Al-Akhbar wrote: The political scene has taken a new path in the wake of the events that closed last week, from the visit of army commander General Joseph Aoun to Doha, and the meeting that brought together the prime minister Najib Mikati with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh last Saturday. As the opinions seemed to agree on “the availability of new external factors that can find a translation in the presidential file, and they do not have to be solutions”.
In this context, Al-Akhbar wrote: Until yesterday evening, the army commander who returned to Beirut had not put anyone close to him in the atmosphere of his visit, although he received great attention. He is one of the leading candidates for the presidency of the republic, or almost the only serious competitor of the head of the Marada Movement, Suleiman Franjieh. For the first time, the “leader’s” journey was not limited to the support of the military establishment, but there is the belief that Aoun’s invitation to Qatar is part of his further “acquaintance”, in preparation for a new stage in the presidential file which may contain an official announcement of his candidacy.
On the other hand, it was significant that yesterday evening the head of the Free Patriotic Movement, the deputy Gebran Bassil, intervened on television, in which he corrected, according to what was written by Al-Akhbar, the point of the controversial discussion with Hezbollah, and opened the door to a new type of dialogue with the party and others on the next stage. This is something that is welcomed by the Hezbollah leadership, who believe that a clear and frank dialogue with Bassil and the movement is needed.
And “Nidaa Al-Watan” wrote: in the form there is no change or change in the opinion of the chairman of the “Free Patriotic Movement” Gebran Bassil televised yesterday about his last press conference, so it came under the same intimidating slogans like like “our role is our weapon” and “there is no value in any understanding that contradicts the partnership” and started it with the message “Mar Mikhael’s understanding is at stake” but in the content it sounded like someone was palpating his political neck after the “sahsuh” of the media he received from “Hezbollah” as a rebuke and denial of what he reported about the insincere promise Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, saying: placed in my heart and mind, and it is different from all other people for me.
As for the nucleus of the presidential node that controls the cord of cordiality and communication between him and the leadership of “Hezbollah”, Basil proceeded from his being “the only person who gives a guarantee to the party and represents a Christian”, and from what Nasrallah had previously promised him in terms of not following a president of the republic, “without our choices and we do not agree with him”. he reiterated that “the equation of Franjieh or Joseph Aoun is rejected, and we will not accept such an arrangement that is forced upon us, either from the earth or from the air.” reach such a solution and, at the level of external pressure, he deliberately conveyed this message to the “interested officials in Paris and Doha”, as reported by well-informed circles, especially after what he touched during his visit to France and Qatar by ” miles”. I am serious about supporting and sponsoring a Lebanese agreement leading to the election of the army commander as president of the republic”. For the Lebanese political system, and its interest is currently focused on the continuation of humanitarian aid to the Lebanese people through the joint fund with France, and this is what Najib Mikati, the interim prime minister, heard during the meeting he held, through French mediation, with the Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman.
And “the brigade” wrote: Political sources believed that yesterday’s television appearance by the head of the Free Patriotic Movement, MP Gebran Bassil, was aimed at softening his recent words and retracting what he described as an insult to the secretary general of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, saying that honest people had retracted their promises regarding the issue of holding a session. The Council of Ministers last week, contrary to its wishes, circumvented the content of this speech, replacing it with phrases euphemistic, after the adverse reactions interacted, and now warn of uncalculated reactions to the future of relations between the two sides.
The sources noted that the timing of Bassil’s appearance coincided with an extraordinary visit by General Joseph Aoun to Qatar, whose influences and implications on the presidential election cannot be ignored, despite an attempt to limit his search to the question of support of Qatar to the Lebanese Army ostensibly, meaning Basil’s attempt to sidestep the efforts of Qatari officials in any move they take to reach consensus on Aoun’s election to the presidency.
