Gemayel Says Aoun Might Eventually 'Draw Lessons,' Just Like Geagea

Kataeb Party leader Amin Gemayel on Friday revealed that things “are not deadlocked” in negotiations over the upcoming presidential elections, noting that his recent talks with local leaders did not tackle the names of any potential candidates.

The former president also stated that his own candidacy was suggested before that of Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea.

"We said when we agreed on (Geagea's) nomination that if he was not able to secure the necessary number of votes (to win the presidential race), then we would discuss other options,” he told MTV in an interview on Friday evening.

He added: “Things are not deadlocked and the proof is that Geagea announced that he is ready for discussing the matter, and when (Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel) Aoun realizes he will not gain the required number of votes to take office, he will draw lessons as well.”

Geagea said on Thursday that he was ready to mull his pullout from the presidential race if a deal was reached to back the candidacy of another March 14 alliance member.

Gemayel expressed that he is concerned in “saving the presidency, not in the person that takes office.”

"We have to overlook factional and partisan interests and communicate with each other. What we care about is electing a president before May 25 and it is important to agree on a candidate who is capable of performing their duties.”

"The country is in a critical situation and if vacuum occurs (in the presidency), it will have dangerous consequences,” the former president warned.

The Kataeb chief has met with several leaders in the country in the past weeks, as part of his initiative to resolve the presidential crisis.

So far, he has held talks with Geagea, Aoun, Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh, as well as Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat.

In a separate matter, Gemayel was asked about recently published alleged WikiLeaks documents that reported he “was shocked to know about the hatred Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has towards former Premiers Fouad Saniora and Saad Hariri, and ex-U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Jeffrey Feltman.”

According to the purported documents, Nasrallah talked in a 2006 conversation with Gemayel about his “despise” towards Syrian intelligence officers, whom he found to be “without morals and only going after money and women.”

Gemayel commented: “I do not recall such a conversation with Nasrallah and I don't think he would tackle these matters in such a historic meeting between us.”

S.D.B.

Y.R.