Diplomatic Sources: Aoun's Dar al-Fatwa Visit Has 'Political, Presidential' Significance

Fuente: 
Naharnet Newsdesk
Fecha de publicación: 
07 Jul 2016

Free Patriotic Movement founder MP Michel Aoun's visit to Dar al-Fatwa on the first day of Eid al-Fitr on Wednesday was not a merely courtesy visit, a media report said on Thursday.

Sources close to Dar al-Fatwa told the Kuwaiti al-Anbaa newspaper that the visit was aimed at offering Eid al-Fitr greeting seeing as Aoun is a former prime minister, but diplomatic sources said that “the visit cannot be stripped of its political meaning, or even its significance regarding the presidency, despite al-Mustaqbal Movement's ongoing rejection of Aoun's election as president.”

Aoun also visited Speaker Nabih Berri on Wednesday and held phone talks with Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awadh Asiri.

After the Dar al-Fatwa talks with Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Daryan, Aoun announced that “communication with al-Mustaqbal Movement is still ongoing,” stressing the importance of “reaching an understanding among the various Lebanese political forces over all issues.”

There has been speculation that the latest rapprochement between Aoun and Berri could lead to an agreement over the stalled presidential election or the parliamentary polls.

Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah, the FPM and some of their allies have been boycotting the electoral sessions at parliament, stripping them of the needed quorum.

Mustaqbal leader ex-PM Saad Hariri, who is close to Saudi Arabia, launched an initiative in late 2015 to nominate Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah.

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.

Naharnet Newsdesk

Source: http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/212720-diplomatic-sources-aoun-s-dar-...