Saudi envoy al-Sabhan meets top officials during second day of visit to Lebanon
The Daily Star/October 28/16
BEIRUT: Saudi Arabia’s Arab Gulf Affairs Minister Thamer al-Sabhan Friday kicked off his second day of talks in Lebanon, meeting with former Prime Ministers Saad Hariri, Najib Mikati and Fouad Siniora and other officials, days ahead of next week’s presidential elections. The convoy for the Saudi official was seen arriving at the residence of Hariri in Downtown Beirut in the afternoon, after meeting with Mikati earlier in the day.
His visit to Beirut is seen as a tacit approval of the presidential vote, which will most likely see MP Michel Aoun become Lebanon’s next head of state.
Hariri, who returned from a brief visit to Paris late Thursday, endorsed his decade-long rival Aoun for the presidency last week, finally clearing the general’s path to the country’s top Christian seat.
The meeting between the two lasted for less than an hour, before Sabhan went to meet the leader of the Progressive Socialist Party Walid Jumblatt in Beirut’s Clemenceau area.
The PSP leader was said to have discussed the latest developments in Lebanon with Sabhan in the presence of his aides Health Minister Wael Abu Faour and Agriculture Minister Akram Chehayeb, according to the state-run National News Agency.
It is unclear whether the Saudi official will make any statements during his Lebanon visit.
Earlier in the morning, Sabhan met Mikati at his Beirut residence in the presence of the Saudi Charge d’Affaires Walid al-Bukhari.
“The kingdom has never been distant from Lebanon or the Lebanese (people) and in the hard times which Lebanon has faced, the kingdom was like an older brother to Lebanon,” Mikati said following the meeting.
When asked by reporters over the Saudi position on the Lebanese presidency, Mikati said that Riyadh is concerned about Lebanon’s stability, but does not interfere, and that it will ensure that the next head of state works for the interest of the Lebanese people.
The Saudi minister also met with leader of the Future Movement’s parliamentary bloc Siniora at his Hamra office. Siniora is among the key figures in Hariri’s party to oppose backing Aoun for president.
Sabhan is the highest ranking Saudi official to visit Lebanon since ties between the two countries soured in early 2015 over Hezbollah’s intervention in Syria and Yemen.
In the next two days, the Saudi official is expected to meet with Speaker Nabih Berri, presidential frontrunner Aoun, Lebanese Forces head Samir Geagea and Marada Movement leader Sleiman Frangieh. Sabhan, however, is not expected to meet any Hezbollah officials, as Riyadh brands the party a “terrorist group.”Sabhan met Thuraday with former presidents Amine Gemayel and Michel Sleiman, as well as Prime Minister Tammam Salam at the Grand Serail in Downtown Beirut.
Future bloc reiterates support for Aoun to maintain Lebanon’s interests
The Daily Star/October 28, 2016/BEIRUT: The Future Movement’s parliamentary bloc Friday reiterated its support for MP Michel Aoun’s presidential bid, saying that it hoped his election would work in Lebanon’s national interest. “The Future bloc … [restates] its commitment to attending the upcoming [election] session to practice its right and democratic duty in voting,” Tripoli MP Mohammad Kabbara said, reading the bloc’s statement after a meeting between Future MPs. The statement backed former Prime Minister and Future leader Saad Hariri’s nomination of Aoun, expressing hope that the election of the Change and Reform chief on Monday would “constitute a new national phase [that favors] Lebanon and the Lebanese interest.”The meeting was chaired by Hariri at his Downtown Beirut residence, a statement issued by the ex-PM’s press office said, where they discussed the country’s domestic affairs. Hariri, who returned from a brief visit to Paris late Thursday, endorsed his decade-long rival Aoun for the presidency last week, finally clearing the general’s path to the country’s top Christian seat. Hariri’s endorsement of the Change and Reform leader has made Aoun’s arrival to the presidency almost certain, with three days to go before the Parliament session to elect a head of state. Aoun’s expected election would end a more than two-year presidential vacuum. Hezbollah and Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement have repeatedly refused to attend the vote sessions until they received assurances that their candidate would be elected.Marada Movement chief Sleiman Frangieh, whom Hariri had previously endorsed, is still in the race.
Lebanon’s kingmaker Jumblatt secures 8 votes for Aoun
Gulf News/Joseph A. Kechichian/October 28/16/Jumblatt will withdraw the candidacy of Henri Helou, who was nominated to block the election of Geagea in 2014
Washington: Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt informed the head of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), Jibran Bassil, that eight deputies of his bloc — out of eleven — will vote in favour of presidential candidate Michel Aoun, according to Al Jumhuriyyah daily. The PSP confirmed that “the final decision will be taken following a meeting between Jumblatt and Aoun, although the FPM leader was now in the lead no matter what”. Jumblatt added that the party would withdraw the candidacy of Henri Helou, who was nominated at the very last moment to block the election of the Lebanese Forces’ Samir Geagea back in 2014. Neither Helou nor Aoun for that matter presented a programme to govern the country. After a meeting with Helou, Education Minister Elias Bu Saab of the FPM hailed Helou’s position and said: “The stance that was voiced [by Helou] was responsible and it reflects a great patriotic sense and it opened the door for agreements”, which redefined convenience. After initially endorsing Helou’s nomination, Jumblatt shifted his support for pro-Syrian Marada Movement chief Sulaiman Franjieh after the latter was endorsed by former Prime Minister Saad Hariri in December 2015. Jumblatt, who honed the art of compromise and survival, saw the writing on the wall after Hariri formally endorsed Aoun, which explained his third change in as many years. Lebanon has been without a president since the term of Michel Sulaiman ended on May 24, 2014 and Hezbollah, along with all its March 8 allies boycotted the parliament’s 45 electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum. This is expected to change on October 31, when Aoun will probably gather over 85 votes — out of 128 — a majority. The sole exceptions will be the Phalange Party, Speaker Nabih Berri’s Amal Party and several independents.