagea held a landmark meeting with FPM chief MP Michel Aoun after which a joint document was announced.

In the so-called declaration of intent, the two parties called for the election of “a strong president who is embraced by his (Christian) community and capable of reassuring the other components of the country.”

Both the LF chief and Aoun have announced their candidacies for the presidency. But their differences, in addition to the rivalry between the March 8 and 14 alliances, have caused a vacuum at Baabda Palace since May last year.

Geagea warned in the interview that the “vacuum not just affects the post of the presidency but also the political life in the country.”

“The paralysis of institutions has many repercussions whether on the general situation or on the Lebanese economy,” he said.

The LF chief described the vacuum as “very dangerous and harmful,” but stressed that he is “seeking and working hard” to resolve the presidential deadlock as soon as possible.

Asked about the situation in Lebanon as the Middle East is engulfed in turmoil, he said: “Given what's happening across the region, mainly Iraq and Syria, we could say that Lebanon is still stable despite the absence of a president.”

“That's why the Lebanese should distance themselves from the fire of tension and conflict in the region,” he said.

Geagea added that the Lebanese army is playing an essential role in safeguarding Lebanon.

G.K.

H.K.