Report: Hezbollah still clinging to Franjieh after Bassil's tour

The latest presidential initiative of Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil has failed to achieve any positive result, al-Akhbar newspaper quoted several sources as saying, while noting that Hezbollah is still backing Suleiman Franjieh’s nomination.

“The stance of the (Shiite) Duo has not change and he (Bassil) knows that what he is doing is an ill-timed maneuver,” the sources said.

“The public stance that he has adopted regarding the issue of dialogue is a good and needed step, but the intended objective blows up all formalities and it has become clear,” the sources added.

As for the opposition front, most its parties believe that Bassil is “seeking to replace Walid Jumblat in the centrist and kingmaker position and to establish himself as a side that is independent from both camps so that he later become acceptable as a consensual candidate should the circumstances allow him to nominate himself,” al-Akhbar said.

Quoting opposition sources, the daily added that the opposition “will not grant him this.”

“He once uses the opposition card to press Hezbollah into giving up its support for Suleiman Franjieh and another time he uses the same card to boost his future chances,” al-Akhbar said.