Berri Calls for 'Complete' Political Agreement Starting with Election of President

Speaker Nabih Berri hailed the recent stances of Mustaqbal Movement chief MP Saad Hariri and Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, noting that they have made “progress” in reaching common positions, reported the daily al-Mustaqbal on Monday.

He told the daily: “We need a complete agreement, starting with the election of a president.”

The positions of Hariri and Nasrallah are in line with the agenda of the national dialogue, which he is sponsoring, he remarked.

On Hariri's focus on the election of a president, Berri said: “The national dialogue kicked off with this issue and we have so far discussed the characteristics of the new head of state.”

“We however need a complete deal and only then will we be able to elect a president,” the speaker explained.

Berri also revealed that he will form “this week” a parliamentary committee aimed at studying a new electoral law.

Nasrallah on Saturday had called for the adoption of a “comprehensive settlement” in Lebanon to resolve pending political issues.

Hariri on Sunday reiterated his call for a roadmap that primarily begins with an agreement on a president.

Lebanon has been without a president since the term of President Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014.

The rival political camps of March 14 and March 8 camps have failed so far to agree on a successor over political disputes.