Geagea Says Aoun Not Hizbullah's 'Real Candidate'
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Wednesday noted that Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun is not Hizbullah's “real” presidential candidate, despite the party's declared stance.
“Hizbullah's real candidate is not General Aoun and it is leaving its actual nominee undeclared until the time of settlement comes,” said Geagea in an interview with Future television.
“Iran and Hizbullah are the strategic players obstructing the presidential election, despite the presence of other blocs that reject a president with political weight,” he said.
The LF leader stressed that nothing can be improved in the country in the absence of a new president.
“We did the impossible to exit the presidential crisis and I hope a positive development will occur in the next two months and we will continue our endeavors,” he added.
Asked about a possible impact for the Iranian nuclear deal on the domestic Lebanese situations, Geagea pointed out that “the disputes will not be resolved in the wake of the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.”
“They might be further complicated seeing as Iran cannot bear two major settlements in this period,” he said.
In response to another question, Geagea said that he will carry on with his presidential nomination.
However, he clarified that he is willing to discuss with Aoun “any presidential solution” that does not involve the election of any of them.
Lebanon has been without a president since May last year when the term of Michel Suleiman ended with MPs unable to find a successor.
Sharp differences between the March 8 and 14 alliances left Baabda Palace vacant over their inability to agree on a consensual candidate.
Turning to the recent confrontation between Aoun and al-Mustaqbal movement, Geagea said the FPM chief's escalation against the movement is “temporary.”
“General Aoun has clarified that he did not personally accuse al-Mustaqbal of practicing Daesh-like policies,” he added, referring to banners that were carried by protesters during a recent FPM demonstration.
As for Prime Minister Tammam Salam's cabinet, Geagea noted that he had proposed the formation of a technocrat cabinet.
“I have not changed my stance on shunning a government similar to the current one,” he said, criticizing the cabinet over its lack of productivity and failure to address the several crises.
Y.R.
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