Report: Berri to Launch 'Summary of Initiatives' to Solve Political Crisis
Speaker Nabih Berri is expected to launch a new initiative that summarizes all previous suggestions, the latest was that of Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, in an attempt to break the political deadlock in the country, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Wednesday.
The daily said “it is expected that several initiatives and positions might be made in the coming days and that they would reach their peak by the end of August where Berri is expected to make an initiative that summarizes all.”
Berri's position will come five days ahead of the national dialogue sessions scheduled to start on September 5.
Nasrallah had hinted in a speech on Saturday that Hizbullah does not mind the appointment of al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri as premier in return for the election of Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun as president and the re-election of Berri as parliament speaker.
Berri has voiced support for the re-designation of Hariri as prime minister, following Nasrallah's remarks.
The Speaker had launched an initiative earlier that aimed at ending the impasse. He called for shortening the term of parliament and that the elections be held based on the 1960 law should political forces fail to agree on a new electoral one.
He also called for staging the presidential elections after the parliamentary ones and forming a national unity government.
Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, Aoun's Change and Reform bloc and some of their allies have been boycotting the parliament's electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum.
Hariri, who is close to Saudi Arabia, launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah.
Hariri's move prompted Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea to endorse the nomination of Aoun, his long-time Christian rival.
The supporters of Aoun's presidential bid argue that he is more eligible than Franjieh to become president due to the size of his parliamentary bloc and his bigger influence in the Christian community.
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