Naharnet

Report: Franjieh Returns 'Very Satisfied' from Weekend Visit to Assad

Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh paid a visit over the weekend to his ally and personal friend Syrian President Bashar Assad, reported As Safir newspaper on Tuesday.

It said that the meeting was held on Sunday and that the MP “had returned to Lebanon very satisfied with the talks.”

The discussions lasted a few hours and the lawmaker returned to Lebanon that same day, revealed al-Joumhouria newspaper.

As Safir added that the meeting was aimed at “reassessing the regional political scene, especially the Syrian-Lebanese one.”

It continued that Franjieh and Assad “constantly” communicate with each other over the telephone, discussing the presidential initiative in Lebanon and the concerns surrounding it.

“Franjieh sensed after returning to Lebanon the trust of the Syrian leadership in him and his political choices, seeing as he was among the few Lebanese politicians who stood by Syria and the resistance during the most difficult times,” reported the daily.

Recent efforts to end the vacuum saw Franjieh emerge as a presidential candidate as part of a greater settlement that would revitalize the political scene in the country.

The initiative, launched by Mustaqbal Movement MP Saad Hariri, has however been met with the reservations of the Lebanese Forces, Kataeb Party, and the Free Patriotic Movement.

Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014 when the term of Michel Suleiman ended without the election of successor.

Ongoing disputes between the rival March 8 and 14 camps over a compromise candidate have thwarted the polls.


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