Kanaan Slams Geagea's Stance on FPM Initiative, Says No Hidden Intentions
The Free Patriotic Party expressed surprise on Friday over Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea's rejection to meet with the party's Change and Reform parliamentary bloc to discuss the political standstill in the country.
“We have no hidden intentions... Every side has its impact on the local situation and can contribute in resolving the complications amid the ongoing crises,” FPM MP Ibrahim Kanaan said in comments published in al-Joumhouria newspaper.
He pointed out that the bloc decided to hold talks with the various parliamentary blocs because it's a “national interest.”
“The blocs that we met were cooperative... We hoped that we could meet the LF bloc also... But they preferred to take this stance,” Kanaan noted.
The lawmaker said that the FPM is adopting a policy of “openness” in an attempt to safeguard the country amid the critical situation it's passing through.
“Those who think that our initiative is useless and won't achieve anything are totally wrong... Even if it didn't it's an honor that we tried” Kanaan said, adding that the “initiative helped in lessening the political tension so far.”
Geagea informed the FPM that his parliamentary bloc will not meet the Change and Reform delegation because it is “useless.”
The FPM has been holding a series of meetings with political powers in Lebanon aimed at ending the country's deadlock.
On Thursday, the delegation held talks with Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat's National Struggle Front.
It had held talks previously with the al-Mustaqbal bloc, Phalange bloc and Speaker Nabih Berri.
In October, the FPM, which is led by MP Michel Aoun, announced that it will hold talks with various parliamentary blocs to reactivate the work of the parliament and the legislative sessions.
On November 20, a two-day parliamentary session was postponed for the seventh time over lack of quorum amid sharp rift between the March 14 alliance and Berri on its constitutionality.
The session was postponed to December 18.
The controversial legislative session is set to discuss 45 items on its agenda, the same session that has been boycotted for five times since July over differences on whether the parliament can convene amid a resigned government or not.
The previous sessions were boycotted by the March 14 coalition, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati and Aoun's bloc.
Miqati and the March 14 alliance argue that the parliament can only discuss urgent items amid a resigned cabinet.
The FPM bloc has boycotted previous sessions over the speaker's failure to include the bloc's items on the session's agenda.
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